Business of Machining

Do you even lathe, bro? “I LOVE LATHES!” - Not who you’d expect As Saunders gets deeper into research for his potential lathe, he plays 20 (000) questions with Grimsmo. If you’re thinking about buying a lathe yourself, or you just need some basic lathe tips, this is the episode for YOU!  Get your notebook out, and let’s get started!  Quick tips:  “Get what you know you’ll need, and...

LET'S DO THIS THANG. If you're a parking lot circler, share the podcast for a chance to WIN!   Submission Deadline: Tuesday September 17th, 2019. Winner announced on September 20th Episode!   Hints of an upcoming lathe purchase have been gracing these podcast episodes for some time. Saunders asks Grimsmo for advice on the right number of radial and axial live tool holders AND which machi...

In this episode: NEW IDEAS:  “It’s amazing what can happen when you Palletize your life!” - Saunders Grimsmo’s new love...The BUYER’S Choice System If you know about Grimsmo Knives, you know about their Maker’s Choice system. This is the way they’ve been selling their knives for YEARS. The title of the Buyer’s Choice System says it all; if your name is picked, you can order a knife specific t...

Settling In Nicely Anyone remember what it felt like to push that clunky snooze button on an LED Panasonic alarm clock? The Grimsmo family is settled comfortably in their new home--so much so that John has no recollection of his alarm or swiping the snooze. Double Time Reality Although Grimsmo's slowly inching toward handing off more responsibility within his company, this week it's double duty. S...

Work/Life Balance Saunders had a great time at Autodesk Fusion 360! Now it’s onto the Field Museum in Chicago with his family.   “Your business and personal life has to go hand in hand!” - Grimsmo  Grimsmo moved into the new house over the weekend, and it already feels like home.  When can an entrepreneur start to give themselves a salary? Saunders talks about putting your prof...

Portland, Oregon. Autodesk Fusion 360 Academy Day 2. Sans the glitz, glam, and exuberance of Autodesk University Las Vegas, the close-nit vibe and Fusion focused course material makes for an amazing time. Saunders shares an AWESOME Fusion 360 hack from Rob Lockwood's 5-Axis Fixturing Course. IT'S A SMALL WORLD During the event, Saunders has dinner with Don Grant from Helical/HarveyTool, the same p...

Our podcast name is DA’ BOM In other words, welcome back to the Business of Machining folks, where we talk about business, machining and in this case, budgets.  Grimsmo and Saunders dive into all those little bits of business advice you would never think to give to a new entrepreneur if asked. They talk best budgeting software, time management, shipping, and lots of seemingly mundane, but equ...

THE SCOOPS AHOY OF CNC MACHINING Grimsmo's KERN will be used as a positional 3-axis for knife making at first, meaning he doesn't need crazy tool or gauge lengths--at least until he decides to get fancy. IT'S A GRAVY SITUATION! EARTH TO SMW! Saunders and his team are back to Earth from visiting the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., where Adam Savage, Andrew Barth, and...

Hungry...for SUCCESS? If you wanna be an entrepreneur, you've gotta HUSTLE! And if you're in the manufacturing industry, you're also making parts. Grimsmo balances running the shop/being the boss, with learning the new machine.  On Grimsmo's decision to buy a Kern... “You’ve restored harmony” - Saunders It's not two lathes against one mill, now there will be an equal number of each.  Y a...

Apollo 11. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. 50th Anniversary. Adam Savage. Project Egress---need I say more!? SMW was given an amazing opportunity to collaborate with other makers and Adam Savage's team to make an Apollo 11 hatch door replica for the 50th anniversary of the lunar landing. If you'd like to see the assembly of the door on July 18, 2019, click here for details! Click the Im...

The Elements of a Machine Shop: Coffee, Coolant, Oil, and FIRE!  Swiss Lathe Update?  “I have both crashed it and set it on fire” - Grimsmo About the fire…it wasn’t THAT bad Folks from the manufacturer of Grimsmo’s Mist Collector reassure Grimsmo that the machine is usually completely fine after a small fire like that.  Regardless...GRIMSMO PARKING LOT TEST OF THE FLAMMABILITY OF OI...

Apollo 11. PARTS. NASA. SMITHSONIAN. ADAM SAVAGE?? Breaking the Silence on Project Egress! This "Top Secret" mission is a collaborative, maker-inspired, project to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing. Saunders shares his crazy story about what the project is, why it's so important, how it ties into his renewed passion for 5-axis machining, and why he's ready to get a "r...

Easy as 1-2-3!  It's easy to commit to recording this podcast every week when you love it!  “This is one of my favorite things to do each week” - Saunders “This podcast is a safe space for us to brag OR complain” - Grimsmo Even after so many episodes, the podcast’s format remains the same: two buddies gush over machining, the challenges that come along with it, and running a business. Th...

YOU BETA NOT MISS THIS! Saunders and his team gear up to launch their biggest project yet: redefining how the machining world consumes and learns speeds and feeds! Sign up to be notified about the beta launch HERE! BladeShow Brain Blur Erik & Jo (pronounced Yo) drive the tail of the dragon on the way to the most important show of the year. Although booth decor might not be their forte, who nee...

Saunders pushes through the pain of a bowling injury. He's still tough enough to make parts on his new 5-axis machine! And there's SO MUCH to learn about it.  Saunders wants to work on the 6th side of a part with his 5-axis, and then eventually tab it off Let's start a tab.  Saunders gives some tips on how to tab off a part, and what he's learned since starting to play with his 5-axis. "...

BE AWESOME: BE BETA! For over a year and a half, Saunders and his team have been pouring themselves into a new business venture! John considers this "the biggest thing he's ever done" and rightfully so. The goal: redefining the way the machining world consumes and learns speeds & feeds. Click HERE  to be notified when the beta launches! Pearly Whites Using the tried, true, cheap, and belo...

You won’t be driving around in a parking lot for this episode, folks. It’s our shortest one EVER! Grimsmo's got some swiss lathe installation guys in this morning, and sometimes the work day starts earlier than 9am  Grimsmo Recieves his Tornos Swiss Lathe The Grimsmo workshop has changed. There is now a new machine behind Grimsmo, and lots of set up to do. About the Lathe: Tornos GT13 Has spa...

IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN.... BLADESHOW 2019 is just shy of 3 weeks away and GK is ready. On their 8th year of attendance, something is different. The usual 2-week, frantic crunch to stock up on product IS NOWHERE IN SIGHT. Not only do they have knives and SAGA pens ready, the 1776 American Independence knife is nearly finished aside from some final engraving! CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW POST! **You know you'r...

Survival Mode Although this term is usually in reference to stress, this time it's literal. Saunders gears up for a lesson in bushcraft. Routine Maintenance - Like a Boss? Learning the inner workings of a machine is just as important as learning the inner workings of your brain.  Could Grimsmo's nightly walks and new to-do list system be paying off? For the past week, the team's been bus...

Topics of Discussion: People are different, but the Johns have more than just their name in common. They also think too much. “Everyone thinks they’re normal” - Saunders How else are people different? Extraversion vs. Introversion Book Smarts vs. Street Smarts To-Do List Writing Methods. Ex. Make a video for future you! Then set up a reminder to watch it. “At the end of the day, doing is what gets...

Talking Growth and the Entrepreneur Mindset Having a team doesn’t mean you’re not an entrepreneur anymore. You still have to clean those toilets! Check out “The E-Myth” “When you live it it’s not cliche at all” - Saunders Delegating Grimsmo is more and more comfortable with delegating tasks, which is awesome! But don't worry, he is still around to help whenever his team needs him. Hear about what...

The Joint Open House - 8 Years Strong Grimsmo remembers how he felt when he first went to a trade show: out of place.  Tip from a veteran attendee: "Form relationships, ask questions, be direct, and make it happen." Not only was this event an internal pat on the back, you could say that Skye's big wish has been granted or rather, GRANITED. After visiting Kern, Grimsmo's wheels are turnin...

The Grimsmo Team is headed to a local machine show! The Joint Open House Participants include: Elliott Matsuura, SST, Ferro Technique, and DMG Mori. It will give Grimsmo and his team a chance to ask lots of questions, and learn new things. There’s a lot of small tooling reps there, so it’s a good chance to make new connections as well as build current relationships. “I’m actually kind of jealous”...

EUROTRIP 2019: A Dream Come True First off, apologies for the missing podcast last week but it wasn't because they didn't try! With Laurens Wijnschenk-Mauritsz in tow, it was the prime opportunity to record. The problem? A sleepy cell phone! Although Grimsmo's returned to Canada, Saunders is adamant, "There are more factories and I'm not leaving until I see them ALL!" "Screw it, let's do it!" - Gr...

Let the podcast go on! Saunders may have lost his voice, but that’s not stopping these two from putting out another episode. Get ready, goal set, go! Grimsmo is hitting lots of goals lately. The team averaged their ideal daily production number for the ENTIRE month of March! Grimsmo is also on his final steps of purchasing a Swiss Lathe! Learn more about its specs and the steps Grimsmo is taking t...