Claim OwnershipThe Impractical Machinists
Subscribed: 37Played: 879
Subscribe
© 2025 The Impractical Machinists
Description
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.
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.
36 Episodes
Reverse
Pat Foreman was 18 years old when someone told him he'd never be able to afford a CNC machine. So he quit. Walked out. Called a sales guy on his way home. Three days later, he had a mill sitting in his parents' garage. No family shop. No machining background. Parents were teachers. He learned everything from YouTube and Google. In this episode, Pat walks us through the whole story: stumbling into a machining class that turned out to be a jail diversion program, calling 1-800-HAAS with $300 to...
We’ve all tried to make a lathe do something it probably shouldn’t. But where’s the line? In this episode, Patrick and Brad get into the real talk about pushing machines past their limits, and why knowing when to level up (your tools and your shop) can make or break you. From shop hacks that kinda work to those that really shouldn’t, the guys share stories every machinist will recognize — the overused end mills, the “temporary” setups that become permanent, and the customers who turn every jo...
What happens when a 29,000 lb horizontal machining center reaches the end of its life? In this episode, we talk about tearing one down — what parts we salvaged, what went to scrap, and how much it was actually worth in the end. We also share the messy reality of what you find inside a decades-old machine and how we handled the teardown without expensive rigging help. But before (and after) that, there’s a lot more going on in this episode. We talk about costly mistakes — like scrapping parts...
Every machinist knows the two worst kinds of headaches: when your threads don’t come out right, and when it’s time to clean the coolant tank. In this episode, the guys swap shop stories about snapped taps, thread engagement gone wrong, and the endless debate of form tapping vs. cut tapping. Then it’s on to the dirty side of the shop — coolant tanks, chip mess, and the cleanups nobody wants to deal with. 🔔 Subscribe, Rate, and Review to never miss an episode. Your feedback helps us bring you t...
Running a machine shop means juggling jobs, customers, employees, and the unexpected—usually all at once. For years, Stuard of Monarch Manufacturing tried to keep everything in his head and on scattered spreadsheets. But as his shop grew, so did the chaos. In this episode of the Impractical Machinists Podcast, Sam joins us to share how implementing an ERP system from ECI gave him something every shop owner craves: control, visibility, and peace of mind. With the system in place, Sam’s team ga...
From wrenching on South Bend lathes in his basement to running Maple Lane Machine & Tool, Brad Jacob has lived just about every phase of the machinist’s journey. In this episode, Brad sits down with us to talk about how he went from BMX-riding shop kid to shop owner serving the medical industry. We dig into restoring old iron, the grind of starting a business out of your garage, and what it’s like to see your parts end up in life-changing applications. If you’ve ever hauled a Bridgeport d...
Ask any machinist about chip control, coolant, or indexable vs. solid, and you’ll get five different answers. In this episode, we dig into all of it with Tom Raun from ISCAR. On this episode of Impractical Machinists, Tom Raun from ISCAR hangs out with us to talk cutting tools—how they’re made, the ideas that actually changed the game, and where things are headed next. We get into everything from inserts that made parting faster, to 3D-printed drill bodies, to the kind of factory automa...
Aaron Morrill has been fixing CNC machines since he was a kid—literally. In this episode, we sit down with the Spokane-based repair tech to talk shop life, leveling myths, and what really matters when your machines go down. From growing up doing service calls with his dad to running a multi-division repair business today, Aaron shares the hard truths about downtime, bad installs, questionable machines, and when not to call a tech. 🔔 Subscribe, Rate, and Review to never miss an episode. Your f...
"How much time should you spend measuring vs. cutting?" That’s the question we’re digging into in this episode. It’s something every shop deals with—do you stop to check everything or just trust the process and keep the spindle running? We talk through how we each handle inspection, what’s worked, what’s backfired, and how we try to strike a balance without slowing things down. Along the way, we also get into: Shop temps and late-night work sessionsCourier horror stories (and some surprisingl...
🎉 We made it — ONE YEAR of The Impractical Machinists Podcast! 🎉 From broken mics and awkward intros to actually figuring out what we’re doing — we’ve come a long way. We’re looking back on everything that’s changed this past year — in our shops and our lives. And yes… there’s a special giveaway to celebrate. 🎁 But you’ll have to listen to the episode to find out how to enter. 👀 👇 Drop a comment, leave a rating, and let us know your favorite moment from the past year! 🔔 Subscribe, Rate, and ...
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 r...
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...
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 differe...
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/foru...
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 wondere...
Patrick, Cameron, and Bradley are diving deep into shop life this week — the kind of stuff you don’t always hear talked about out loud. Bradley just got back from PMTS and saw a robot setup that legit blew his mind — we’re talking about loading vises, inspecting parts with lasers, updating offsets… all automated. Could that kind of tech actually work in a one-man job shop? Patrick walks through how he’s heat treating tool steel in-house, and why it’s not some mysterious black magic — just the...
When the job starts draining you, sometimes the best move is walking away. Here’s what happened next. Burnout doesn’t hit all at once — it builds slowly, especially in high-pressure work environments. In this episode, we talk about what it really feels like to hit that point, why one of us finally decided to leave a demanding job, and what life is like on the other side. We also dive into bigger questions: – What makes a healthy work culture? – How do you keep a team motivated without burni...
What if you could shave hours off cycle times, optimize your machining strategies, and get your entire shop on board with process improvements—without the usual resistance? In this episode of the Impractical Machinists Podcast, we sit down with Chris Zappettini, owner of Zappettini Consulting and co-host of Within Tolerance. Chris has spent years inside machine shops across the U.S., helping businesses cut waste, improve workflows, and implement smarter machining strategies. But as he explain...
Machining is more than just making parts—it’s stress, tight deadlines, and trying to balance work and life without losing your mind. In this episode, we talk about the reality of burnout in the trade, handling overwhelming RFQs, and when taking big risks actually pays off. And much more! Stick around to the end for a big announcement from Patrick! 🔔 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...
🚨 He risked it all to build a machine shop from scratch—then one bad deal took everything. Charles Sanborn IV’s journey is a rollercoaster of risk, redemption, and hard business lessons. At 18, he was on the verge of going to prison. Instead, he joined the Air Force, a decision that changed the course of his life. But the real story starts after that—when he turned his passion for machining into a full-blown business. While still serving, Charles built a machine shop from the ground up, growi...
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States