Business of Machining

THAT STINGS. Verbal agreements feel warm and fuzzy at first but have nasty side effects. While it feels awkward to request a written agreement from a friend or a service provider you've worked with before, be assured; there are far worse consequences. "Free is the most expensive price you could ever pay for something." Offering "blem" products at a discount to the public initially sounded like the...

  Welcome to Autodesk University With a focus on Fusion and Manufacturing Special guest for this episode: Rob Awesome Lockwood! Here is the link of the event Grimsmo, Saunders, and Rob Lockwood were at.  It's time for Grimsmo and Saunders to head to class for four days straight of learning, inspiration, and a little bit of teaching.   In this episode, we catch Saunders, Grimsmo...

Anodizing Paintball Guns, a Brochure, and a Parking Lot Jay Pierson's story of past failure in his MHub speech conjures entrepreneurship jitters of 2010 for Grimsmo. Failure is almost a pre-requisite for success and as a major industry player points out on the NYC CNC forum, "You first have to exist [in other people's minds]." Click HERE to Watch Jay's Speech Don't forget: the successful people yo...

Happy Halloween! Dry Ice anyone? It’s super cool! (pun intended) Check out this project another machinist did with dry ice.   Grimsmo talks about the benefits of quenching your blades in dry ice after heat treat, and is working on a palette that will also improve the process. Saunders is also working with dry ice to blast parts. Before you become a mad machinist for Halloween, maybe...

Shootin' the Breeze Grimsmo and his son, Leif, pay Saunders a quick visit. TURNS out, machining isn't the only thing he's precise about . Saunders digs into his quality engineering obsession. How to Win Friends & Influence People is a life-changing read. Do yourself a favor and get a copy by clicking HERE! Family Heirlooms Everyone says they look AND act like brothers, so when Grimsmo bec...

Grimsmo is putting pens write back into the game! He and Angelo had a nice long meeting where they made A TON of changes to the internal workings of the pens. Curious about what changed? Watch out for new Saga Saturday videos coming again soon on Grimsmo’s YouTube channel ! Learning is great, and it’s even better if knowledge can be used right away! Saunders learns what a “living hinge” is (keep l...

:: Solving a toolpath mystery :: :: The John Saunders Turkey Machine :: :: Don't judge a fish by how it climbs trees :: DEFINING BUSINESS OBJECTIVES Saunders asks himself, "What the heck ARE we?" Does having multiple areas of specialty dilute the business? After some revelatory conversations , he's "zeroing" in on what it means to be SMW. "Daddy, I'm trying to find John Saunders Turkey Machine Sho...

What processes work best for your shop? Sometimes it’s as simple as wrapping green tape around material you’re not using or using google sheets more often, and other times it’s necessary to get creative with a new tool! BTW the Grimsmo shop has a band saw now. “It all depends on your goals”- Grimsmo If quantity is your goal, you focus on materials that make products faster. If your goal is quality...

Get Well Soon, Grimsmo! He might be under the weather but shop life waits for no one... --BURNOUT-- When you enjoy working, you have to be more conscious of that sneaky little thing called burnout. You might not notice until it's too late! Pride and Humility: The Balance William breaks a toy at school. Tony Robbins Total Immersion Grimsmo and Meg attend a Tony Robbins event and return revitalized!...

Are you ready to talk technology and tools from IMTS with Saunders and Grimsmo? I hope so! Because this episode gets nice and technical The Johns are back from IMTS, inspired, and ready to get back to hustling. They’re happy they can pick up where they left off because of their awesome employees holding down their respective forts while they were gone, and keeping up with the daily grind and proce...

THIS IS NOT YOUR ORDINARY PODCAST! THIS IS AN AWESOME, IMMERSIVE AUDIO EXPERIENCE OF IMTS!  Energy = Kinetic People = Inspirational Podcast = Straight, No Chaser   Experience IMTS as Saunders and Grimsmo as they meet people on their way to AB Tools.  BOOM. You're on the podcast!

Buying Machines for your Business Grimsmo and Saunders talk about the importance of Customer Service when it comes to buying a machine. “Just sell me machines and give me service” - Grimsmo Service is important because.... “Fun Fact: Everything mechanical in the world ceases to work at some point” - Saunders When it comes down to it, the quality of the machine is going to affect your relationship...

The Grimsmo Grapple: Touchy Subjects The guys do their best to be open and honest but some topics are hard to discuss! Compartmentalizing family vs. business life is easier said than done. At GK, business IS family, so it's near impossible! Process Reliability--NOT JUST FOR PARTS OR BUSINESS OPERATIONS Grimsmo shows tremendous strength in his ability to self-evaluate.  Instead of hiding behin...

Moving from CNC to RNR Grimsmo takes a well deserved break. His idea of a vacation? Renting a Tesla and taking it out on the open road to Tobermory for a coupe days. No need for new windows when you’re out in nature! And sometimes you can be most productive when you're relaxed.  The Grimsmo Shop Reaction:  “Guys, John’s gone! We can do whatever we want!...LET'S CLEAN!” The Grimsmo shop h...

The Johns share heartwarming entrepreneurial moments that hit them RIGHT IN THE FEELS. Square One No matter your experience level, the learning should never stop. Each new aspect of business sends you back to the green. If your brain is exploding, you're doing it right! A Testament To Self-Care Grimsmo and Saunders know the drill (pun intended) when it comes to "taking time off." Usually it's...

Work/Life Balance: how kids can make you sleep better Sound like an oxymoron? Sometimes we need an escape from work; you can get stressed because you’re working too much. Call it what it is! A BUSINESS. When payroll gets involved, that’s when it gets serious (and when something starts to run like a mini corporation). The Johns discuss the difference between planning and dreaming when it comes to g...

The Importance of Self-Care Take a second to think about YOU. Have you slept well? Eaten well? If you're used to running on empty , it's time to refuel and recharge. Take care of yourself today. Your business depends on it! Grimsmo goes on a BENDER, but it's not what you think! Engraving is now 98% closer to being a lights-out operation. While he didn't get much sleep, he IS energized by tackling...

Both Saunders and Grimsmo have been working towards the success of their business for about a decade, and an article written about NYC CNC helps them both reflect. Just as a new lifestyle starts to creep up on the Johns, things start to speed up at the Grimsmo shop. Erik beat his knife making record! Now it’s up to the others to keep up! Wake up, John!  How you wake up can determine the rest...

What today's episode lacks in pep, it makes up for in realism: Entrepreneurship can be exhausting --and it isn't necessarily a bad thing. After the Johns team up in Canada, the overwhelming excitement settles, leaving the need for recuperation behind. Stay tuned for the video and video podcast! GET OUT OF MY SHOP...AND INTO MY KITCHEN? A change in surroundings brings new thoughts and ideas to the...

It’s Friday today, which means that Saunders picked Grimsmo up yesterday morning to take him on a trip to Kitchener, ON, and visit CAMplete . Saunders is stoked to pick their brains about 5-axis, but they are really just happy to be doing it together! “If you don’t live in a 5-axis world, you wouldn’t even know what you’re missing” - Saunders Let’s talk about processes! Stay tuned for a bonus podc...

Do you have a parallel version of you ?  Maybe it's time to give them a shout and review the first half of the year with them, you may be surprised.  John and John have more than just their names in common; they also are in about the same place business wise, and have about the same number of employees. Now all Grimsmo needs is that new shop! Saunders and Grimsmo discuss the balancing ac...

If you haven't felt STUPENDOUS lately, this podcast will brighten your day. Get ready for a game of Not Metalurgist Part 1 & 2, a nugget of advice from Brad Southard, and Saunders gets his butt kicked by a 5th-Axis toolpath on the HAAS! Up the ANTSY? During the annual Blade Show lull, Grimsmo suddenly finds extra time AND the urge to move on to something new. Instead of making parts, he's pinp...

Where in the world is Saunders now? Stockholm, Sweden! And it’s “life-changing” How could it not be when it's this beautiful? This episode is a shorty but a goodie as our two favourite John’s talk production and management at the Sandvick Coromant headquarters, and how it relates to their businesses. Link to Sandvick Coromant: https://www.sandvik.coromant.com/en-gb/pages/default.aspx Saunders was...

Grimsmo: I'm back...I think. GK: You sure? Grimsmo: *rolls into shop at 11pm to feed the lathe* Yep! Grimsmo's recovered from Blade Show 2018! VIDEO: Blade 2018 w/ALEC STEELE and more awesome makers! Delrin Bearing Cage QC Process--DIALED Debur. Pivot. Slip Fit. Insert Bearings. While Grimsmo's catching up on Delrin bearing cages, catch up on SAGA SATURDAY!  Batch Gone Bad Admitting a mistake...

First thing’s first: Grimsmo’s back from BLADE SHOW, BABY! To sum up: Awesome team bonding experience. The Grimsmo crew and Brad Southard shared everything (including the booth and the AirBnB) Met SO MANY people during the event, and down in the pit!  “A great way for makers to connect with their customers.” - Grimsmo “Meeting people is what it’s all about!” - Saunders The REVEAL of the SAGA!...