This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie and Curt discover that zero-point workholding really is fucking magical.

Jamie has reached the point where swapping between jobs is becoming almost stupidly easy. A tray comes out, another goes in, the machine already knows where everything is, and production can carry on without spending half an hour re-indicating a setup. The Anchor Point system has officially gone from "cool workholding system" to religion.

And there is plenty more happening around the shop.

Jamie is preparing for the upcoming IMTS trip, including a meetup at Justin's shop in Cleveland. The current plan involves landing in New York in the morning and then driving roughly eight hours straight to Cleveland for the meetup. Because apparently flying halfway around the world isn't enough punishment.

Then comes another retrofit.

Jamie discovers that the drives on the machine use a proprietary encoder communication system, meaning the easy solution he was hoping for isn't actually a solution at all. The motors can stay, but new encoder wiring needs to be pulled through the energy chain — approximately 60 metres of encoder cable worth of fun.

Meanwhile, the shop is getting busier, the new workshop continues to evolve, and Jamie is preparing to change coolant on the LK because the existing coolant is getting increasingly thick with tramp oil. The replacement is an aluminium-specific coolant that is about to get thrown directly into a production job — because apparently the best way to test coolant is to put expensive parts in it.

And, as always, the episode eventually reaches the Google Box, where Curt has drones, transmitters and AliExpress purchases waiting for a sale, while Jamie has tiny screws, pneumatic check valves and yet another reason to spend money online.

Links Discussed:

 * IMTS Meet Up RSVP Form: https://forms.gle/CQXMmFsTZEytb8gD7
 * Kens Keyboards: https://notsuspicious.com/
 * Lego: https://www.reddit.com/r/DontPutThatInYourAss/comments/1nd8ant/legobutt_plug/

The Lone Machinist:

 * Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/
 * Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content
 * Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store
 * Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinists

Need Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/

Jamie:

 * http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering
 * https://www.jspeceng.com/
 * https://www.noughticalwh.com/

Curt:

 * https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/
 * https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

Ep. 86: Spindle Grippers and Questionable Decisions

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie discovers an important new limitation in his manufacturing capabilities:

This week we're also talking about the reality of running production when customers apparently expect you to know which parts they need urgently without actually telling you which parts are urgent.

"I'm not telepathic, motherfuckers."

Jamie is trying to impose some sanity on the workday with a hard 7 PM cutoff and a maximum of 540 minutes of production time per day, because allowing customers to constantly turn everything into an emergency is a fantastic way to end up working every night.

Meanwhile, the new 3D printer has gone from "cool new toy" to a legitimate production tool. In just five days, it's already clocked around 45 hours of printing, producing tool tags, trays, gripping fingers and other shop hardware. One batch of 75 small parts was made possible by printing custom trays, getting everything prepared while another machine was running, and then putting the CNC into three hours of unattended production.

Of course, the printer now has one major problem:

The CNC is spraying coolant all over it.

So naturally, the solution is to build a giant lid for the LK out of square tubing and plastic sheet rather than doing anything remotely sensible.

So grab a coffee, check your quantities twice, and hit Cycle Start.

Because apparently 28 does not come after 27.

Links Discussed:

 * nimble gripper: https://nimblegripper.com/
 * tool audit: https://jspeceng.github.io/Tool-Audit/
 * How ELRS Works: https://youtu.be/ssmQkRkXE84?si=FisbQeGbXOltDpLv
 * IMTS Meet Up RSVP Form: https://forms.gle/CQXMmFsTZEytb8gD7

The Lone Machinist:

 * Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/
 * Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content
 * Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store
 * Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinists

Need Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/

Jamie:

 * http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering
 * https://www.jspeceng.com/
 * https://www.noughticalwh.com/

Curt:

 * https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/
 * https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

Ep. 85: Coolant, Calendars, and Counting Errors 

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie celebrates another trip around the sun the only way a machinist knows how—by spending it surrounded by machines, projects, and just enough chaos to keep life interesting. Because apparently birthdays don't stop production schedules.

The guys catch up on everything happening in the shop, from ongoing product development and production runs to the constant balancing act between making parts, designing new products, and finding enough hours in the day to do both. As always, every solved problem seems to reveal two more waiting just around the corner.

There's plenty of discussion about running a small manufacturing business, the realities of launching new products, and why building a successful shop is often less about having the perfect idea and more about consistently shipping good work.

Along the way, the conversation wanders into birthdays, family traditions, workshop stories, and the little moments that remind you life exists outside the machine shop... even if only briefly.

Whether you're running a one-person shop, dreaming up your next product, or just trying to make it through another production week, there's something in this episode for every machinist.

In This Episode:

 * Birthday celebrations, machinist style
 * Shop updates and production progress
 * Product development and what's coming next
 * Running a small manufacturing business
 * Lessons learned from another busy week
 * The usual machining stories and terrible jokes
 * Why coffee is still the most important shop tool

Grab a coffee, hit Cycle Start, and remember:

Birthdays are temporary... unfinished shop projects are forever.

Links Discussed:

 * nimble gripper: https://nimblegripper.com/
 * applied science: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyIQkqBXhS0

The Lone Machinist:

 * Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/
 * Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content
 * Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store
 * Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinists

Need Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/

Jamie:

 * http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering
 * https://www.jspeceng.com/
 * https://www.noughticalwh.com/

Curt:

 * https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/
 * https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

Ep. 84: Birthday Cake and Broken Machines 

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie and Curt discover that making great machining videos is almost as difficult as making great parts.

After another week of production, Jamie is finally looking at upgrading the workshop camera setup. The problem? His current action camera has all the image quality of a potato with a lens, which isn't exactly ideal when you're trying to film chips flying inside a CNC machine. The guys compare cameras, lighting, low-light performance, and whether an old cellphone might actually outperform a dedicated action camera.

Meanwhile, the shop keeps moving forward. Jamie is preparing to run another batch of parts, making a new bar puller, and juggling product development while trying to find enough hours in the day to actually make chips. As always, production has a habit of getting in the way of all the exciting projects.

The conversation also takes a hilarious detour into AI-generated search summaries after discovering that one of Jamie's websites has somehow been identified as a podcast hosted by AJ and Harrison instead of... well... the actual hosts. It's a perfect reminder that AI can be incredibly useful... and incredibly confident while being completely wrong.

As always, there's plenty of discussion about shop life, content creation, product development, and the ongoing balancing act between building cool things and actually having time to show them to the world.

So grab a coffee, hit Cycle Start, and remember:

The part only takes five minutes to machine... getting the camera angle right takes forty-five.

Links Discussed:

 * nimble gripper: https://nimblegripper.com/

The Lone Machinist:

 * Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/
 * Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content
 * Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store
 * Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinists

Need Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/

Jamie:

 * http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering
 * https://www.jspeceng.com/
 * https://www.noughticalwh.com/

Curt:

 * https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/
 * https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

Ep. 83: Nimble Gripper Has Entered the Chat

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie and Curt dive into one of the less glamorous sides of making products: the internet. Between first-come, first-served launches, Reddit outrage, and the inevitable flood of "you should have made more" messages, they discuss why selling a popular product sometimes means disappointing more people than it pleases. And yes... rage comments still count as engagement.

Jamie shares an update on Noughtical Workholding, where the next generation of products is already getting redesigned before it's even released. What started as a compact BT30 design has evolved into a Cat40 side-lock version after conversations with beta testers exposed a few practical realities. Sometimes the best feedback is the question you didn't think anyone would ask.

The conversation also turns to the realities of growing a manufacturing business. Instead of chasing every custom job forever, Jamie explains why the long-term goal is investing in products and R&D that can scale, while still keeping the machines busy enough to pay the bills. It's the balancing act every small manufacturer knows all too well.

Meanwhile, Curt talks about the emotional rollercoaster of product launches, why you can never build enough inventory, and how the internet somehow manages to be simultaneously your biggest marketing tool and your biggest headache.

The Lone Machinist:

 * Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/
 * Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content
 * Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store
 * Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinists

Need Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/

Jamie:

 * http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering
 * https://www.jspeceng.com/
 * https://www.noughticalwh.com/

Curt:

 * https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/
 * https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

Ep. 82: Reddit Is Mad Again

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie and Curt are joined by Al Whatmough, whose career has taken him from apprentice machinist to educator, software leader, and one of the driving forces behind modern CAM. It's a conversation that's less about software and more about how great ideas actually happen.

Al shares the journey from teaching machining and CAD classes to helping grow Autodesk's CAM products from a niche offering into a platform used by hundreds of thousands of machinists around the world. Along the way, he explains why teaching turned out to be the most valuable skill he ever learned—and why being able to communicate ideas is often more important than having the right answer.

The discussion dives into apprenticeships, learning from the quiet machinists who never stop making chips, and why engineers have a habit of disappearing into problem-solving mode when sometimes the fastest solution is simply asking someone a question. As Al puts it, innovation happens at the speed of communication.

The conversation also explores the evolution of CAD and CAM, breaking down why connecting previously separate workflows changed manufacturing forever, and how AI is beginning to create another generation of connected tools. Jamie, Curt, and Al compare how they use AI in their own work, from research and programming to image generation and designing machine controllers.

Whether you're running a one-man shop, leading a manufacturing team, teaching apprentices, or simply trying to become a better engineer, this episode is packed with practical lessons on communication, learning, and continuous improvement.

Grab a coffee, hit Cycle Start, and remember:

The best tool in the shop isn't always the newest machine—sometimes it's the five-minute conversation that saves five days of work.

Links Discussed:

 * Concrete Lathe: http://instructables.com/Concrete-Metal-Lathe
 * Unitwist: https://unitwist.com/

The Lone Machinist:

 * Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/
 * Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content
 * Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store
 * Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinists

Need Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/

Jamie:

 * http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering
 * https://www.jspeceng.com/
 * https://www.noughticalwh.com/

Curt:

 * https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/
 * https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

Al:

 * https://www.instagram.com/al.whatmough/
 * https://www.g28.io/

Ep. 81: Teaching Engineers to Talk with Al Whatmough

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie discovers that running a machine shop while fighting off a brutal cough is a lot like running production with a worn-out end mill—you'll get there eventually, but it's going to make some unpleasant noises along the way. Curt spends most of the episode wondering whether he's going to catch the illness through the internet, while Jamie repeatedly reaches for the mute button to save everyone's ears.

Despite feeling like he'd been hit by a freight train, there's still plenty happening in the shop. Keel Clamps are finally back in stock, another batch of Barnacles is making its way through production, anodizing is underway, and an elusive APO machine issue is proving that CNC controllers always know the worst possible time to misbehave.

Meanwhile, Curt has been battling relentless storms while grinding through production work and shares one of those brilliantly simple workshop discoveries that makes you wonder why you didn't think of it years ago. The guys swap stories about productivity, shop organization, software, and the reality that every problem you solve immediately introduces two more.

Later in the episode, they compare approaches to product development, discussing why it's often better to get an idea into customers' hands quickly rather than endlessly polishing it in CAD. As always, it turns into a discussion about making cool stuff, simplifying workflows, and shipping products instead of perfecting them forever.

Grab a coffee, hit Cycle Start, and remember:

Machines don't care if you're sick... they just pick that moment to break.

The Lone Machinist:

 * Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/
 * Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content
 * Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store
 * Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinists

Need Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/

Want to try out Toolpath [https://toolpath.com/]? Give it a go and get 10% off by using the code TLM10 at checkout: https://toolpath.com/

Jamie:

 * http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering
 * https://www.jspeceng.com/
 * https://www.noughticalwh.com/

Curt:

 * https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/
 * https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

Ep. 80: Production Doesn't Care That You're Dying

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie is fighting on two fronts: a mystery illness that's trying to end the episode early, and a CNC controller that's decided now is the perfect time to develop an attitude. Somehow, despite the coughing, month-end admin, and machine diagnostics, the show goes on.

The guys dive into the latest shop updates, including another batch of Barnacles, fresh anodizing adventures, and the welcome return of Kill Clamps, which are finally back in stock after the laser has been working overtime. Of course, it wouldn't be a Lone Machinist episode without at least one machine throwing a curveball, and this week's culprit is an APO issue that's proving much harder to diagnose than it should be.

Curt, meanwhile, has been battling monsoon weather, slogging through production work, and discovers one of those brilliantly simple workshop gadgets that makes you wonder why nobody thought of it sooner—a number-pad mouse that might just be the ultimate CAD companion.

As always, the conversation wanders through production efficiency, workshop life, software quirks, and the strange reality that every time one problem gets solved, two more seem to appear.

Grab a coffee, hit Cycle Start, and remember:

The machine only behaves when someone else is watching.

The Lone Machinist:

 * Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/
 * Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content
 * Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store
 * Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinists

Need Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/

Want to try out Toolpath [https://toolpath.com/]? Give it a go and get 10% off by using the code TLM10 at checkout: https://toolpath.com/

Jamie:

 * http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering
 * https://www.jspeceng.com/
 * https://www.noughticalwh.com/

Curt:

 * https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/
 * https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

Ep. 79: Month-End Is a Contact Sport

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie returns from the chaos of moving an entire machine shop, only to discover that the universe rewards hard work with paperwork, broken internet, and even more work. The new shop is running, production is back online, and somehow an employee is shipping orders while Jamie isn't even there — a concept so foreign it feels suspicious.

Meanwhile, Curt celebrates New Machine Day, although not the kind anyone expected. A ridiculously cheap Marketplace find turns into U-Haul adventures, reorganizing the shop, and the realization that exercise equipment is significantly larger when it's sitting in your garage instead of on Facebook Marketplace.

The guys also discuss machine retrofits, servo nightmares, why spare taps only work if you buy them before you need them, and the magical experience of watching orders leave the building while you're somewhere else entirely. Apparently employees are just robots that complain less and require fewer macros.

There's also an important public service announcement for South African machinists after Jamie discovers he's apparently one of the few people in the country who actually runs a spindle warm-up cycle. Because nothing says confidence like immediately sending a cold spindle into battle and hoping for the best.

Links Discussed:

 * Concrete Lathe: http://instructables.com/Concrete-Metal-Lathe
 * Unitwist: https://unitwist.com/

The Lone Machinist:

 * Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/
 * Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content
 * Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store
 * Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinists

Need Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/

Want to try out Toolpath [https://toolpath.com/]? Give it a go and get 10% off by using the code TLM10 at checkout: https://toolpath.com/

Jamie:

 * http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering
 * https://www.jspeceng.com/
 * https://www.noughticalwh.com/

Curt:

 * https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/
 * https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

Ep. 78: Marketplace Finds and Questionable Decisions

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie and Curt discover that modern machining is really just thousands of lines of code standing between you and catastrophic stupidity. After a mysterious edge case causes a surprise Z-crash, Jamie finds himself debugging macros, reading error logs, and remotely killing machines at three in the morning because apparently sleep is optional.

Meanwhile, the zero-point systems continue proving they're powered by black magic, fixtures are being swapped like Pokémon cards, and twenty microns of error is apparently close enough to inspire religious experiences.

The new shop is slowly coming together, although progress is competing with the minor inconvenience of actually having paying work to do. Somewhere between making a thousand parts, moving equipment, and planning the next automation project, Jamie decides that what the workshop really needs is labels, a talking stick behind bulletproof glass, and a toilet brush permanently marked "Not For Rectal Use."

There are discussions about knife automation, grippers with springs, flip stations, and the accidental addition of Bukaki Mode™, proving once again that software features should probably have adult supervision.

So grab a coffee, hit cycle start, and remember:

The Lone Machinist:

 * Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/
 * Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content
 * Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store
 * Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinists

Need Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/

Want to try out Toolpath [https://toolpath.com/]? Give it a go and get 10% off by using the code TLM10 at checkout: https://toolpath.com/

Jamie:

 * http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering
 * https://www.jspeceng.com/
 * https://www.noughticalwh.com/

Curt:

 * https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/
 * https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

The Lone Machinists