Business of Machining

John might have had a little hiccup on the Kern. A work piece flew out of the vise. Don't worry, everything is good! The Boys also had a great chat about managing tool inventory in a shop. With some great references and a video that can be found here . John & John also chat in length about 5 axis parts and the qwerks of Fusion 360!

CNC Lathes, Mills, Manufacturing & Small Business TOPICS CNC Lathe & Mill Trials and Errors Subspindle Stabilization Solutions 5-Axis Window Machining, Tabs, and Hot Glue A Different Workholding Solution You Might Not Have Tried Will the KERN make the Linda Wheel obsolete? Dovetail Workholding Instills Confidence Technician Time Shedding The Bootstrap Mindset  RAISING A BURR? DISH. Sa...

Things are going well for both Grimsmo & Saunders! Saunders relaunched their website and saw their highest sales week! While Grimsmo has been getting more comfortable on the kern! Saunders' brings up a quote from his friend, "Possession is 90% of ownership". The boys also talk about "When you're faced with a tough decision, always choose the option that gives the customer the most confidence."...

Buying, Running, and Building Successful Businesses Around CNC Machines. TOPICS: ST-20Y is back in business Tolerance Creep & Squeezing the Most Out Of Your Machine Tornos Lovejoy coupler slips during production GK Quarantine Vlogs - Second Nature Machining Tips and Tricks Finding Center Lines On A Y-Axis Lathe Fusion 360 NC Program Feature Simplifying Lathe Workflow - Lockwood's WCS & Con...

John & John are still adjusting to working or in some cases, not working during COVID-19. Grimsmo is slowly integrating back into work but with very strict safety measures. While Saunders' continues to make PPE for the front line workers. The boys talk all about the different government loans in both Canada & USA and how to apply for them. John Grimsmo has been taking it way back in the ol...

Two Small Manufacturing Business Entrepreneurs Learning to Navigate Covid-19. With an uncertain time frame, Grimsmo and Saunders discuss the importance of looking ahead, monitoring your burn rate, and being ready to use available programs before the cushion runs out.  Grimsmo Knives made the decision to shut their shop in response to the non-essential business shut down order.  That does...

This weeks episode is a little different than our normal conversations. John & John talk all about the effects of COVID-19 in their personal life and business life. They take a quick detour to talk about higbee threads as well! Please everyone stay safe out there. Look after yourself and loved ones.

TOPICS: Thoughts on Covid-19 and small business The SAGA  Solutions for breaking tools during internal threading Why You Need a Neon Vest In Your Shop BREATHE. Yes, they talk about Coronavirus. Yes, they are washing their hands. What you won't find are hosts hoarding toilet paper or coming up with conspiracy theories. What you will find is hope and perseverance! If you want to know how you ca...

Have you ever wanted to listen to two grown men talk about a lathe like children in a candy store? Well this episode is for you. John Saunders goes in depth trying to make his first sub spindle lathe part. The boys also talk all about the mist collector situation at the Grimsmo shop and to not overlook the air quality. John Grimsmo also made a "production run" of 9 parts on the Kern!

TOPICS: 5-Axis Machining Generatively Designed Parts Tool life troubleshooting & solutions Steep & Shallow in Fusion 360 McMaster Coolant Filtration Solutions Relieved Shank Endmills Shrink Fit, Set Screw, & Pull-Stud Extenders   SMW & MACHINING A GENERATIVE DESIGN PART (Click Image to View Post) In January, NYC CNC made trucks for a Datron longboard with a combination of 3-ax...

Can you really optimize machining and happiness at the same time? This week John & John dive in to optimizing machining while staying happy and true to yourself. They also talk about hand editing lathe code and threading tips on the lathe. Saunders fuses ABS plastic together with acetone like a mad scientist and Grimsmo finally gets his swiss running after some issues.

THIS WEEK'S TOPICS:  Entrepreneurs Managing Business & Emotions Reliving KERN  Shop Tours | Onsrud, Hendrick Motorsports, and Stewart-Haas Racing CAMplete | Workflows & Optimize Function  Datron NEO & Wazer for ProvenCut Speeds & Feeds Testing A Message from Justin K. Courtney | Tulster It's been 13 years and counting! Grimsmo relives how his spur-of-the-moment trip...

John & John go into some very deep discussion this week all about stress, happiness and finding continued motivation. How do you talk about past events and experience without sounding like you are whining? Finding the line and learning how to communicate in the early stages of growing a business. John Saunders visits YG1 and Onsrud endmill grinding factory! John Grimsmo goes all in on Kern tra...

Saunders and Grimsmo delve into entrepreneurial insecurity, how it impacts them, and ways to keep it in check. Now that the crazy month of January has passed, Grimsmo and his team are getting back into the swing of production. The Mori is up and running but there was a minor problem that caused them to scrap four knife handles. While it's not a huge deal, sometimes we forget about easy ways to iso...

This week John & John talk all about "The best decision is the one that will increase the customer's trust". They raise a great discussion about making decisions while being in the public eye and trying to make sure everyone is happy. We also do a deep dive into the new Grimsmo HQ. They talk all about leveling machines, measuring tools and mastering precision. You can find the book we referenc...

Plugged Into The Pipeline Having a brain trust is valuable to your business and personal growth. Whether it's social media, family, friends, a mentor, or a business/entrepreneurship group, the benefits are innumerable. Entrepreneurship bears a shocking resemblance to parenting, especially when it comes to receiving unsolicited advice. Your Win = Crap Shoot? Saunders shares memo that brings a new p...

John & John have a crazy busy week ahead. Saunders' dives into great detail about his first lathe sub spindle transfer. They both go into great detail about process and the fine tuning that goes into something like switching parts on a lathe. John Grimsmo goes over the plan for moving into the new shop next week! This includes getting the Kern that comes on Monday! Both Johns also touch on swi...

Less than a week into 2020, Grimsmo's new shop is ready to be outfitted with epoxied floors, water, electric, and air in the coming days and weeks. The floors have been shot blasted and the repairman is on his way to fix the heater. With the new shop being a 1-minute walk from the current one, it couldn't be more convenient. Excuse me, did you say, "Shot Blasted?" Now I know why it's called The E-...

Happy new year everyone! This week John & John talk machines, promises and expectations. Grimsmo Knives gets the keys to their new shop and the new Kern landed in Canada. This then sparked the conversation about the planning process with rigging new machines and the move in general. John Saunders all about "The Prepared" by Spencer Wright, which is a newsletter for "people working on real prob...

Merry Chipsmas and Happy New Year! 2020 is just around the corner and so are the Eumachs, the KERN, and the new shop! With a ton of micro-tasks that make up the larger task of changing locations, Grimsmo goes into tactical mode rather than focusing on the philosophical, big-picture of GK. Saunders notices an obvious but admirable difference between himself and his Canadian counterpart. Despite the...

This week both John's talk about the million dollar Kern Microtechnik coming to the Grimsmo shop! Both John's also touch on the Christmas holiday coming up and about being a parent! Saunders touches on past issues about having machines delivered to his shop and the entire process of getting new equipment. We talk in depth about learning advanced lathe work, things like Fusion 360, tool paths and w...

The guys muse about their leadership role and how seriously they take it. In order to be a better leader, you have to be willing to admit when things aren't going well--and that's not easy. Tasks and Tiffs! Grimsmo shares current sticking points in the shop: sharing responsibility and co-worker conflicts. Incrementally, he's delegating more tasks. When it comes to conflict, he finds it easy to und...

This week John & John talk about firing vendors and turning failure into a victory, and money can buy you options but not happiness. John G also confirms that the lease on the new building is confirmed and they are now in the planning stage. John S talks setting up his new Haas Lathe to run a new part.

Welcome to the Business of Machining Podca---I mean, Business of Machining PRIVATE conversation. What were things like for Grimsmo and Saunders pre Lockwood button? Saunders remembers a lot more daily struggles, precarious situations, lack of confidence, and FEAR. Have things really changed? Perfectionism = Double-Edged Knife A driving force for achieving excellence, perfectionism comes at a high...

This week both John's talk about how John Grimsmo crashed his swiss lathe. John Saunders talks about his class called "Growing Into 5 Axis at Autodesk University". They also touch on rigging and moving CNC equipment and a new tool management system that Saunders' created!