What to Do When Your Machine Shop Gets Too Quiet | 26
Ever quote a job thinking "this is way too high" only to get the PO 3 minutes later? Or watch your shop go from "super busy and packed all the time to nothing" when your main customer disappears? They've all been there.Join Patrick, Cameron, and Bradley on the Impractical Machinist Podcast as they dive into a lightning round of questions from Instagram fans. Get insights on how to diversify your machining business, where to invest in quality measurement tools, and the pros and cons of tool rentals. Learn how to handle the challenges of quoting jobs and keeping customer satisfaction high.Chapters:00:00 Intro 07:43 Borrowing Tools from Other Shops?14:20 Lightning Round: Ball Mill Finishing Question20:11 How to Diversify Your Machining Business33:42 When to Say No to a Job & How to Handle It42:42 Old vs New CNC Machines (80s-90s vs Today)59:08 Measuring Tools: Where to Spend & Where to Save1:14:16 Tip of the day1:18:47 Outro🔔 Subscribe, Rate, and Review to never miss an episode. Your feedback helps us bring you the content you love!Drop your comments or topic ideas in the forum here:https://www.practicalmachinist.com/forum/categories/the-impractical-machinists-podcast.102/Or listen to our podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxzIM06jyJCYTCMGUQLgKXNtpq-HqvV2QConnect with the hosts on Instagram:Patrick Mcclintock: IG: https://www.instagram.com/job_shopper_tn/ or PM@Job Shopper TNCameron Graves: IG: https://www.instagram.com/machiningiscool/ or PM@MachiningiscoolBradley Thomas: IG: https://www.instagram.com/marvelmachining/ or PM@MarvelThanks for listening!!!
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1:19:14
What It’s Like to Be a Lathe Guy | 25
In this episode of The Impractical Machinist, we sit down with Luke Niels, host of The Lathe Lab, fourth-generation machinist, shop owner, and all-around turning wizard. From learning manual screw machines at 18 to running a modern CNC job shop, Luke shares how he carved out his path (and his parts) by sticking with lathes when most shops went mill-heavy.🔔 Subscribe, Rate, and Review to never miss an episode. Your feedback helps us bring you the content you love!Drop your comments or topic ideas in the forum here:https://www.practicalmachinist.com/forum/categories/the-impractical-machinists-podcast.102/Or listen to our podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxzIM06jyJCYTCMGUQLgKXNtpq-HqvV2QConnect with the hosts on Instagram:Patrick Mcclintock: IG: https://www.instagram.com/job_shopper_tn/ or PM@Job Shopper TNCameron Graves: IG: https://www.instagram.com/machiningiscool/ or PM@MachiningiscoolBradley Thomas: IG: https://www.instagram.com/marvelmachining/ or PM@MarvelThanks for listening!!!
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1:30:22
Adventure at EASTEC, Shop Updates, and a New Segment?! | 24
Brad’s fresh off a trip to East Tech and fills Patrick and Cam in on the whole experience—his first live video, too much drinking (thanks, Ian), and a ton of cool tooling finds. Back at home, Cam’s juggling machine shop life and building a chicken coop for his ever-growing flock. And Patrick? He’s in the trenches with a nonstop, round-the-clock job that’s testing his sanity—and his air compressor.The guys also get into shop layouts, probe setups, and the little things that make a big difference in a tight workspace. Plus, they answer some listener questions and share their hardest (or just most annoying) jobs to date. 🔔 Subscribe, Rate, and Review to never miss an episode. Your feedback helps us bring you the content you love!Drop your comments or topic ideas in the forum here:https://www.practicalmachinist.com/forum/categories/the-impractical-machinists-podcast.102/Or listen to our podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxzIM06jyJCYTCMGUQLgKXNtpq-HqvV2QConnect with the hosts on Instagram:Patrick Mcclintock: IG: https://www.instagram.com/job_shopper_tn/ or PM@Job Shopper TNCameron Graves: IG: https://www.instagram.com/machiningiscool/ or PM@MachiningiscoolBradley Thomas: IG: https://www.instagram.com/marvelmachining/ or PM@MarvelThanks for listening!!!
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1:14:18
Giving Hope to Heroes - Workshops for Warriors | 23
In this episode of The Impractical Machinist, we sit down with Randall Uerkvitz — a U.S. Army veteran and instructor at Workshops for Warriors. Randall opens up about his journey from military service to machining, overcoming hardship, and how teaching this trade gave his life purpose. 🔔 Subscribe, Rate, and Review to never miss an episode. Your feedback helps us bring you the content you love!Drop your comments or topic ideas in the forum here:https://www.practicalmachinist.com/forum/categories/the-impractical-machinists-podcast.102/Or listen to our podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxzIM06jyJCYTCMGUQLgKXNtpq-HqvV2QConnect with the hosts on Instagram:Patrick Mcclintock: IG: https://www.instagram.com/job_shopper_tn/ or PM@Job Shopper TNCameron Graves: IG: https://www.instagram.com/machiningiscool/ or PM@MachiningiscoolBradley Thomas: IG: https://www.instagram.com/marvelmachining/ or PM@MarvelThanks for listening!!!
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59:50
How a Film Guy’s Machining Hobby Got Out of Control - Ft. Possum Solutions | 22
After a lot of shoutouts, we finally got Jarrett Morgan from Possum Solutions on the podcast! Jarrett shares his story of how a hobby in machining went way off the rails - starting from working as a film camera operator to opening his own one-man CNC shop, making custom camera gear.We talk about how he taught himself machining during the pandemic, what it's like learning everything the hard way, and how he’s adding automation (and a robot!) to help run his shop solo.If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a hobby gets a little too serious, you’ll love this one.Find Jarrett on Instagram here: @possumsolutions🔔 Subscribe, Rate, and Review to never miss an episode. Your feedback helps us bring you the content you love!Drop your comments or topic ideas in the forum here:https://www.practicalmachinist.com/forum/categories/the-impractical-machinists-podcast.102/Or listen to our podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxzIM06jyJCYTCMGUQLgKXNtpq-HqvV2QConnect with the hosts on Instagram:Patrick Mcclintock: IG: https://www.instagram.com/job_shopper_tn/ or PM@Job Shopper TNCameron Graves: IG: https://www.instagram.com/machiningiscool/ or PM@MachiningiscoolBradley Thomas: IG: https://www.instagram.com/marvelmachining/ or PM@MarvelThanks for listening!!!
Welcome to The Impractical Machinists, a podcast for machinists’ who are creative, innovative and a cut above the rest. Join hosts Bradley, Cameron, and Patrick as they discuss everything from CNC machining, tool innovations, shop floor challenges, business strategies, and the latest trends and techniques shaping the industry. Our episodes provide valuable insight and actionable tips from real machinists that you can apply in your own shops. Whether you’re a veteran machinist or just starting out, tune in and turn up the productivity on your machining operations.
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