Advertise on podcast: The Lone Machinists

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Curt discovers that forgetting to enable tool-break detection can get very expensive, very quickly. A tiny PCB drill snaps during a production run, nobody notices, and suddenly several expensive tools are being introduced to a hole that doesn't exist. Jamie has his own machining mishaps, including the rather impressive achievement of trying to threadmill a hole he forgot to drill in the first place. Meanwhile, Jamie has been experimenting with acetone part washing, discovering that PETG doesn't appreciate being left submerged, refining his bluing process, and trying to get consistent results from laser marking. The workshop is also getting unbearably hot, prompting serious consideration of spending a small fortune on air conditioning. There's plenty of spindle-gripping discussion, including automated loading workflows, robot positioning, remnant removal, and using AI to help develop increasingly complicated machine macros. Plus, Curt's new 3D-printed clothespin, vintage advertising inspiration, steam engines, laser cutters, expensive drill bushes, and Jamie's ongoing quest to buy another machine. Two machinists, a few broken tools, and absolutely no shortage of things that need fixing. Links Discussed: Matt (Modern Fuel): https://www.instagram.com/modern_fuel/?hl=en fusion free deburr: https://github.com/jkkicks/Fusion-Free-Deburr physics anonymous is back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmDuNLQ7a0o&pp=ygURcGh5c2ljcyBhbm9ueW1vdXM%3D ashley anodizing: https://www.instagram.com/ashley.anodized.it?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&psln=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== tool setter: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008783211204.html ben video: https://youtu.be/YBh2s6AfHcY?si=z3q5XuV-Vfn8iumVThe Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinistsNeed Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ Jamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/ https://www.noughticalwh.com/Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie discovers exactly how much aluminium his LK can accommodate, unfortunately only after machining the first enormous plate and discovering that the machine's door frame has other ideas. What follows is several nights of temperature-controlled machining, ice in the coolant, precision boring, banana-shaped plates, and a particularly unpleasant fly cutter affectionately named Tool 666. Meanwhile, Curt introduces Jamie to the concept of yak shaving, where attempting to complete one simple task somehow results in rebuilding half your lathe. He also puts his new drilling process through its paces, sacrifices a few drills along the way, and discovers that the lathe might still have the upper hand. There's also mist extraction and air-quality testing, shaving minutes off cycle times, Jamie finally getting Home Assistant talking to the LK again, and an ongoing battle with label printers that apparently cannot perform the unreasonable task of working with a computer. Plus, the office ceiling boards still haven't arrived, the workshop is getting smarter, and the list of things that need doing is somehow getting longer. Sometimes the hardest part of machining isn't making the part. It's completing the seventeen side quests required before you can even start. Links Discussed: Rob Hutchins: https://www.instagram.com/builtbyhutch/The Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinistsNeed Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ Jamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/ https://www.noughticalwh.com/Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie has been listening to The E-Myth again and has come to a rather uncomfortable realization. He's apparently done everything wrong. After a week of running machines, putting out fires, and discovering that Carl isn't a telepath, it's time for SOPs, better workshop organization, and the horrifying prospect of becoming an actual manager. Meanwhile, Curt has encountered an entirely different problem. He carefully scheduled his production around suppliers being late, except everyone delivered on time. Now his workshop is full of titanium, packaging, and more things to do than his brain knows what to do with. Jamie also manages to squeeze 20 hours of machining into a 24-hour period, starts developing a steel-bluing process for his gripper inserts, and announces that the Slowio is officially heading for the exit. There's also mist extraction that's been waiting a year to be installed, enormous Bambu prints, questionable material tolerances, production bottlenecks, and the ongoing realization that buying another printer is almost always the answer. Everything is arriving, everything is running, and apparently nobody knows where the f*****g scale is. Links Discussed: Payton Modarra Monday: https://www.youtube.com/@payton_dean Jessie from DataProto: https://www.instagram.com/dataproto?dlrf=bXN2azhjN280M3FnThe Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinistsNeed Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ Jamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/ https://www.noughticalwh.com/Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, we're experimenting with workholding, tumbling media, and how to make manufacturing a little less painful. Curt's been testing different tumbling media on titanium pen bodies, discovering some surprisingly good finishes along the way. Apparently, tumbling is just witchcraft with extra steps. He's also moved pen-body drilling from the lathe to the mill and cut the cycle time from nearly six minutes to under two, with a few ideas for improving coolant delivery still in the works. Jamie has been working on new workholding inserts, discussing Joshua's new Firmworks vice, and speed-running replacement Anchor Point bodies after discovering a fixture orientation mistake. There's also a look at minimum stock levels, unattended machining, and making production less of a constant emergency. Elsewhere, we discuss using AI to manage customer orders, thermal printers, software companies making questionable decisions, and a certain giveaway involving a Freddy MicroPlus. Plus, there's experimental 3D printing, more shop projects, and a discussion about why you probably shouldn't give away every last keel clamp you own. It's another week of making parts, solving problems, and occasionally creating entirely new ones. Links Discussed: Payton Modarra Monday: https://www.youtube.com/@payton_deanThe Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinistsNeed Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ Jamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/ https://www.noughticalwh.com/Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Curt discovers that despite operating machines, running a business, and apparently being a functioning adult, he still cannot reliably add numbers together. A simple order count leaves him 100 pens short of reality, and it takes Claude to point out that the problem isn't the AI. It's Curt. Meanwhile, Jamie discovers that one of his production parts is effectively being made at a fraction of the required hourly rate. The part itself isn't necessarily a disaster because it sits within a profitable family of parts, but it sparks a much bigger discussion about costing, batch quantities, material, consumables, and knowing where your money is actually going. There's also a serious effort to stop stockouts from screwing up production, with reorder systems, QR codes, minimum quantities, better workflows, and finally getting the workshop organized. Then we get into 3D printers, and both Jamie and Curt are discovering just how much easier life becomes when a printer actually works. Production fixtures, racks, tooling, functional parts, and 18-hour print jobs are suddenly just things you send to the machine and forget about. Plus, gantry automation, uptime monitoring, gauge pins, drag tumbling, and a kindergarten field trip involving a very large corn maze. Math is hard. Good printers are magic. Links Discussed: Tumbling: https://www.instagram.com/p/C4QXPIOOl0z/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&stkn=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==The Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinistsNeed Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ Jamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/ https://www.noughticalwh.com/Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, we're back from IMTS and apparently nobody came home with fewer projects. Curt has managed to create a rather serious problem for himself after launching a one-minute presale for his pens. The idea was simple, keep the sales window short so he wouldn't end up with more orders than he could handle. Unfortunately, everyone who got the pens into their carts during that minute could take their sweet time checking out. The result? Curt sold more pens than he's ever sold before and now has hundreds of pens to make. Rookie move. Jamie has his own growing list of projects, including new products, customer work, a lathe project, more Anchor Point pallets, and plans for a bigger 3D printer because apparently the existing printer has started taking up valuable desk space. We also spend plenty of time talking about the recent IMTS trip, including Paper Kurt's adventures, meeting patrons and machinists, Chicago, New York, and the truly ridiculous amount of walking involved. Jamie averaged around 16,000 steps a day, and somehow still came home wanting to do it all again. There's also plenty of CNC automation, pneumatic systems, tooling, printers, production planning, and the usual discussion about buying more equipment because clearly that's the solution. Hundreds of pens, thousands of steps, and absolutely no spare time. The Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinistsNeed Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ Jamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/ https://www.noughticalwh.com/Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

Jamie is officially running on fumes as the IMTS marathon continues, but there’s still plenty of time for machines, workholding, questionable engineering ideas, and collecting an absolutely unreasonable amount of free stuff. Today’s recap covers small five-axis machines, the X-Horse, ToolDawns, a Wazer demo, and why a Wazer might make sense for some applications but definitely isn’t the answer to everything. Jamie also discovers some seriously clever engineering at the Lang booth, including a robot-loading system door that apparently gave an engineer a solid boner. There’s also discussion about mineral-cast router frames, IGUS samples, pneumatic workholding, EMO, tumbling systems, and the possibility of building a servo-driven tumbler because apparently buying one isn’t enough. Meanwhile, Jamie has accumulated enough pens, stickers, flash drives, tombstones, Tech Decks, and other booth loot to justify its own inventory system. The show is winding down, the FOMO is getting worse, and Jamie is already planning what needs to happen at the next one. Need Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ The Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinistsJamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

Day two of IMTS, and Jamie is somehow fitting even more machines, people, questionable decisions, and engineering ideas into an already packed schedule. The day ends with Oktoberfest, late nights, escalator shenanigans, and a trip back to the Airbnb to talk shit until midnight. And starts straight back into IMTS, with Jamie working his way through tooling, workholding, abrasives, automation, and an increasingly ridiculous collection of machines. There’s discussion about Index’s wild multi-spindle Swiss setup, Siemens PLCs and integrating a probe, a tiny CNC project for grinding serrations into inserts, and why apparently a pneumatic vise is now something Jamie needs to build. They also discover that the steel shelf was actually aluminium, leading to Tall Jacob being sent in because nobody knows who he is. Meanwhile, Curt continues experiencing IMTS through messages and social media, while Jamie keeps getting recognized by his voice and discovering that seemingly everyone is at the show. Add in giant machines, questionable prototypes, FOMO, meetups, karaoke, and a water bottle that is becoming increasingly thick, chunky, and girthy, and Tuesday at IMTS is shaping up nicely. Need Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ The Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinistsJamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

IMTS is officially underway, and Jamie has already discovered that three hours in the machine tool hall gets you through roughly one third of it. In this Monday recap, Jamie and Curt catch up on the first day of the show, the meetup, the endless FOMO, and the sheer number of people, conversations, machines, stickers, and merch flying around. Jamie talks about getting recognized by his voice, finally meeting Grimsmo, collecting enough stickers to make his water bottle significantly girthier, and spending the day wandering through the halls with various machinists and manufacturers. There’s also plenty of machine-shop nerdiness, including Index’s ridiculous multi-spindle Swiss setup, the LK machine Jamie is eyeing, tiny C250s, high-precision five-axis machines, temperature compensation, giant gantry routers, and a massive hamburger being milled from a ton and a half of material. Meanwhile, Curt gets to experience IMTS entirely through everyone else’s Instagram stories. And apparently Jamie is now being peer-pressured into making a pneumatic vise. Need Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ The Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinistsJamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, the machines are starting to outproduce the humans, which sounds great right up until you realize somebody still has to finish all those damn parts. Curt is running huge production batches ahead of a pre-sale, discovering just how much his machines can actually produce, and realizing that hand finishing is rapidly becoming the bottleneck. We get into pocket clips, blasting, tumbling, sanding, scotch-briting, abrasive brushes, custom tooling, and increasingly questionable ideas for automating the finishing process. Jamie is getting ready to head to IMTS, trying to prove out programs before leaving, considering whether a Swiss machine might actually make sense, and dealing with a workshop back door that has apparently decided it wants to become a water feature. There’s also plenty of discussion about Instagram posts versus reels, ultrasonics, production mistakes, traveling to the US, and the increasingly chaotic schedule surrounding IMTS and the following weeks. The machines are doing their jobs. Now apparently the humans need to catch up. The Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinistsNeed Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ Jamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/ https://www.noughticalwh.com/Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

This week's episode of the Lone Machinist is basically what happens when the machines start producing faster than the humans can keep up. Curt is drowning in production, running huge batches of parts ahead of a pre-sale and discovering that the real bottleneck isn't machining anymore — it's finishing. We get into hand-finishing pocket clips, blasting, tumbling, abrasive brushes, custom tooling, and the increasingly ridiculous idea of automating all the bits that happen after the machine stops. Jamie, meanwhile, is preparing for IMTS, trying to quote a massive recurring machining job, figuring out how to make some questionable drawings less stupid to manufacture, and discovering that his new workshop has a back door that apparently doubles as a water feature. There's also international shipping, tariffs on stickers, transporting a ridiculous amount of merch to the US, Instagram deciding that photos aren't interesting anymore, and Curt continuing down the ultrasonic-cleaner rabbit hole. And somewhere in all of this, a bigger printer and possibly a Swiss machine start looking like perfectly reasonable purchases. Basically: the machines are doing their jobs. Unfortunately, we aren't keeping up. Links Discussed: Comparing Ultrasonic Units Video: https://youtu.be/rdouvT3zZzg?si=86_zWZ3fT2RyzE_l IMTS Meet Up RSVP Form: https://forms.gle/CQXMmFsTZEytb8gD7The Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinistsNeed Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ Jamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/ https://www.noughticalwh.com/Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

This week on the Lone Machinist, Curt finally fixes his titanium anodizing problems—and discovers that the secret was apparently replacing the Multi-Etch he’d been using for years. Suddenly the anodizing behaves, the fades work, and he can leave batches running without turning everything into expensive scrap. Meanwhile, Jamie has gone completely off the rails with production. A 4,800-piece aluminium order has the machines running practically around the clock, with spindle gripping cranking through parts while Jamie swaps trays, programs jobs and generally becomes the pallet-changing robot himself. There’s also bar pulling, proper spindle liners, 15,000 upcoming parts, a fourth axis hacked into the PLC, and four completely inappropriate pressure switches. The conversation eventually turns to the real problem with scaling: machining more parts is easy. Finishing, cleaning, anodizing, packing and shipping the damn things is where everything starts falling apart. Also: Millbilly manoeuvres, questionable purchasing decisions, and the ongoing discovery that Jamie is, apparently, illiterate. Links Discussed: IMTS Meet Up RSVP Form: https://forms.gle/CQXMmFsTZEytb8gD7The Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinistsNeed Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ Jamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/ https://www.noughticalwh.com/Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie has one hell of a week in the shop. A mold job turns into roughly 40 hours of machining in just three days, including a late-night finish, while the machine burns through an impressive amount of coolant along the way. It also sparks a much-needed conversation about pricing, especially when a retrofit or machine job takes significantly longer than expected. Meanwhile, Curt continues experimenting with anodizing and gets increasingly consistent results before dropping some big news: a 100W MOPA fiber laser and fourth axis are on the way. Back at the shop, Jamie is working on ways to automate more of the production process, including improvements to the spindle gripper, automated part handling, and a new coolant-level monitoring system designed to survive the reality of life inside a CNC machine. There's also plenty of discussion about production planning, R&D, getting machines to run unattended, and the eternal struggle of trying to take a few days off when you're the person everyone relies on to keep the machines running. 40 hours of machining. 60 litres of coolant. One very tired machinist. Links Discussed: IMTS Meet Up RSVP Form: https://forms.gle/CQXMmFsTZEytb8gD7 CyberPunk FPV Mod: https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/mods/31642The Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinistsNeed Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ Jamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/ https://www.noughticalwh.com/Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie and Curt discover that zero-point workholding really is f*****g magical. Jamie has reached the point where swapping between jobs is becoming almost stupidly easy. A tray comes out, another goes in, the machine already knows where everything is, and production can carry on without spending half an hour re-indicating a setup. The Anchor Point system has officially gone from "cool workholding system" to religion. And there is plenty more happening around the shop. Jamie is preparing for the upcoming IMTS trip, including a meetup at Justin's shop in Cleveland. The current plan involves landing in New York in the morning and then driving roughly eight hours straight to Cleveland for the meetup. Because apparently flying halfway around the world isn't enough punishment. Then comes another retrofit. Jamie discovers that the drives on the machine use a proprietary encoder communication system, meaning the easy solution he was hoping for isn't actually a solution at all. The motors can stay, but new encoder wiring needs to be pulled through the energy chain — approximately 60 metres of encoder cable worth of fun. Meanwhile, the shop is getting busier, the new workshop continues to evolve, and Jamie is preparing to change coolant on the LK because the existing coolant is getting increasingly thick with tramp oil. The replacement is an aluminium-specific coolant that is about to get thrown directly into a production job — because apparently the best way to test coolant is to put expensive parts in it. And, as always, the episode eventually reaches the Google Box, where Curt has drones, transmitters and AliExpress purchases waiting for a sale, while Jamie has tiny screws, pneumatic check valves and yet another reason to spend money online. Links Discussed: IMTS Meet Up RSVP Form: https://forms.gle/CQXMmFsTZEytb8gD7 Kens Keyboards: https://notsuspicious.com/ Lego: https://www.reddit.com/r/DontPutThatInYourAss/comments/1nd8ant/legobutt_plug/The Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinistsNeed Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ Jamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/ https://www.noughticalwh.com/Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie discovers an important new limitation in his manufacturing capabilities: This week we're also talking about the reality of running production when customers apparently expect you to know which parts they need urgently without actually telling you which parts are urgent. "I'm not telepathic, m***********s." Jamie is trying to impose some sanity on the workday with a hard 7 PM cutoff and a maximum of 540 minutes of production time per day, because allowing customers to constantly turn everything into an emergency is a fantastic way to end up working every night. Meanwhile, the new 3D printer has gone from "cool new toy" to a legitimate production tool. In just five days, it's already clocked around 45 hours of printing, producing tool tags, trays, gripping fingers and other shop hardware. One batch of 75 small parts was made possible by printing custom trays, getting everything prepared while another machine was running, and then putting the CNC into three hours of unattended production. Of course, the printer now has one major problem: The CNC is spraying coolant all over it. So naturally, the solution is to build a giant lid for the LK out of square tubing and plastic sheet rather than doing anything remotely sensible. So grab a coffee, check your quantities twice, and hit Cycle Start. Because apparently 28 does not come after 27. Links Discussed: nimble gripper: https://nimblegripper.com/ tool audit: https://jspeceng.github.io/Tool-Audit/ How ELRS Works: https://youtu.be/ssmQkRkXE84?si=FisbQeGbXOltDpLv IMTS Meet Up RSVP Form: https://forms.gle/CQXMmFsTZEytb8gD7The Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinistsNeed Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ Jamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/ https://www.noughticalwh.com/Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/