Off the Cut Podcast

Deric took the week off, leaving Zac and Eric to hold down the fort. We're diving deep into Zac's newest obsession: desktop CNC milling. He's been trying to mill a custom copper water-cooling block for a PlayStation 5 mod and snapping plenty of bits along the way. We discuss the unique challenges of cutting metals like copper, the fluid dynamics of turbulent flow for better cooling, an...

We are tackling the harsh reality of desktop metal milling and the even harsher reality of doing favors for family. Zac is diving headfirst into the learning curve of his new desktop CNC mill, attempting to carve custom aluminum water blocks without turning his shop into a glitter bomb hazard zone. Meanwhile, Eric is fighting for his life against burned MDF edges and tiny laser-cut letters for a w...

We've got a packed shop this week, literally. Eric managed to cram his router so full of sawdust it might be reclassified as a dust collector, leading to a deep dive into the fatal design flaws of router table intakes. Zac spent days wrestling with forms for a $40k Canadian government creator grant, which naturally led us down a rabbit hole of how to hypothetically game the system and hire eac...

We’re kicking things off with a collective wince as Deric details the agonizing slow-motion drop of his main camera while building a toy box. We debate whether shop cameras should be cared for like fine chisels or rental cars, coated in drywall mud and epoxy. Zac gives us the rundown on his ambitious plan to CNC mill a copper water block to overclock his new stripped-down PS5 hardware, which spark...

We are adding a few questionable corporations to our permanent $h!t list. We break down the absolute worst customer service experiences, from sunglasses trapping us in support-portal purgatory to banks willing to lose customers over a hot dog. We also take a hard look at the predatory nature of default opt-in check out options like shipping insurance and the ridiculousness of offering financing on...

Scott Walsh is hanging out with us again to tackle the creeping "enshittification" of modern woodworking machinery—because apparently, someone out there really thinks you need Wi-Fi and a touch screen on every tool. We wade into the completely rational and not-at-all-angry waters of using AI in your creative process, and debate the harsh reality that being an incredible craftsman doesn&#...

We're missing Zac tonight, and despite the offers to get sponsored by an AI company, we will not be replacing him with an AI clone—unless they take our F*off price. We break down the real cost of chasing perfect video B-roll, the magic of using AI for lazy infomercial graphics, why everyone insists on trying to reinvent table saw safety and how some mistakes are permanent. We also dive into th...

You won’t believe the ridiculous lengths we go to for a good shot—including Zac securing a suspicious amount of sparkly pink costume hair just to test out a robot vacuum. We cover a lot of ground, from Deric burning 6,000 calories doing yard work on the hottest day of the year in Texas, to the grim reality of completely losing all passion for a build the second it sits idle for more than a day. Za...

We kick things off with a well-deserved grievance about heavy-breathing audiobook narrators before spiraling into the golden age of flipping Laserdiscs and debating if 4K Blu-rays are actually worth the hassle. Don’t worry, we talk shop at some point too. Zac shows off his new 3D-printed GameCube mod. We pull back the curtain on tool reviews—specifically stacking the $500 Kreg Edge against the $14...

We are diving headfirst into the latest YouTube monetization panic—because who doesn’t love casually discovering that the watch-hour requirements just doubled? We also tackle the wild conspiracy theories about "stealth ads" in videos. Spoiler alert: brands aren't paying us thousands of dollars to subtly show a product in our videos; they are control freaks and bureaucratic to the bon...

We’re back and somehow Deric survived driving through the absolute chaos of Midtown Manhattan without getting a single New York honk. While Deric was out dodging rats and locked-up CVS candy bars, Eric managed to accidentally launch a full-scale manufacturing facility in his closet. His new Glue Dock went so incredibly viral that he had to nearly buy out the local Best Buy's stock of 3D printe...

We dive headfirst into the ongoing nightmare of managing a 63,000-person email list and how sending out a free tool list is a surprisingly great way to figure out who is actually paying attention. Zac shows off his custom clear Nintendo Switch case, and we debate if it's better to 3D print it yourself or just pay a professional to do it. Things get a little unhinged as we confess to chopping u...

Deric left us unsupervised this week, and frankly, it took us almost a full human minute just to figure out how to start. Once we finally got the episode rolling, we went straight down a rabbit hole analyzing the absolute insanity of financing small purchases. We navigate the murky waters of creator motivation, sharing our personal strategies for breaking through creative roadblocks when you'd...

We somehow survived the melting point of summer to bring you another round of tool talk, tech rants, and questionable homeowner decisions. Zac gives us the lowdown on the Fantic electronic screwdriver and Eric dives deep into the infuriating world of proprietary flashlight chargers. We take a hard look at obsolete tech—RIP Yellow Pages and dashboard Garmins—before venturing into the awkward social...

We’re back at it and diving into the most polarizing topic on the internet: how to pronounce tool brands. Whether you’re Team Blum or Team Bloom, we've got thoughts. We also debate the merits of hiring out chores—is paying the neighborhood lawn guy or a dog walker worth the money, and more importantly, do you actually tip them? Because tipping culture is the wild west of financial gratitude. T...

Grab a seat and a cold drink; you’re right on time. We're back in the shop and diving straight into the usual chaos. Deric is healing up nicely from his surgery, sporting a fresh medical-grade WWE championship belt and plotting some 3D-printed accessories. Meanwhile, Eric takes us on a trip down memory lane to recount the sheer terror of meeting a girlfriend's dad at fifteen—a man who casu...

We are thrilled to report that Deric is back. He’s fresh out of the hospital after an emergency surgery. While he was stuck in a hospital bed eavesdropping on a mysterious old lady who woke up with a broken hip, Eric has been watching the charred remains of his neighbor's house get picked apart by a ServPro investigation team. We've got some serious concerns about local construction safety...

With Deric out sick, Eric and Zac are left to hold Off The Cut together on their own, which goes about as smoothly as expected. This week, they talk course launches, woodworking content, Gorilla Glue, CA glue storage, and the chaos that happens when the tech guy is missing. Eric also shares a trip to the Cincinnati Zoo where he watched someone ignore every survival instinct and pet a cheetah throu...

We're breaking down the unspoken rules of hobbies—like why rolling up to a hockey game with white gloves or carrying a pristine, scratch-free skateboard automatically makes you look like a total noob. We vent about the absolute misery of video editing software when it inexplicably pauses your render at 12% for days, eating up 40+ hours of troubleshooting to no avail. We also dive into the absu...

Welcome back to the shop, friends. We're kicking things off with the bizarre mystery of the YouTube algorithm—specifically how a 40-minute, 10-out-of-10 stinker of a garage upgrade video miraculously resurrected itself after a long Memorial Day weekend Deric scored a 16-speed Central Machinery drill press at a yard sale for 30 bucks, which naturally leads to us brainstorming how to custom-pain...

We're back and diving straight into the harsh realities of creating content when the algorithm clearly prefers confirmation bias over the actual, frustrating truth. Zac gives us the rundown on a speaker build that required way more technical tweaking than those viral DIY videos ever admit, and we debate if the new Kreg joinery tool actually has what it takes to dethrone the Festool Domino, or...

We’re diving headfirst into the latest woodworking drama: Kreg's new "loose tenon joiner" and whether it actually has the precision (and the legal clearance) to dethrone the almighty Festool Domino. Zac is currently trapped in sponsor approval purgatory with his next video, leading us down a rabbit hole of agency contracts, vanity URLs, and why DIY foam speakers actually sound surpri...

We’re back in the shop (and the dentist's chair) this week. Zac’s sporting a brand-new crown, while someone else is apparently gaining 15,000 followers by pretending to be him. Deric got a whole ten-cent payday from Facebook monetization, and we dive deep into the absolute absurdity of the iTunes gift card scam—seriously, who is buying 100 Katy Perry singles in 2026? We also explore the dark s...

This week, we dive into the frustrations of "dumb" machines and the realities of DIY projects that turn into total replacements. Zac vents about his CNC snapping bits and its lack of "intelligence" compared to modern 3D printers, while Eric recounts his sweaty adventures installing a Tesla charger in a hot attic—complete with a surprising win at the hardware store checkout. The...

Zac and Deric are flying solo this week! While Eric enjoys some time away, the guys get into the weeds on Zac’s new course (it’s like launching a whole new channel) and the gear grinding feeling of switching between tasks. The conversation drifts all over the place, much like that old Dodge in the driveway—from cinder-block furniture in early lofts to the dream of forklift-powered home elevators....