Off the Cut Podcast

We finally solve the mysteries of the universe—or at least the ones involving aluminum cans and why your garage door is trying to kill you. We dive into the "uncanny valley" of AI-generated emails that try just a little too hard to be your friend, and why Eric would rather do drywall every day than ever touch rubber gym flooring again. If you’ve ever wondered about the surface area to vo...

This week, we’re officially declaring a boycott on Bubly—they took away our little tab greetings, and frankly, we’re taking it personal. Once we cool off, we dive into Zac’s latest Steam Machine build, the logistics of launching his new course, and the wild world of fake email addresses. That naturally leads to Eric confessing his life of crime and getting detained by the police in 7th grade over...

Let’s be honest, half of this episode is just us battling the machines. Eric finally figures out why his gigabit internet is crawling (spoiler: mesh networks are liars), and Zac drops some serious cash on a Wi-Fi 7 router only to realize it sounds like last Thanksgivings turkey in the dryer on perma-press. We also dive deep into the current state of AI—from how “tokens” actually work to why chatbo...

We are back for Episode 210, and despite the technical gremlins trying to take down the live stream early on, we made it through. This week, Deric is back from Hawaii with a harsh reality check about trying to edit video on an airplane. Zac is deep in the trenches of filming his new console modding courses and discovering that recording voiceovers might actually be a form of physical torture. Mean...

Eric and Zac try to hold down the fort while Deric is soaking up the sun in Hawaii , and predictably, it ends with Eric's internet dying and a desperate pivot to the aftershow. Before the total system failure, the guys actually covered a lot of ground. Zac breaks down the absolute necessity of negotiating everything from your Adobe subscription to a root canal. Eric shares his nightmare week r...

We challenged Deric to keep up an Irish accent for the whole show, he didn't even last three seconds. We kick things off with a reality check on the recent windstorms that turned our backyards into obstacle courses and honest landscapers into price gouging armies.  Zac gets brutally honest about his latest project: XPS foam panel speakers . After being bought into the YouTube hype, he discover...

We are bleeding money this week. Eric accidentally spends over $600 on just three sheets of walnut plywood after dealing with a breathless customer service rep. We also dive into Eric's new standing desk build, Zac’s genius idea to 3D print cages for power bricks, and why a $1,000 office chair might actually be worth it. Zac reveals the 3-point suspension system for his "Invisible Foam Sp...

We are investigating a potential crime ring in our own Patreon after the same person wins the giveaway... again. Are we rigging it? (Legally: No. Comically: Maybe). Zac explains why he is gluing foam insulation to his wall to create "Invisible Speakers" and why Fusion 360 thinks every piece of wood weighs 2,000 pounds. Deric opens up about the anxiety of a video release and shares the pa...

We are kicking off this week with a massive confession: Eric accidentally stained... you know what, you'll have to listen to find out, it's just too good. We also debate the legal ethics of telling your lawyer you are actually guilty of jaywalking, pitch the concept of the "YouTube Olympics" to see which influencers can actually back up their skills live, and discover the terrify...

We get deep in the weeds of YouTube strategy this week, debating whether ThumbnailTest.com is actually better than YouTube's native A/B testing tool, and why creating "composite" thumbnails is the ultimate creator hack (even if they look ridiculous up close). We roast the lazy corporate use of AI—from terrible automated meeting recaps to unsolicited "improved" thumbnails th...

We are breaking down the "AI Lottery" theory—the idea that AI multiplies who you already are (so if you're a bad creator, you'll just be a 100x bad creator). We also confess to our "Photoshop Stupidity," specifically the years spent searching for fonts because we didn't know how to stroke the text. Eric shares his "Honda Fit Mystery," where an alarming &qu...

We are diving into the cult of "Gridfinity" to decide if it’s actually the ultimate organization system or just a hobby that eats up 80 hours of print time to save you 4 seconds. We also share our (possibly unethical) Amazon return hacks to avoid shipping fees, discuss the "Infinite Filament Glitch" on Maker World, and debate the controversial topic of Drill Clutches (do they a...

Zac is back from exile (vacation), and we waste no time launching a conspiracy theory that the "Shop Sounds" podcast is inflating their giveaway numbers. We dive deep into "AI Psychosis" and the Mandela Effect—debating whether the seahorse emoji ever existed and if the Fruit of the Loom logo actually had a cornucopia (it did and Zac will fight anyone who says different). Eric s...

We made it to Episode 200, and we celebrated by... getting rid of Zac? With the third host "exiled," Eric and Deric take the wheel to discuss the absolute nightmare of installing ceiling fans on 18-foot vaulted ceilings—including the terror of "lean-to" ladders and why "Integrated LEDs" are the worst invention in lighting history. Eric discusses his new "Mail Slo...

We are on the brink of Episode 200, but first, we are going to commit international hot dog crimes. We discuss the genius (and legality) of a "Hot Dog Arbitrage" scheme involving Canadian Costco memberships and a 53-foot trailer. We also dive into the nightmare of small business bookkeeping, why we lie about our invoice numbers to look more professional, and the struggle of using AI to w...

We are kicking off the new year by discussing our "resolutions"—specifically the struggle to actually finish a project before starting the next shiny one. We dive deep into the economics of injection molding vs. 3D printing (shoutout to Travis from ⁨@ShopNation⁩ and ⁨@PrintFarmAcademy⁩ for the breakdown) and debate whether scripting our videos too heavily is actually killing the fun of c...

We are closing out the year by debating the ethics of selling 3D printed "dragons" at craft fairs and discussing when a maker business should graduate from 3D printing to injection molding (the "MVP" strategy). We also dive into the reality of "Outlet Mall" quality, we suspect that brands are manufacturing intentionally worse products for discount stores. Plus, we bre...

We are wrapping up the year with the ultimate Showdown, a March Madness-style bracket to crown the absolute best power tool brand. We randomly assign brands to defend, forcing us to make passionate arguments for tools we might actually hate (looking at you, Powerfist). We debate whether a "lifetime warranty" is actually a scam, why Powerfist is the worst name in marketing history, and we...

It is finally time for the "Sawdust Showdown!" We turn the podcast into a Jeopardy-style trivia game where Eric and Zac battle it out over categories like "Getting Drilled" (identifying tools without logos), "2xForefathers" (woodworking history), and the surprisingly difficult "Hand Stuff." We also debate the best way to store ratchet straps (and whether the...

We are getting into the holiday spirit by discussing the beauty of "flat presents" (checks from grandma) and our secret strategies for dealing with terrible "throwaway gifts". However, the holiday season also brings out the scammers, so we dive deep into the sophisticated text and email scams currently plaguing creators, including a convincing Meta "Blue Badge" trap.  We also geek out on AI tools...

We are still recovering from Thanksgiving, which means we have strong opinions about leftover turkey and the tragedy of store-bought pies with lackluster crusts. We also dive into the questionable ethics of returning Black Friday impulse buys, debating whether it's okay to screw over a giant corporation versus a small creator. Last, we break down the art of the "listicle" video—how t...

We kick things off with a dental emergency caused by a bad habit before diving into a deep debate about shop safety gear—specifically, whether those expensive "space helmets" are actually worth it or if we just look ridiculous. We also discuss the "Nosy," a wearable air purifier that definitely exists (unfortunately), and question what materials we are using today that will be...

We are diving into the ultimate holiday gift guide for makers, but things quickly turn into a heated debate about shop organization. We discuss whether the expensive "Packout" systems are actually worth the hype or if there are better ways to store your gear without breaking the bank. We also break down our top gift picks ranging from the $20 essentials (like the humble Sharpie) to &quot...

Eric ran off to romp in the woods with his wife, so for Episode 190, we can do whatever we wanted all night long! We had a little fun, covering everything from: The iMac G3 Resurrection Zach shared his latest project: putting a modern Mac Mini and an OLED screen inside the iconic old, curvy iMac case. Once he figured out the right-click, it was smooth sailing Our YouTube Strategy: We talked about...

This week we dive into everything from viral content and controversial sports calls to tech upgrades, shop hacks, and the frustrations of Amazon! Tech and Tool Talk: The iPhone Camera Bump Solution- We solve the biggest problem with modern phones: the stupid camera bump! We pitch solutions to make your phone flat—and give you a 25% larger battery Mac Modernization- Zac reveals his latest crazy ele...