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Ep. 54: Cheap as Beans and Expensive as Time
0 Playsin 2 hours
In this year-end wrap-up episode of The Lone Machinist, Jamie and Curt unpack the wins, losses, and lessons of 2025 while looking ahead to 2026. From broken thread mills and tool break detection paranoia to shop layout upgrades, anchor point workflows, and the mental inertia of one-man shops, this conversation is packed with practical insights and plenty of laughs.
They dig into why small annoyances matter more than big purchases, debate the true ROI of sticker printers, dream about overbuilt anodizing setups, and agree that sometimes the smartest move is just making life easier. If you’ve ever driven the struggle bus, overthought a workflow, or bought a tool just to remove friction, this one’s for you.
Links Discussed:
- cheap lathe video (must watch): https://youtu.be/h-8BlX8pxAg?si=inSjol-Yo5pNf5Sm
- Fiber Laser Coin Video: https://youtu.be/p-GXAnlnAxg?si=sya0FS2GEpWEKJDX
- Local Raspberry Pi AI: https://www.geeky-gadgets.com/whisper-qwen3-mellotts/
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? Give it a go and get 10% off by using the code TLM10 at checkout: https://toolpath.com/
Jamie:
Curt:
Recommended
Transcript
Year-End Wrap-Up 2025 and Plans for 2026
00:00:00
jamie peacock
Welcome to The Lone Machinist with just you, your machines and the work. What have you got going on today, Kurt?
00:00:06
Curt
think this week we're going to talk about our year-end wrap-up, our best and worst of 2025 and plans for 2026, along with another bunch of issues or things. ah For instance, what are you going to talk about besides all that?
Workshop Organization and Design Innovations
00:00:19
jamie peacock
but Besides all that, yeah, i try to clean my workshop. Try being operative word. There's some new shirts coming and... I commandeered a room in my house for the business.
00:00:32
jamie peacock
So let's dive into it. How are you this fine day, Kurt?
00:00:37
Curt
I'm doing great. I'm doing even better after looking at our new shirts, which is a shameless plug, but they're freaking awesome. And I want to buy a bunch of them. Danica did so good on them. So yeah, go check it out. We'll have links and whatnot.
00:00:47
Curt
But yeah, there's there's some, there's some bangers in there.
00:00:48
jamie peacock
Yeah. It's some yeah, ah she really did a bang up job on them like yeah that're brilliant.
00:00:51
Curt
They're good. okay
00:00:53
jamie peacock
There will be a link in the dooply doo.
00:00:54
Curt
Yeah.
00:00:55
jamie peacock
And it's probably gonna come up like another three times on this podcast because they're freaking hilarious.
00:01:00
Curt
Yeah. um
00:01:01
jamie peacock
one They are really good. So what have you what have you been up to this week in the workshop?
00:01:04
Curt
Yeah.
00:01:08
Curt
Dude diddly. I've had like the last, I mean, had the one week off when I was sick and then like two weeks off with the little ones because they've been off. This is the first day that everyone's been back. So this is the first day I've been in the shop without like anybody else around.
Machining Challenges and Solutions
00:01:20
Curt
So I haven't done anything yet because I talked to you in the morning. So I came in here, turned the lights on and sat down and chatted with you. So yeah, it's a been a, it's been nice to have all the time, but it's also been like a forced three week vacation, kind of in a point where I didn't want to take a three week vacation. So little Feeling a little tightly wound, but it'll work out.
00:01:39
Curt
so
00:01:40
jamie peacock
yeah I mean at least you back in the workshop now so you can get back to it yeah
00:01:43
Curt
Totally. Yeah. like Like I said last week, I'm not going to starve, but it's just like I would rather have not lost that many weeks. So they're like I could have planned for that one that I was sick to be and besides point carrying on. um How was your week? How are you doing?
00:01:56
jamie peacock
ah yeah we I started back in the shop last week when we got back from vacation. But been taking easy, like half day here, half day there. And then on saturday on Friday, I was like, let's get Anchor Point bodies going.
00:02:10
jamie peacock
Get the machine dialed in, get everything running. Ran off two of them, third one, gauged the thread on the first hole and took it out, loaded the next one, ran it, went to gauge the thread and there's no threads.
00:02:25
jamie peacock
So I'm like, what the hell?
00:02:26
Curt
Uh-oh.
00:02:28
jamie peacock
So I look at the previous one and I'm like, oh, I gauged the one hole that was threaded. The thread mill broke on the next hole and didn't thread the other three freaking holes. So fortunately, the the second one that I didn't thread, I can salvage, but the first one I can't because I don't know the clocking of the threads.
00:02:49
Curt
Okay.
00:02:49
jamie peacock
Because, yeah, it's treadmill.
00:02:49
Curt
Okay, okay, yeah.
00:02:50
jamie peacock
So um I could probably figure it out, but I just couldn't really be bothered. I'm going waste more time figuring it out than just making another body, at least at this point of the process.
00:02:59
Curt
Right, yeah. yeah
00:03:00
jamie peacock
So, yeah, that that was annoying on Friday, and my tooling guys locally on weren't open until today. So I sent the guy an RFQ because he's got a website, but yeah you put all the stuff in your cart, then you send him an RFQ with that cart, and then he sends you a quote.
00:03:16
jamie peacock
Yeah. I was like, cool, I'll get a quote on Monday morning. If I pay on Monday morning, normally it ships mid-morning, I get it here in the afternoon. Get a message from him on Friday evening.
00:03:28
jamie peacock
I sent you a quote. I'm like, oh, okay, cool. We'll pay for it right now. um And I was like, I thought you guys were closed. No, no, our customers don't understand that we closed. So we've got a bunch of backlog
Production and Sales Strategy for Anchor Points
00:03:39
jamie peacock
orders. So they've got back from vacation, like on the Thursday, and they've been in were in their shop just packing orders left, right, and center, and it all went out today.
00:03:47
jamie peacock
So yeah, I got my my new thread mill this afternoon and I've been running bodies since then.
00:03:47
Curt
Oh, nice.
00:03:54
Curt
Nice.
00:03:54
jamie peacock
Yes, and yeah.
00:03:55
Curt
Nice.
00:03:56
jamie peacock
that The machine, I added tool break detect to everything. Like, I'm not normally one to throw a tool break, but it's running now while we're sitting doing the podcast, and I know if there's a problem, it's not going to break anything further down the line.
00:04:09
jamie peacock
So...
00:04:09
Curt
Right, yeah, that's, yeah.
00:04:11
jamie peacock
For the extra minutes of cycle time across the whole part of a 20-minute part, it's fine. Let it do tool break protection on every every single high-risk tool. Because the threadmill up until now wasn't a high-risk tool.
00:04:21
Curt
Totally.
00:04:24
jamie peacock
But I comped the diameter little bit bigger to get the fit right, and I didn't add an extra pass. I think the first pass was really violent. And it was fine for 12 holes, and then it wasn't.
00:04:24
Curt
Mm-hmm.
00:04:33
Curt
if Yeah, okay, fair.
00:04:38
jamie peacock
So just improvements on every batch.
00:04:39
Curt
Yeah.
00:04:42
Curt
that's like, yeah, that's, that's so important. Cause yeah, sometimes I know I go inside and I'm like, okay, I'm like, they're all small tools, but I'm like, they're all small, expensive tools and I don't have tool break. I'm like, if one, if the first one breaks, I'm like, that's a lot of tools it's going to take out.
00:04:53
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:04:54
Curt
It's not going to harm the machine. cause they're all like little, like one 16th, one 30 second, but it's still going to be like tick, tick, tick, tick.
00:04:56
jamie peacock
No.
00:05:00
Curt
tick Like, damn it.
00:05:00
jamie peacock
And I've had that happen before.
00:05:01
Curt
Yeah.
00:05:02
jamie peacock
And the amount of peace of mind tool break detection brings when you want to walk away or do something else. lock Like we were discussing last week, you don't have to run at 100% rapids.
00:05:08
Curt
Yeah.
00:05:11
jamie peacock
You can run into the night. Neither of us are short of hours. So yeah, it's a bit annoying to watch the machine go every time and boop the thing, but rather have it boop the thing every time and you don't have to think, oh shit, did the tool break?
00:05:16
Curt
Totally.
00:05:20
Curt
oh
00:05:24
jamie peacock
Do I need to go look in the machine? Part is done, the part is right. So I've got Op1 bodies running like that right now and then those will be done tomorrow morning.
00:05:29
Curt
Totally. Yep.
00:05:36
jamie peacock
They're at five more. Five or seven more. don't how many i want to do. i don't know how many mechanicals I want to do. Let's put it that way.
00:05:43
Curt
yeah, yeah.
00:05:44
jamie peacock
So, yeah.
00:05:44
Curt
Fair, fair.
00:05:44
jamie peacock
want balance Trying to balance it because I got an order this morning for four anchor points for a harbor kit.
00:05:51
Curt
Ooh, nice, nice.
00:05:52
jamie peacock
I don't know if you saw on the website. There's now harbor kits and mooring kits available.
00:05:56
Curt
I did. I saw that. Yeah, i was like, oh, and I'm i was still like, the price is insane. So yeah, I was like, wow.
00:06:03
jamie peacock
much much better that way you get all the anchor points that you need you still to make your own base but it gets you a better price on the anchor points because you're buying in bulk effectively so yeah those are now added and one sold this morning
00:06:08
Curt
Yeah.
00:06:13
Curt
Yeah, no, that's, yeah.
00:06:18
Curt
Sick, sick, sick, sick.
00:06:18
jamie peacock
Yep, so i am i did a spreadsheet projecting how many days into the year we are and how many sales I've had, how many I will sell.
00:06:27
Curt
Yeah, yeah.
00:06:28
jamie peacock
I'm kind of curious to just update that as we go and see how that graph plots. So think I might just add that to my stupid shit that I shouldn't be looking at. But yeah, if all holds out, I'm going make a lot of anchor points.
00:06:41
Curt
Yeah, nice. I know that's on my...
00:06:42
jamie peacock
But again, we have one data point, so it's not a pattern.
00:06:46
Curt
yeah Yeah, huge error, but bars, yeah. Yeah, no, I'm...
00:06:48
jamie peacock
Yeah. Yes. Yeah.
00:06:50
Curt
That's on my 2026. I've been thinking, like, most nights I go for my walk, I've been thinking going to lay things out because I'm just slowly killing myself. And actually, just... I think it was Black Fox just posted a story this weekend about how he had your anchor point and then a pallet with his vice on it so he could hold another pallet to machine.
00:07:08
Curt
was just like... It was like a foot and a half stack up. But I was like, ah it worked. You're just poking holes in it and like...
00:07:12
jamie peacock
I messaged him, I'm like, dude, don't go don't go savage mode on it and you'll be fine. Like, if you're just putting counter balls in for knife maker method holes, you're fine.
00:07:17
Curt
Yeah.
00:07:22
jamie peacock
Like, that's all he's using it for.
00:07:22
Curt
Totally.
00:07:23
jamie peacock
And you're fine. I mean, i do all my roughing and that's 100% spindle load across a mooring point with two self-centering vases. I go absolutely hog on it and no issues.
00:07:31
Curt
crazy.
00:07:35
jamie peacock
And then when I span all four, then I give absolutely zero fucks. a
Workspace Optimization and New Processes
00:07:39
Curt
Yeah.
00:07:40
jamie peacock
Even even the the bodies, that's on a single anchor point that I machined the top section of the anchor point bodies.
00:07:47
Curt
Oh, cool. OK, yeah.
00:07:48
jamie peacock
It's not spanning, and it's a single anchor point. It's right, right, right at the limit of what you should be doing. But it works.
00:07:55
Curt
yeah
00:07:57
jamie peacock
And if it's dumb and it works, it's still dumb, but it works.
00:08:01
Curt
I know I've been like working my head. I'm like, going to build, and build like post risers on my table so that I can get the plate up high enough to machine it.
00:08:06
jamie peacock
yeah
00:08:09
Curt
And then I'm going machine. going to machine the plate that holds like, I'm, I'm think going to do four, four fits. I've been playing with it. so I'm going to do a plate that'll hold four. Pardon?
00:08:19
jamie peacock
hear six?
00:08:20
Curt
Six. No, definitely not six. Six will not fit.
00:08:22
jamie peacock
uh, okay, not six, okay no, no, no, i'm thinking like what are you putting your a fourth on top of it?
00:08:23
Curt
If I take my, if I take my,
00:08:26
jamie peacock
yeah
00:08:26
Curt
no No, no, no, no, no. So yeah, i don no I'm like, i'll machine that. Then I to take that off. Then I'm like, I got a machine like the alignment plate and I'll take that off. Then I got a machine the plate or like the plate that'll hold the vices then I'll take that off.
00:08:37
Curt
And then once all that's done, then I can break down the table and put them all back. Cause it's like chicken and egg kind of problem, right? Where it's like, you get it all on. You're like, ah
00:08:43
jamie peacock
yeah it's yeah no it's it can be a bit challenging to figure out what the best workflow there is
00:08:44
Curt
shit, I need to do this and take it all back off for the vices back on. and it's just like,
00:08:52
Curt
Yeah, so I think I got dialed now. I just got to do it. So, yeah.
00:08:56
jamie peacock
okay well yeah if you like said if you need the risers and shipmate just shout on setup to do it like i have a vacuum chuck
00:08:57
Curt
Anyway.
00:09:01
Curt
I appreciate it I was thinking about that. I was like, Jamie's so good at this. I know.
00:09:04
jamie peacock
ah go
00:09:04
Curt
i was like, Jamie's...
00:09:05
jamie peacock
I would leave it that you just machine the top so you know it's going plan it to your machine. And then you would have to do that and then I'd make you the alignment jig as well. So you can literally just drop them and bolt ah align it, bolt them down and you're done.
00:09:18
Curt
The gross part is that I can probably pay you well to machine it and obviously pay for all the stock stuff that and then pay for shipping and have it land on my door and it's still probably going to be cheaper than me just buying the material here because the material is just insanely expensive.
00:09:24
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:09:34
jamie peacock
Yeah. I would actually be curious to do that.
00:09:36
Curt
I mean, when you're buying small quantities.
00:09:37
jamie peacock
I'd be curious to do that maths and see where it actually shakes out.
00:09:42
Curt
I think when I get the
00:09:42
jamie peacock
Like, I'd be very interested.
00:09:44
Curt
When I get the designs out, um I'll ship it to you. And just, yeah, give me like the the asshole pricing. like Don't give me friends and family. I want to see what you would like what you make well doing it. Because I want you to do well.
00:09:53
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:09:54
Curt
And then I want to see what it compares. Because I know going to pay hundreds and hundreds of dollars for just the material here.
00:09:59
jamie peacock
For the material. Yeah.
00:10:00
Curt
Just because I'm not buying much. like I'm buying you know a stick like half a stick.
00:10:03
jamie peacock
What is the material? Material hat. Trying to think now, I've got a riser, had a riser in my machine, 400 by 400 millimeters, by 75 or 80 millimeters thick, and that cost me 200-ish dollars.
00:10:18
Curt
Yeah, it would be so much more here. It would be so much more here.
00:10:21
jamie peacock
Yeah, no, aluminum's cheap as beans, yeah, like, it's hilariously cheap.
00:10:24
Curt
No doubt.
00:10:25
jamie peacock
So, yeah, we're happy to go that direction.
00:10:25
Curt
Yeah.
00:10:27
jamie peacock
Like, I have the vacuum chuck now, so makes life super easy. um
00:10:30
Curt
and Okay, I'll bend your year
00:10:31
jamie peacock
Yeah, and then just gotta go to the top.
00:10:32
Curt
hu
00:10:32
jamie peacock
But, yeah, we'll deal with that when we get to that. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
00:10:35
Curt
a Totally. So, what do you doing on your...
00:10:37
jamie peacock
I might i'd have to start offering that as a service.
00:10:42
Curt
Dude, it's like, it's insane that you can ship something like and heavy across the world. And it's still more economical.
00:10:47
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:10:47
Curt
I mean when I factor in like labor for me to do it. Yeah, it's no brainer.
00:10:50
jamie peacock
As well, yeah.
00:10:50
Curt
It makes sense for you. But like, yeah.
00:10:52
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:10:53
Curt
ah What do you got going on here?
00:10:53
jamie peacock
The shipping's a bit rough.
00:10:55
Curt
So let me see. Let's pick on ah oh i what your room, new assembly and packing room.
00:11:03
jamie peacock
So I liberated a room in our house a while ago. But now there's been the entrance hall table.
00:11:07
Curt
hmm.
00:11:08
jamie peacock
So when I took the workbench that was against the wall, that forced me to crab walk past the LK. When I took that out, I brought it into my entrance hall. And it's been there for four five months, I think.
00:11:21
Curt
Heh heh.
00:11:21
jamie peacock
So it's been very convenient. As you come in the house, you can just put things on it. and but like literally in the middle of the entrance hall. And with being like half-assing work this last week, my brother-in-law was here. I'm like, hey,
00:11:34
jamie peacock
lift. We're putting this in the room. So initially i was going to cut about a meter off the end of the table. It would have fit it against the one wall. Then I'm like, hang on, there's another wall that's longer. The table will fit against there.
00:11:45
jamie peacock
So we took down the hallway, then had take the top off the table to get it through the door. Anyway, long story short, it's now in and I've got two shelves with all my anchor points stock, like all the components, and I'm busy moving all the assembly into that room in the house. So finished components get moved into the house, they're in that room.
00:12:02
jamie peacock
When it comes to assemble, I assemble there and then stuff goes back for final machining and ano and whatnot in the garage. But I'm trying to move finished parts out so they don't get damaged. Basically, i don't want to have to deal with hangar rash and dust and shit in the workshop.
00:12:13
Curt
Nice.
00:12:17
jamie peacock
damaging perfectly good parts. So yeah, commandeered one of the bedrooms since I'm not having any lighties, so may as well use the rooms for fun stuff.
00:12:20
Curt
Totally. Yeah, that makes sense.
00:12:26
Curt
Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.
00:12:27
jamie peacock
Still, I may as well put the put it put the space to good use of paying for space and may as well use it.
00:12:28
Curt
Nice. Nice.
00:12:33
Curt
one and it's just nice to, like, that's the thing I run into is, like, for shipping. Like, I keep everything on shelves where it's like, I would just love to have this just, and I don' i don't have the room, but I would love to have it just set up where it's like, it's always there. it's It's ready.
00:12:44
Curt
I don't have to, like, and it's no it's only 30 seconds to move boxes, but it's just like, oh, I don't want to do it.
00:12:44
jamie peacock
So...
00:12:48
jamie peacock
Yeah. So the the packing and assembly room, the table is three meters long. So assembly is on one side, packing is on the other side. When I want to pack an order, all the boxes are there. The tape's always out. Everything is just ready to go.
00:13:01
jamie peacock
also assemble the case rollers that I make behind me over there, which is really annoying when you need to run to the garage to fetch something.
00:13:01
Curt
Yeah.
00:13:08
jamie peacock
It's down stairs, out to the garage, back. I want to move all that stuff into the designated assembly area with all the tools that are required. So when I have to assemble, I walk in there and I assemble. So I'm just trying to optimize going into 2026. Yeah. Yeah.
00:13:22
Curt
Yeah, I mean, that's that's a huge point in my world, too, for 2026 is just like make things easier, even if they're like minor, just like if I have to build a table or buy a table to like there's we there's things we can do like just to take off those little annoyances.
00:13:36
jamie peacock
Well, I mean, i just ah literally, what's it now 28 minutes past, probably 20 minutes ago, posted a thing on Instagram of a little 3d printer thing to hold my handle for my vase
Enhancing Recording and Workspace Efficiency
00:13:48
jamie peacock
and my hammer.
00:13:48
jamie peacock
And it's got some spots for three gauges to go, because it's been bugging me, there's a spot for it, but it hits things on the table. And I was like, oh I'm gonna go get a piece of wood and I'll cut a piece of like, hang on, i've got a 3d printer, I mean, print to think of a breaks up into another one.
00:14:01
jamie peacock
Now just those small improvements, yeah even Even today with the chopinator that was running today, chopping stainless steel wire again. And just to be, just because you said I wouldn't, I need to nub all the wiring.
00:14:12
Curt
Yep. Ah, son a bitch. I was going to wonder if you did or didn't.
00:14:16
jamie peacock
Yeah, I've got one more enclosure I need to print just for the Arduino Nano, and then it's all not going to get, because it got damaged when I dismantled ball, when I put it away last time. So I fixed it, and it ran off 15 kilograms of wire, so that's going to run another 15 tomorrow.
00:14:26
Curt
Nice.
00:14:32
jamie peacock
but I've been getting the surface grinder together as well. Like I need to design and print an enclosure for this power supply that runs the grinder's cross-feed because that's been sitting in a Tupperware on my table for over a year now. So it's going to get mounted to the column properly and yeah just small improvements.
00:14:50
jamie peacock
Like I got made a, I actually, well, I got lazy. I had a end support for 12 millimeter round shaft that I used to mount my diamond dressing tool.
00:15:03
jamie peacock
was a 12 mil shaft so I literally just threw it in the mill when I powered on earlier just decked it quickly poked a hole for a bolt and then carried on machining stuff so that's now permanently mounted to my table and doesn't have a g-clamp going around it yeah it's all these small uh small improvements that add up and make a huge difference like I got my shelf into the workshop finally oh the lk turned off nice
00:15:15
Curt
right. Yeah, I think i gave you flack when I saw that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:15:28
jamie peacock
um I finally got the shelf that's been in front of my workshop for two months. I finally got that into the workshop and it's full already. Like I've used it for material storage and other crap and more other crap.
00:15:40
jamie peacock
So yeah, just trying to trying to make the place pleasant to be in.
00:15:41
Curt
Yeah.
00:15:45
jamie peacock
Yeah,
00:15:46
Curt
Yeah, yeah, no, exactly.
00:15:49
jamie peacock
that's what it's about is being more pleasant.
00:15:49
Curt
I get it.
00:15:52
jamie peacock
So hmm.
00:15:53
Curt
Yeah.
00:15:57
jamie peacock
What's going on with your AnnoBath setup? Yes.
00:16:00
Curt
Okay, so that's a one part, a perfect a perfect segue from what we were just talking about. um Actually, you are a little bit to blame, not blame, you help kind of kickstart it as you, I love that mug.
00:16:12
jamie peacock
it
00:16:12
Curt
um The video of a Hacksmith, when they showed their like robotic anno setup, i was like, oh, I'm like, you know what?
00:16:17
jamie peacock
yes
00:16:20
Curt
I've had this anno setup in my head forever because I like, I have, cleaning baths and then I have like distilled and all like a billion things where it's always annoying because I always have multiple containers and I bring them out and then I'm like oh this container needs to be so I have to go in the house and get new water and come back and I'm like you know what I'm gonna do I'm gonna build a nice setup with like a bunch of tanks I'm gonna use like those ah immersion heaters like those sous vide heaters whatever to put it
00:16:41
jamie peacock
yeah yeah don't use the cheap ones from the china store they're not grounded i learned this the hard way yeah it's not a
00:16:47
Curt
Oh, party on. Okay, sweet. Oh, yeah. um and like just I'm like, what what's it going to cost me? like Even if I want to build it with like the best stuff, it's going to cost me $200, $500 to build something nice you know with like five tanks and nice lids and everything.
00:17:00
Curt
and i'm like then it can just Once again, it's set up, and it's like when I got to go do Anno, it's ready. All I have to do is like in the morning, everything like my Anno baths turn on, or sorry, my ah ultrasonics in the morning turn on, they heat up.
00:17:11
jamie peacock
yeah
00:17:11
Curt
It's like, am I using them today? It's like, I don't know, probably not, but they cost me like probably 50 cents to warm up all the, so like, just, they just turn on and like, so when I need it, it's there.
00:17:19
jamie peacock
And when you need it, it's there. So I think what you should do is you should make a ring of tanks and use what I've just sent you a link for.
00:17:22
Curt
Yeah. Yeah. Dude, don't, don't push me. I don't, that's not even, a that's not even, oh it's getting cheaper. Yeah. Like,
00:17:34
Curt
I would love to put a robot on it. Yeah, dude. Don't. Yeah, don't push me. um But yeah, like it's just something dumb like that.
00:17:39
jamie peacock
and good
00:17:41
Curt
We're just like, it's one of those things where it's like, does it take me much effort to bring the containers out and fill them with water? Fill them it like, no, but it's like, it's one of those barriers of like, and when I do it every single month, usually once or twice a month.
00:17:50
jamie peacock
Well...
00:17:52
Curt
So it's like, yep.
00:17:54
jamie peacock
That is why I pay for Toolpath because I want it today.
00:17:57
Curt
Yep.
00:17:59
jamie peacock
took the barrier of doing something. It probably saved me an hour today because I was going to go and do something else. Meanwhile, I just sent a toolpath, got it back, had to add a few little odds and ends to the program because I didn't do some of the stuff I wanted because it was a somewhat complex part.
00:18:04
Curt
Right.
00:18:12
jamie peacock
um And it gets me over that that barrier to entry because the mental inertia is a real thing, especially as a one-man shop. plug You can always find something to distract you.
00:18:24
jamie peacock
Yeah. Yeah.
00:18:25
Curt
Well, and I remember, i forgot who told me that. They're like, don't, or where I read it or heard it or whatever, they're like, don't buy something that makes you happy. i mean, obviously can do what you want, but like buy something that takes away so like an annoyance. Like you'll be way more happy to buy. Like if you have a, like, let's say you have a shitty kitchen tap, which I did. I had a shitty kitchen tap.
00:18:44
Curt
Me my wife went out we bought a really nice kitchen tap that has like whatever we wanted on it. It has made our life like we both are like, that is the best thing we've bought in a long time because we both love it.
00:18:55
Curt
And it's like, it's easier to do everything. And you just, you're interacting with it so often.
00:18:57
jamie peacock
Well, yeah.
00:18:59
Curt
And you're just like, this is huge.
00:18:59
jamie peacock
This was a discussion Danik and I had today because we went to the hardware store this morning because I was waiting for an end so I couldn't really run. I'm like, let's go to the hardware store. we're looking for some new flooring for upstairs. Let's go see. They used to have it done.
00:19:11
jamie peacock
Like, we don't want anything fancy. This is our, like, hobby crafty space. I want a cheap floor that when it gets ruined, we can just replace it.
00:19:18
Curt
Hmm.
00:19:19
jamie peacock
So i wanted buy the...
00:19:22
jamie peacock
vinyl flooring on a roll and just glue down two strips will cover the whole floor mostly because my dog shat up here while was on holiday because my mother-in-law can't follow instructions um So it's a carpet that's 40 years old.
00:19:32
Curt
Oh
00:19:34
jamie peacock
it yeah It needs to come out. So you know, we went there for that. And Dan said, Oh, this is a really nice tap. I'm like, Yeah, the problem is our taps, the plumbing goes through the wall. Sorry, not through the wall, into the fucking of wall.
00:19:46
jamie peacock
Because why make life easy? All the plumbing is hidden in the wall. Brick wall, not easy wall.
00:19:50
Curt
oh oh
00:19:51
jamie peacock
Brick fucking wall. So she's like, why don't we just raise the sink? I'm like, yeah. Then what? The freaking house cleaner needs to stand on a stool. She's like, both of us are tall. We'll sell the house to someone tall when we sell the place. Because both of us, if we wash dishes, we hurt our backs because the sink's too low.
00:20:07
jamie peacock
So she's like, let's move the sink up and then we can have a fancy tap that gets fed from underneath.
00:20:07
Curt
Right.
00:20:10
jamie peacock
and I'm like, lady, you're being expensive. But yeah, you're right. Improve those small annoyances and yeah it brings you way more joy than buying something to to make you happy.
00:20:24
Curt
Yeah. like it's it's yeah it's It's silly how much it improves and you're just like, huh. but five
00:20:30
jamie peacock
It's one those things that you wish you had done way, really long ago.
Upgrading Equipment and Production Capabilities
00:20:34
jamie peacock
You didn't think it was a big deal, but yeah.
00:20:35
Curt
Oh, dude. got a million of those. Like I just, the dumbest things were like, why didn't I do this forever ago?
00:20:38
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:20:41
Curt
So, yeah,
00:20:42
jamie peacock
Why am I driving the struggle bus when I don't need to?
00:20:45
Curt
totally. Yeah, exactly. So yeah, it's just, uh, it's a, it's a fine line of, uh, what actually makes sense. And then what I want to make sense. Um, actually that, that leads in perfectly to, i don't know if it's here, if it's, uh, or if it's in my, it's in my Google box. Uh,
00:21:03
Curt
Oh, we good we could talk about it here, I guess. um so i This is a brainiac idea because like i I'm updating all my leg labeling and all my um badging on my boxes and everything.
00:21:11
jamie peacock
get.
00:21:13
Curt
so I was like, you know what? like I'm going to get them all printed. So then i I looked at stickers. I'm like, you know what? I'm like, I wonder if I could, because i'm iterating so quick. I'm like, I'm wondering if I could just like print stickers locally so i like i spent way too much time um on the holiday break so i googled like the best like printing systems for stickers like home printers and like the best like laminators for said prints and then the best way to cut out said prints so know the various types of craft cutters and whatnot looked up all that jazz and like figured out for about a thousand bucks i can buy all the equipment i would need and make i would make
00:21:48
Curt
80% as good a sticker as I could buy from a professional shop. And I was like, and you work out like the ROI.
00:21:52
jamie peacock
budget, y'all.
00:21:55
Curt
I'm like, yeah, the stickers would be dirt cheap. It is basically ink at that point, which is nothing. But like your stickers just still aren't as good because they're not like the proper, whatever sublimation ink whatever it is.
00:22:04
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:22:05
Curt
like I don't know that it's not sublimation ink, but it doesn't matter.
00:22:06
jamie peacock
It's not the rock.
00:22:08
Curt
um So i was like, Yeah. And I'm like, the ah ROI is zero.
00:22:11
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:22:12
Curt
The flexibility of being able to change it whenever I want is great. But all of a sudden, also I can like, there's a million sticker companies that'll like, they'll do a run of 50 for next to not like, so I'm like, this doesn't make, it doesn't make any sense.
00:22:22
jamie peacock
Your ROI is never. Yeah.
00:22:24
Curt
I really wanted it to make sense because I want all those toys, but I just, it just didn't work out.
00:22:24
jamie peacock
So Danica...
00:22:29
jamie peacock
so Danica's gone on that route of printable vinyl and then printing it with Cricut and Cricut cutting it out.
00:22:33
Curt
Yeah.
00:22:35
jamie peacock
and They're not as good quality as what you can get. I still haven't ordered stickers needs all stickers. We've got someone we order from. We send them... like all the designers say cool, fill out A2 sheet.
00:22:48
jamie peacock
they print and They print and then cuts cut around an A2 sheet and then send it to to send you a roll and then you sit there with a pair scissors and cut them all loose. But it's like, I think $6 for an A2 or something.
00:23:01
jamie peacock
It literally costs me more to courier the thing from Pretoria to my house than it does for the printing.
00:23:01
Curt
Holy man, yeah.
00:23:08
Curt
Totally, yeah.
00:23:09
jamie peacock
So yeah, as cool as it would be to have custom printer things,
00:23:12
Curt
I love... I know. And I wanted it all because I want all the toys. And I was like i even like, I can rush deliver myself a custom sticker in low quantity for like a buck.
00:23:16
jamie peacock
Yes.
00:23:22
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:23:22
Curt
Or if it's at decent quantity, like 500, it's like 30 cents. I'm like, I'm never going to compete with that.
00:23:27
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:23:28
Curt
So like, what am I doing?
00:23:28
jamie peacock
No.
00:23:29
Curt
Am I building pens or am I building stickers? So like, calm down.
00:23:31
jamie peacock
Exactly. Like, unless you're going to use custom stickers as your packaging, like sealing your packaging and shit, it's not worth it.
00:23:40
Curt
I kind of am, but it's still cheaper to like, because I don't, I don't, I'm better off building one pen than printing 500 stickers.
00:23:43
jamie peacock
Yeah. So just...
00:23:48
Curt
Like, just like, I so wanted it to work because I want to play with that stuff, but it just didn't, it just didn't pan out. And I'm like, I'm just going to burn time.
00:23:53
jamie peacock
Start a hobby business. Start a lifestyle business making stickers.
00:23:55
Curt
Oh yeah, I'm just going to,
00:23:59
Curt
Dude, I watched so many videos of like stay-at-home moms and ah no shade, but like it just a lot of their channels are that. And honestly, some of those girls are building some pretty insane little businesses.
00:24:07
jamie peacock
Yep.
00:24:11
Curt
They're like, oh yeah, I did 20,000 sticker sales this month. I'm like, holy Christ, that's a lot of
00:24:15
jamie peacock
So... We went to HobbyX, and there are two places in South Africa that we've seen these carts. It's like a cart you pull behind you with big off-road wheels. There's two places you'll find them.
00:24:29
jamie peacock
The gun range for the competition shooting guys with all their paraphernalia, or the craft show with all these aunties going to buy their crickets and all their craft supplies.
00:24:38
Curt
Yeah.
00:24:39
jamie peacock
So only two places you'll see those backup things here.
00:24:40
Curt
Yeah.
00:24:41
jamie peacock
um We went to HobbyX. It was basically the cricket show. Like, everything was just about shirt printing and stickers, and it was... Basically, Cricket had the whole center of the, like, the expo hall.
00:24:56
jamie peacock
It was nuts how many people have them now. Like, we've got two of them.
00:25:01
Curt
yeah
00:25:01
jamie peacock
That's I get my shirts made. Unfortunately, mine are not nice and fulfilled by our printing service, because shipping them here just, it gets stupid, like, really stupid. So I get Danica specials.
00:25:14
Curt
Well, and I will say for any stay-at-home moms that are listening to our podcast, ah don't go with Cricut. Don't go with a Cameo. Go with a Sizer machine. They're like they're way less common. The software is not nearly as good.
00:25:25
Curt
It's not as much information out there, but the machine is like so much more accurate, so much quieter, and it's built by like a professional vinyl company. So anyways, that's what I came across. Everybody points to those. Mm-hmm.
00:25:34
jamie peacock
So I used to run a Roland where I used to work. The only problem there is if you lose the CD, that's it, you have to buy the software again.
00:25:44
Curt
Yeah. baby baby
00:25:44
jamie peacock
Like they gave away my laptop, that was the only copy of the software it was on my laptop, the disk when they gave my laptop to the customer who bought the wire cutter.
00:25:50
Curt
Yeah.
00:25:53
jamie peacock
I'm like you idiots, you now have a paperweight.
00:25:56
Curt
There's an in inner ring of hell reserved for companies that do things like that.
00:26:00
jamie peacock
yeah we're discussing uh everything's a service now today yeah it's uh you will not own anything and you will enjoy it that is the mentality now i'm honestly considering a mac for my fusion machine yeah windows can go burn i'm done with them the shenanigans they're pulling now i can't upgrade this pc i'm like why not oh no it doesn't have secure boot i'm like okay cool
00:26:07
Curt
Yeah.
00:26:15
Curt
Oh, really? Oh, just to get rid of all the... Yeah.
00:26:21
Curt
Yeah.
00:26:28
jamie peacock
It's on the list of supported CPUs, and I must go buy another motherboard. Sorry, no. you're You're not making my machine it into e-waste. And I use Fusion on here because this is where do all my slicing for the 3D printing.
00:26:40
jamie peacock
And I'm to the point now where I'm just going buy a MacBook AM4 and run Fusion on that.
00:26:47
Curt
Yeah. Yeah.
00:26:47
jamie peacock
But don't.
00:26:48
Curt
I get it.
00:26:48
jamie peacock
That's not the choice I want to make, but the choice that I may have to make.
00:26:53
Curt
Yeah. Yeah, I don't.
00:26:54
jamie peacock
Because, mean, like, day-to-day business-y things, I run everything through Chrome and through... I've got Chrome, Fusion, and Discord open. That's it.
00:27:04
Curt
Yep.
00:27:04
jamie peacock
Nothing else needs to run on there.
00:27:05
Curt
Yep.
00:27:06
jamie peacock
So if those can run, then will switch. As much as I like being a PC user, it it's a bit of a problem. Like, I'll move yeah i'll play musical PCs and move my work PC here and this PC there. and A whole bunch of fun stuff.
00:27:20
jamie peacock
Speaking of PC-related things, ah South Park Season 28.
00:27:23
Curt
Okay.
00:27:24
jamie peacock
I was sailing the seven seas to get something for Danica yesterday, and the last time I sailed the seven seas, it was to get South Park.
00:27:26
Curt
Okay.
00:27:34
jamie peacock
So I got the rest of Season 27 slash 28. Oh, my word, the finale was amazing.
00:27:44
jamie peacock
absolutely amazing yeah freaking brilliant so and i was going on about a little while ago yeah it was it was killer so i just thought i'd throw that recommendation out there probably gonna have to sell the seven seas to see it unless you're a paramount plus but yeah people don't generally have that
00:27:59
Curt
Did you see that, what was it, the I think the creator of South Park bought the domain, like the trumpkennedycenter.org or whatever.
00:28:07
jamie peacock
yes
00:28:09
Curt
ah And just made it into like a horrible site. And i was just like, I love the internet. That's what I love the internet for, is stuff like that.
00:28:16
jamie peacock
The internet's great.
00:28:18
jamie peacock
Yeah. The internet is full of funny people. I actually ah corrected my algorithm on Instagram.
00:28:18
Curt
ah
00:28:22
Curt
Mm-hmm,
00:28:27
Curt
mm-hmm.
00:28:28
jamie peacock
But I won't say how I corrected it. I'll save it for between the shows. don't even want to put in the after show. But it's now been corrected. It's not showing me what it was showing me.
00:28:35
Curt
You know what? I did the exact same. We'll talk about that later too. So ah yeah.
00:28:38
jamie peacock
Yeah. We'll talk about that later.
00:28:39
Curt
i
00:28:39
jamie peacock
But I don't think it'll make it into until after show because people don't need to know what's my Instagram feed because I will be judged harshly.
00:28:44
Curt
Ooh, okay. Well, mine's just trains now because I went buck wild clicking on train videos.
00:28:48
jamie peacock
Oh, nice.
00:28:50
Curt
So i'm like, hey, there's so much less like Instagirls and so many more trains. I'm like, I'm enjoying this now. This is nice.
00:28:56
jamie peacock
No, mine is definitely not trains.
00:28:59
Curt
Okay. Well, right on.
00:29:01
jamie peacock
So, what's happening with your sound isolation booth, Kurt?
00:29:02
Curt
Let's see.
00:29:04
Curt
Okay, so this is this is another one of those things where it's like, do i does this make sense for for me to do, or is this just because I want to do it? And it's a little bit of column A, little bit of column B, and depending on the day, I can talk my way into either camp.
00:29:19
Curt
um So like when we do this podcast, like I don't have any of the machines running because like, honestly, the machines aren't so bad.
00:29:22
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:29:25
Curt
It's the phase converter that puts out the frequency sound that makes the picks up on the mic here. and And anyways, just any sound sounds bad on a podcast. It's annoying. I don't like listen to podcasts that have a ton of background noise because it's just it's fatiguing.
00:29:37
Curt
So I was like, I have room here to build. I'm like, I build a little cube, like a sound cube that I would go in. I would put my PC. I'd put all my like sensitive stuff that I don't want shit falling on.
00:29:48
Curt
I put my PC in there. I would put like some of my printers in there. everything that just needs to be dust free. And I would have a very sound isolated booth that I could just close and have windows in it. So it doesn't feel like a cave.
00:29:59
Curt
And then I could do podcasting here. I could have all the machines just hammering away and it'd be silent. um And I built, i built a few of these sound enclosures, so I know they work. Just haven't built one big enough
Creative Content and YouTube Plans
00:30:08
Curt
for me. so I'm just like, oh oh, I don't, I don't know. And the cool thing is like, I could AC that little, like the little cube.
00:30:15
Curt
So in the summer, it'd be nice and cool. And in the winter, I'd have the PC in there. So be nice and warm. I mean it's nice and warm here anyways, but like, it's one of those things where I'm like, do I do this? Is this smart? i um I have all the wood, like it wouldn't, it wouldn't cost a ton. It's still probably gonna cost me 500 bucks, thousand bucks to get it all done up how I want it.
00:30:29
Curt
But I'm like, is this an, is this a good idea, Mr. Flopchuck? Or is this because you want it? I'm like, you know, you could just run your machines into the evening and make up for this time. And I'm like, well, shut up, logical side of you. Like, I want a cube.
00:30:44
jamie peacock
I went through the same thing of wanting to put a cube in so when i want to program something I don't have all the noise and whatnot but then I'm like I have an inside have a fucking house but stop but little office booth is fucking cool
00:30:50
Curt
Yeah.
00:30:54
Curt
Yeah. And like, I don't like sometimes...
00:30:59
Curt
Well, it's nice to be able to like, so especially my lathe. I don't like turning my back on my lathe because it's just because it's oil and it's titanium and things get crazy fast. So I like, I like to keep tabs on it, but I also like to have like complete, and it's pretty quiet in here, but I like silence when like let's say want to take a phone call or better yet, like I want to do more YouTube videos this year because I really enjoy video, but doing voiceover, like I either do voiceover at night um when I'm not running anything or like, ah sometimes I have a great idea and I'm like, well, I can't do voiceover now because like everything is running or like,
00:31:06
jamie peacock
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:31:30
Curt
So it's like, it would be cool just to have a little cube to go in. That would be, so but then the same thing, like some of the, it's nice to have background, like a visually cluttered background.
00:31:37
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:31:38
Curt
It looks cool. Like all the machines behind me looks cool when I do voiceovers, as opposed to like being in a cube with just some, you know, I don't know.
00:31:43
jamie peacock
Well, you could put windows, but yeah. and I know exactly what you want.
00:31:46
Curt
Yeah.
00:31:47
jamie peacock
do you mean?
00:31:47
Curt
Yeah.
00:31:48
jamie peacock
I wear those earmall headphones I got off of AliExpress. And today I was running the first time ran the threadmill. I stopped my book. I turned up the pass-through so I could hear the cuts.
00:32:01
jamie peacock
And then after that, I'm like, cool, back to silence, please. Like, I don't actually want to be in my shop without hearing protection now because it is loud.
00:32:04
Curt
Yeah, totally. Yeah.
00:32:09
jamie peacock
So I'm now always wearing the freaking sweaty ear things because I don't want to have the loud noise. I've become like an autistic kid.
00:32:18
Curt
No, it's it's just draining. I do the same thing. I just put like, I have little ear, and it's not, like I said, it's not even loud.
00:32:21
jamie peacock
yeah it's just monotonous old background
00:32:23
Curt
It's just like, it's just like if, it's like if someone had a radio, yeah, if someone had a radio on that you, it's just like, it's just kind of draining on you. Just like, I just want nothing.
00:32:33
Curt
Like, I just want silence sometimes. Or I want an audiobook or something. But yeah, anyways, I'm fighting the urge to build a cube.
00:32:39
jamie peacock
yeah i saw an ltt video and that's what got me down that rabbit hole a few like a year ago year and a half ago and i'm like
00:32:40
Curt
There's so many cool cubes online too, so.
00:32:46
Curt
Oh, yeah.
00:32:49
jamie peacock
I want one so bad. But do I really need it? No, I don't. I have an office. It has a door. I haven't closed the door in probably a year, but it has a door. And if I really need to, I can close and then it's a sauna.
00:32:58
Curt
Yeah.
00:33:02
jamie peacock
It's a feature.
00:33:02
Curt
Yeah. I, yeah, I don't, I'm fighting it. Fight, fighting the urge. I'm just like, I'm like, it would make me more productive.
00:33:09
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:33:10
Curt
It'd be like, it'd be like, no, no, no. I just
Reflecting on 2025 Challenges and Health Impact
00:33:12
jamie peacock
No, because i like to hear my machines.
00:33:12
Curt
do.
00:33:12
Curt
Yeah. So we'll see.
00:33:14
jamie peacock
Like even with the headphones, I can still hear what's going on. I can hear when bad noises happen. But you obviously don't want bad noises. Bad noises are bad.
00:33:24
Curt
Yeah, yeah. So we'll we'll see how that goes. I'll keep you guys updated. Probably going to build one.
00:33:28
jamie peacock
some
00:33:29
Curt
it's It's too much fun.
00:33:31
jamie peacock
That's the problem.
00:33:32
Curt
ah
00:33:32
jamie peacock
is you and I both enjoy fun things. um
00:33:35
jamie peacock
i just
00:33:35
Curt
Yeah.
00:33:37
jamie peacock
So speaking of building things, I have thoughts of building a Tumblr.
00:33:37
Curt
Yeah.
00:33:39
Curt
Yes.
00:33:42
Curt
Okay, cool. I have thoughts here, but carry on.
00:33:42
jamie peacock
Again, another another one.
00:33:44
Curt
Yeah.
00:33:45
jamie peacock
No, not like any of the other ones, though. Not like any that we've built. I want to build a simplifical one.
00:33:50
Curt
Okay. Oh, okay.
00:33:53
jamie peacock
e And I think I may have a plan to do this using 3D prints.
00:34:01
Curt
Interesting. I want to hear none of this because it'll be like big old pile of.
00:34:04
jamie peacock
Because guess what happens when your 3D print wears out?
00:34:09
Curt
Make another one.
00:34:10
jamie peacock
Exactly. So yeah, I have some thoughts on building a centrifugal one for my smaller parts that go into my vibratory, my bowl tumbler. I hate that thing. It takes forever. So I'm thinking of maybe just spending a bit of time and designing a centrifugal one because ah don't want to spend the money on buying one.
00:34:27
jamie peacock
That's the gist of it.
00:34:27
Curt
i I have, oh, I know a guy that built a centrifugal 3D printed Tumblr and I think I have the Fusion file for it. i don't know if we chatted about this, but no.
00:34:36
jamie peacock
Because there's not a lot of info out there on making your own centrifugal timblers. Like, I can't see it being super difficult.
00:34:41
Curt
Oh,
00:34:43
jamie peacock
um And i was going to run it off of a closed-loop stepper so that I can tell if it stalls and then reverse it and then carry on forward.
00:34:49
Curt
ah cool.
00:34:51
jamie peacock
um I don't think we need a million RPMs. So if we get 1,000 RPMs, I think it's probably going to be over killer ready. I also have motors, and I have most of the cuck laying around. So, yeah.
00:35:03
Curt
Yeah, I went down that same.
00:35:05
jamie peacock
The limiting, the limiting factor is going to be the build plates on my current printer, which I can squeeze 200 by 200 onto.
00:35:06
Curt
ahead.
00:35:13
jamie peacock
so that would be the disk limitation. It's the size of the disk. And then the rest you can print in segments, who cares? It's ribbed anyway.
00:35:22
Curt
Totally. Yeah, exactly.
00:35:24
jamie peacock
I'm thinking of going that route with PETG and just seeing what happens.
00:35:24
Curt
Yeah.
00:35:28
Curt
Nice. Yeah, I mean.
00:35:29
jamie peacock
Because I need more projects.
00:35:32
Curt
that's a That's something I've been considering because, I mean, leading into our kind of 2026 plans, one of my main bottlenecks is tumbling.
00:35:38
jamie peacock
Yes.
00:35:41
Curt
um like and i People actually enjoy a tumbled finish. they It's getting more and more popular for me. um And my current little tumbler that I cobbled together is great, but I can only tumble a certain
00:35:51
jamie peacock
Can you stop me and stole bucket?
00:35:54
Curt
It's still the bucket. It has been, I put new motors on it.
00:35:55
jamie peacock
Nice.
00:35:57
Curt
I think I burnt through, like it just, I just keep putting, I have so many spare parts for it. So I just keep like limping it along. So, uh, but anyways, I priced out a nice like centrifugal tumbler.
00:36:08
Curt
Um, and they're not, they're not expensive for, for like my return for how much I use it and how much I would spend building one. Like it just makes sense for me to buy one. So, um, very likely that's going to be, sorry, what, uh,
00:36:17
jamie peacock
I'd be very curious see what, which one you were looking at and what it I'd be very curious see what a cost which you were looking at.
00:36:23
Curt
I think it's made in Poland. I'll, I'll try to put the, I'll try to put the link in the show notes.
00:36:26
jamie peacock
Because I love the pilot. The pilot are the best.
00:36:29
Curt
yeah Hey, ah um,
00:36:31
jamie peacock
It's been way too much time in that shithole.
00:36:35
Curt
Uh, I think it was like, it's like five grand or something like that. Um, and it was like a full wet tumbler with like all the controls on it and everything.
00:36:39
jamie peacock
Okay. Yeah.
00:36:42
jamie peacock
All the extra paraphernalia that you need on their meow.
00:36:42
Curt
I like the parts in there and all the fanciness I would want.
00:36:46
Curt
Yeah. I mean, with the exception of like an auto dump, but, um, and this was like a brand name one. if I go overseas, uh, I shouldn't say overseas. If I just, because Poland's overseas, um, if I go like a Chinese made one, it's like, you know, three quarters of cost, half the cost.
00:36:58
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:37:00
Curt
Um, um, But yeah, so anyways, um for me, I'm buying it.
00:37:02
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:37:05
Curt
um I also kind of debated buying a bunch of those like extreme rotary tumblers, like four of those.
00:37:10
jamie peacock
I have one of those.
00:37:11
Curt
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And just letting those go, but.
00:37:12
jamie peacock
I've got the Lyman tornado or whatever. I actually, my bucket tumbler got thrown in a scrap bin a little while ago because I've just moved it all over to the Lyman tumbler.
00:37:20
Curt
No, yeah, yeah.
00:37:21
jamie peacock
just throw rocks in it with what I need to tumble in our tumblers and it works beautifully.
00:37:25
Curt
Yeah.
00:37:26
jamie peacock
It's got a two hour timer. You set the timer and leave it to run and it works really, really well. It took me a year to actually start using it, but yeah, it works rare and burnishes brass really well.
00:37:39
Curt
Yeah, and I was i was thinking about it because I could buy, let's say could buy four of those for the same price. would actually be less to buy. like And then I could run different medias in each one or like if I you know max out my part volume, i can buy I could buy eight of them and I would still be probably cheaper than one.
00:37:49
jamie peacock
yeah
00:37:51
Curt
But then one centrifugal lets me do other things. So I'm pretty, yeah.
00:37:54
jamie peacock
yeah it's like i want to build so i want to replace my vibratory tumbler with another vibratory tumbler my little round one with like the one i built the big one i want to build a smaller big one
00:38:04
Curt
Yeah.
00:38:07
jamie peacock
So I'm just trying to justify spending the money on the vibrating motor and then the laser cutting and then the time and yeah then I'm going to build one of those, a little one of those for basically replacing the bowl tumbler.
00:38:08
Curt
Okay.
00:38:15
Curt
Yeah.
00:38:19
jamie peacock
So it'll have a little bit more energy and be able to do it a little bit quicker.
00:38:20
Curt
Right.
00:38:23
Curt
Yeah.
00:38:23
jamie peacock
Because I have plans afoot for next year. Well, not next year, for this year. Sorry, living in the past.
00:38:31
Curt
Does that plan lead to your number one topic on your list or the first topic, I should say?
00:38:34
jamie peacock
It does.
00:38:36
Curt
Okay. Tell us about that.
00:38:38
jamie peacock
I did a Kickstarter five years ago for the Bolt Belt, which was a magnetic quick release belt. And I'm thinking of doing a V2 of it. So there were one or two things that could be better.
00:38:49
jamie peacock
And yeah, that's that's on the cards for the next probably month or two. Right now, the mechanical anchor point is top of the the to-do list. when that's done i'm thinking of reviving the bolt belt because i kind want a new one my one's a little bit worse for wear i wore it for five years like it's my go-to belt so yeah think of doing another another kickstorm on another kickstart just making another batch of them selling off a batch of them seeing how that goes now that i can make them easily because i have a better machine
00:39:20
Curt
Right. I guess, yeah, I guess you were using the slow yo at that time. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:39:23
jamie peacock
Dude, it was... How many did I do? I think I would say did about 80 of them on the Slowio with three pocket clips each. so So 240 pocket clips, 160 belt components.
00:39:38
jamie peacock
It was not a small number of components. That's why I upgraded my Anno setup was from their Kickstarters. I managed to swing that.
00:39:45
Curt
Right.
00:39:45
jamie peacock
So yeah, like now it's a case of I needed the Kickstarter to actually make them. Then now it's just case of cool, automatic error and run the parts. Like the scale of things has shifted dramatically.
00:39:52
Curt
Right, right, right.
00:39:57
Curt
Well, it's nice to keep, I mean, I know you got your, your flock, but it's like having a kind of a consumer product, not saying that you're like your anchor points. yeah They're consumer, but they're like, they're targeted at makers, like people building other stuff.
00:40:05
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:40:08
jamie peacock
Yeah. Yeah, they targeted at guys or machines, not any Tom, Dick or Harry.
00:40:12
Curt
Totally. And yeah, having having a just a consumer product that faces everyone, is it's nice.
00:40:18
jamie peacock
There is another consumer product that I actually want to bring to market, but I signed an NDA and I need to go find a copy of that NDA because I'm pretty sure it has expired and I haven't seen it being bought to market. So I need to find the guys, contact these guys and be like, dude, I want to bring this to market.
00:40:30
Curt
Oh, nice.
00:40:33
jamie peacock
I will give you a royalty. Like I don't mind paying you for the IP, but you're doing nothing with it and i actually need the product for myself.
00:40:38
Curt
Yeah.
00:40:41
jamie peacock
So I'm either going make it for myself and sell it or yeahll figure out what you want to do.
00:40:42
Curt
Yeah.
00:40:46
jamie peacock
Because ah yeah that that meeting was like three years ago. So it was after the bolt belt. um
00:40:53
jamie peacock
The guy found... So I don't know.
00:40:53
Curt
Oh, it's probably done.
00:40:56
Curt
and Yeah.
00:40:56
jamie peacock
They either died or blah, blah, blah. So I think his NDA will probably have expired. I just don't want to cause unnecessary shit. Last thing i want is to be sued because I am selling a product.
00:41:07
jamie peacock
Because if I release it, it's releasing worldwide one go.
00:41:08
Curt
I get that. Yeah.
00:41:10
jamie peacock
It's not going to be just South African market or just US market. It's going to be anywhere in the world you can buy it. And it's a cheap product too. So anyway, that's prompt for another day that I need to find out if I can get around that NDA.
00:41:23
jamie peacock
because feel like I've been patient enough.
00:41:24
Curt
Nice.
00:41:27
jamie peacock
Okay.
00:41:27
Curt
Yeah, three years is a long time.
00:41:28
Curt
Yeah.
00:41:29
jamie peacock
Yeah, it is. And, yeah, other the guy, we discussed manufacturing. His way of manufacturing, he wanted to do it on Swiss, and I'm like, yeah, you could do it on a Swiss, but do you have you don't have the capital to lay out for a Swiss, firstly.
00:41:45
jamie peacock
Also, you're imagining that everyone in the world needs this reality of this?
00:41:46
Curt
Yeah.
00:41:49
jamie peacock
No. Like... even if a cheap product, he's like, oh, if you can capture 1%, I'm like, dude, if you can capture 0.1%, you'll be well off. Like, you're going to get, you're going be like 20 decimal points that way.
00:41:59
Curt
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:42:03
jamie peacock
um
00:42:03
Curt
Yeah.
00:42:04
jamie peacock
So yeah, it's like I have a way to manufacture it pretty cost effectively on the anchor points. So i want to pursue it.
00:42:12
Curt
Fair. Totally. Yeah, that's fair.
00:42:12
jamie peacock
It is a highly customizable product, which is annoying as hell.
00:42:16
Curt
Mm. Mm-hmm.
00:42:17
jamie peacock
But there's workarounds for that too.
00:42:17
Curt
Mm-hmm.
00:42:20
jamie peacock
Anyway, let's stop talking about that before get trouble.
00:42:21
Curt
Yeah.
00:42:23
jamie peacock
um
00:42:23
Curt
Deal.
00:42:23
jamie peacock
Okay. then Okay. You are updating important tools.
00:42:31
jamie peacock
And then I think we'll, the other three topics that are left after that, um all kind of we together.
00:42:31
Curt
Yeah, so that's part of my...
00:42:41
Curt
Yeah, they kind of... I mean, honestly, this important tool update kind of leads into ah plans for 2026 anyway, so we'll just kind of go with that.
00:42:45
jamie peacock
Okay.
00:42:48
jamie peacock
Yeah, so, okay, so yeah, let let's let's discuss, ah before we discuss our plans for 2026, let's discuss our Patreons.
00:42:49
Curt
um But yeah.
00:42:54
Curt
Shoot.
00:42:56
jamie peacock
So our Patreons, they make the wheels on this train today go round and round because we like trains.
00:42:56
Curt
Sure.
00:43:03
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:43:03
Curt
Yay! Ooh. hu
00:43:05
jamie peacock
And because I have been a bit slack and haven't been shouting out the new Patreons, today everyone's getting shouted out, all the Patreons. So let me butcher the list. Special thank you. Wait, hang on one moment. Please loading um because I have different names to the website.
00:43:22
jamie peacock
Scrolling. Oh, geez. ah No, I'm not on a cell phone. Yeah, this is top quality content. Okay, special thanks to Jade from Benchmark20, Ken Robertson, Justin Gray, Luke from Fabtastic, Jacob M, Joe Harrison.
00:43:42
jamie peacock
Sorry, this is going to be great. Dylan Jackson. Adam, I'm not going to ruin your surname.
00:43:51
Curt
Doc?
00:43:51
jamie peacock
Cromulent Knife Company, Norman from Tormach, AJ from Subtract Manufacturing and 29 other companies, EJ from Internal Welding, James N, Christian Olson, Jason Sample, The Aussie Machinist, Bartz, Brad, Eddie...
00:43:52
Curt
Doc?
00:44:11
jamie peacock
ah What? Duxbury Precision Concepts.
00:44:14
Curt
Duxbury?
00:44:15
jamie peacock
Charles Watts, Carl Kirsch, Alexan...
00:44:17
Curt
Duxbury?
00:44:19
jamie peacock
Hang on, sorry. i need to make this bigger. I can barely read it.
00:44:23
Curt
and Okay.
00:44:23
jamie peacock
Yeah, that's why I'm struggling. Oh, we're going to claim.
00:44:26
Curt
Okay.
00:44:26
jamie peacock
Alexandra Block.
00:44:26
Curt
I was like sound it out. Sound it out.
00:44:28
jamie peacock
Yeah. Offworld Matt.
00:44:30
Curt
Alexander Blockett.
00:44:31
jamie peacock
Offworld Gear. Matt sorry ma from Offworld Gear. ah Chris from Putcher Creek Precision. And Dylan Ritchie.
00:44:43
jamie peacock
abo If I've butchered your name, I do apologize, but thank you to all to our patrons. You do make the wheels on the train go round and round. You put steam in our engines. The patrons get access to the after show, as well as exclusive voting rights. When I buy new machines, you get to name them, because apparently I paid myself for something. And when we do Q&As, you guys get emails. And you also got fancy Christmas emails, because my wife. So yeah, thank you very much all the patrons. And if I did butcher I do apologize. But I'm a literate. went to a roommate school.
00:45:17
Curt
I think you need to say ah number 17, Bart.
00:45:17
jamie peacock
All right. Last room school.
00:45:21
Curt
Bart Van. I think you need to say it his last name.
00:45:22
jamie peacock
No, not.
00:45:23
Curt
I think that's that's i think that's important. That's a hard one.
00:45:28
jamie peacock
Yes, and I've closed it now.
00:45:29
Curt
Bart Van Odderjik? Anyway, thank you thank you all.
00:45:32
jamie peacock
There we go. Yes.
00:45:33
Curt
You guys have interesting names, and I appreciate you helping me and Jamie just chat. And I hope you i hope you get enjoyment out of this. um And one day, when we're really intelligent, I will get all your lovely addresses.
00:45:45
Curt
And then we can send you neat things. Jamie has sent me a handful of cool stuff to send you guys. I think I can send one one to everybody. We've got to do this sooner than later, because soon we're going to have... If we have too many people, it's going to get insane.
00:45:53
jamie peacock
yes because we're gonna have longer list yeah yeah well i'll fill some more stuff in some point
00:45:56
Curt
It's going to get expensive. But yeah, and you know what? i maybe i'll Maybe I'll twist... So maybe I'll twist your arm or Danica's arm and get some of those cool t-shirts in or the designs here, and then I can get them printed in stickers.
00:46:09
Curt
And then I can give some of those sick stickers out to people because I would have i would happily do that.
00:46:11
jamie peacock
yes that's actually not a bad plan okay yeah i will yes i'm gonna make a note quickly
00:46:14
Curt
Yeah, so.
00:46:18
Curt
Cool. And I can send it with my next sticker order and get some of those because they're good. I would love to stick those stickers on i' dumb things.
00:46:25
jamie peacock
there we go
00:46:27
Curt
Or those logos, I should say, not stickers, by any reason.
00:46:27
jamie peacock
added it to the... they're quite funny. Okay, cool. So, updating your important tools.
00:46:33
Curt
Cool.
00:46:36
Curt
Yes. So we touched on the tumbler. That's one thing. um the oh is So a laser, the CO2 laser, that's something I either have to, I'll probably put some minor upgrades into this.
00:46:47
Curt
Just I've actually tweaked it and adjusted it last time. I'd cleaned all the mirrors and cleaned all the lenses.
00:46:51
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:46:51
Curt
Oh, everything works better. um But I'll probably make some upgrades on that. If not just buy a brand new machine, because I use it so frequently. I just don't use it. That's problem. It's like I use it for one day a month and I get all my packaging done. But like, it's one of those things where it's like, it doesn't, doesn't make sense to buy no another one. It's like, well, no, but also if I could do it all in a quarter of the time, which is very easily done, if I just bought a better unit, it's like, it would help me. And it would also give me like, I'm starting to realize sometimes having better equipment just makes you, it opens your mind and opens your ability to like do things faster. Like if I had a laser cutter that would cut,
00:47:25
Curt
whatever acrylic much quicker i would use acrylic for more things like just even like soft jaw fixtures alignment fixtures if it was like you know a two minute process instead of a 10 minute process i would do it which also leads down the path of printers like i've been using my old school printer which is ancient by today's standard it still prints but it's like if i had
00:47:34
jamie peacock
Yeah. Makes mine new.
00:47:44
jamie peacock
makes mine look you
00:47:47
Curt
Yeah, no, mine is a dinosaur. And it makes accurate prints, but at the same time, if I could get those prints printed higher accuracy in one-tenth the time, which is easily done by any modern printer, I would use the printer a lot more.
00:48:00
Curt
So yeah, I think I'm just going to upgrade a bunch of my kind of not heavily used equipment, but equipment that I use frequently enough that it's like...
00:48:07
jamie peacock
Your support equipment, yeah.
00:48:08
Curt
Yeah, I don't want to be, i don't want have a hundred year old stuff trying to build fancy things and it just lets your brain work faster. So yeah, I spend a lot of time looking at printers um to upgrade.
00:48:19
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:48:19
Curt
I'm pretty sure i will go with the Prusa over the, yeah over the bamboos, just bamboo user experience way better UI way better, pretty much everything way better.
00:48:23
jamie peacock
Okay. Yeah.
00:48:31
Curt
But yeah, I just, I don't like their control over it. And, uh, I don't like that. ah Like I know a guy few guys running farms with them and same thing. Am I going to use it enough to notice notice this? Probably not like use it and if it breaks, sell it. But like, I don't like that.
00:48:47
Curt
Just kind of poor quality, everything I'd rather buy a Prusa and have it just last for 10 years and just not now.
00:48:52
jamie peacock
well for me getting aruus a prusa yeah it's just absurdly expensive buying a bamboo locally is obs absurdly expensive but my mate dave his boss just sent him a a1 mini
00:48:57
Curt
Hmm.
00:49:04
jamie peacock
It makes my machine look like it's, and when my machine's zooming at full speed, it makes it look it like it's standing still. Like, it's insane.
00:49:04
Curt
Nice, yeah, that's a good little unit.
00:49:10
Curt
Totally, right?
00:49:11
jamie peacock
It is absolutely insane. So I'm going see if I can swing them getting me one with the AMS Mini or AMS Lite because I want to be able to do dual colors for some stuff I have planned.
00:49:17
Curt
Yeah.
00:49:21
jamie peacock
My printer prints it today. It prints beautifully. Well, it prints. Beautifully is not the word I'd use to describe it because I have a 0.6 nozzle. Like, I'm printing strong and fast, not delicate.
00:49:33
Curt
Right.
00:49:33
jamie peacock
So yeah, i don't know, I'm thinking A1 Mini just forwards and ends, like grid-friendly stuff and whatnot. I just want to be able to send it and not have to stress because I had a crash. um
00:49:46
jamie peacock
I actually started using a different flash drive now for my printer. It printed that far and then started printing a different file on the flash drive and crashed the head.
00:49:52
Curt
the
00:49:56
jamie peacock
It's happened to me like three or four times and I added verification to my workflow. So it would, Prusa Slasa outputs the file, i open the file, make sure it's correct, sensitive then go put in the printer.
00:49:56
Curt
ah
00:50:07
jamie peacock
And after this crashed, I brought the flash drive back, plugged it in and it's corrupted the code. It's got some other program in it. So I started using a different flash drive now because I think it's just an old ass flash drive that's causing this issue.
00:50:19
Curt
Yeah. Well then like, it's the same thing in my world. Like I just want like mine, it's okay. It's like a network printer, but like, I just want less, like less steps into me.
00:50:27
jamie peacock
Yeah. Let's bury that.
00:50:29
Curt
Like I just want it to sit there and just be like, I can send a print to it and it just, it just does it. It just, I don't have to worry about it. And same thing. Like I want this part black and this part white, or I want like, you know, just like, ah just, I don't need a billion materials, but like, I want a few materials.
00:50:41
Curt
I want it loaded. I want it sitting there waiting and just, yeah, I don't, I don't mind spending a few thousand bucks to make it go.
00:50:45
jamie peacock
Yeah. Yeah. No, 100%.
00:50:47
Curt
So yeah.
00:50:48
jamie peacock
Yeah, no, 100%. I agree with you there, 100%. Yeah, that's on the list of upgrades. i was considering putting Clipper onto this printer, and I'm like, you know what?
00:50:58
jamie peacock
It's not worth it. luck it's just It's not worth effort. It works. Don't don't mess with it. Because how long am going to spend getting it working?
00:51:04
Curt
Yeah.
00:51:05
jamie peacock
I could just buy another printer.
00:51:08
Curt
And I went, and and I like the Vorons too, but and then i'm thinking, I'm like, what am I doing?
00:51:08
jamie peacock
Yeah. Yeah.
00:51:12
Curt
Like, what do I, yes, do I want to build it as a project?
00:51:13
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:51:15
Curt
Sure. But like, I'll have to do that in my, one of my other lives.
00:51:16
jamie peacock
But you want it too.
00:51:17
Curt
Like I want a tool.
00:51:18
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:51:18
Curt
Yeah. I just, yeah, exactly.
00:51:19
jamie peacock
Yeah. No, that's exactly it. You want a tool, you don't want a project. Sorry, a project. um
00:51:25
Curt
Yeah. I got my sound cube to build.
00:51:26
jamie peacock
Yeah, so speaking of tools, I have now got a de designated tool group corner in the workshop.
00:51:27
Curt
So. Mm-hmm.
00:51:32
jamie peacock
So I rearranged the workshop a bit and put another shelf in. And when I moved, so where I've been assembling the anchor points, that has now become the tool group corner where I've a shelf for the wall and all sorts of fancy shit.
00:51:43
jamie peacock
that's going to become like basically, I've got another two racks like on the front of my machine. that are going to go onto the pegboard that I can pre-stage tooling there or job specific tooling can live there.
00:51:56
jamie peacock
So yeah, just trying to trying to make my workflow and my life more easier. Yeah.
00:52:02
Curt
Yeah, that makes sense. That's yeah.
00:52:04
jamie peacock
like Like you've got the bed organization and layout. Improving the layouts, I assume, of your shop. um Like I've got to cut Gridfinity bases for the top of the good way. So I've printed Gridfinity trays to hold the jaws and Gridfinity caliper holders and Gridfinity freaking everything. So on the top of the machine is a flat section. I'm going to put a Gridfinity base on there that I can just stack all my stuff there, stands for my micrometers, all the stuff that I use regularly just to make my life as easy as possible.
00:52:32
Curt
Totally. Yeah. Yeah. Like,
00:52:35
jamie peacock
Why struggle if you don't have to?
00:52:37
Curt
Yeah, indeed, precisely. But yeah, that's...
00:52:40
jamie peacock
And then, yeah, actually want to get and to you to back into YouTubing a bit more. Danik and I have been discussing a series I want to do, Work Holding Wednesday. So just shorts, basically.
00:52:53
jamie peacock
But every Wednesday, just dive into something different in Work Holding. Because, I mean... you've seen the wall of pallets and all the dumb shit I get up to there.
00:52:58
Curt
Mm-hmm.
00:53:00
jamie peacock
So just share all the different things and like, here's a thing that I did kind of story. So I found my old cell phone. It's got a decent camera on it. Printed a holdy thing, put some lights on it, got my lav mark plugged into it now. So it's a decent filming rig.
00:53:18
jamie peacock
And we're going to, I want to do a shop tour in the next like, week or so because a month from today Danica is going to be working full time so then I don't have a camera operator so yeah I want to quickly film a shop tour because my shop has changed a lot in the last year no
00:53:31
Curt
Right. Yeah.
00:53:38
Curt
Yeah. And that's, that's my point too. I tried to, I tried to always do a video around January so I can always look back and same thing.
00:53:42
jamie peacock
yeah dude I watched my one from 2019 and I'm like this so doesn't know what's coming
00:53:44
Curt
It's like January was here. So that's yeah.
00:53:52
jamie peacock
Like, he has no cooking clue. So it's it's interesting to look back on those videos.
00:53:58
Curt
And I love shop tour videos. Like, I don't care how big, small your channel is. Like, if if it's watchable, I'm probably going to watch a shop tour video cause they're so interesting.
00:54:04
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:54:06
Curt
You always can glean something from someone else's workflow.
00:54:07
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:54:09
Curt
Yeah.
00:54:10
jamie peacock
Yeah, I know. It's always interesting to see what other people are up to in their shops.
00:54:14
Curt
Yeah.
00:54:15
jamie peacock
I might try and swing some other shop tours of different shops this year as well. Because it is kind of interesting and I have got pretty good access to a lot of shops.
00:54:21
Curt
Hmm.
00:54:23
jamie peacock
So I think I might just start doing that as ah as like a side fun thing. Because I do enjoy making content.
00:54:29
Curt
Yeah.
00:54:30
jamie peacock
But yeah, making content is not where my business makes the money. So it probably won't be ever. um Like in all or reality, the video thing is more just for fun and sharing than anything else.
00:54:44
Curt
Yeah. Yeah. I like, I, that's and that's my, that's the way I approach it too. It's like, I enjoy this. This is like my, my Zen. This is me raking sand in the little garden. Like this keeps my brain happy doing video. I i enjoy it.
00:54:56
Curt
And then occasionally one goes out there that does really well, that brings people in. And that's, that's my marketing for the year. Like that pays for, that pays for itself many times over. And it's, yeah.
00:55:07
jamie peacock
No, 100%.
00:55:07
jamie peacock
That's the whole thing with the work holding stuff.
00:55:08
Curt
So, yeah.
00:55:09
Curt
Yeah.
00:55:10
jamie peacock
I've got a couple videos about the anchor point, but I need more, and I think shorts is going to be the way to go on that. Fresh content for the shorts, because then it's Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, all of them, just one video.
00:55:18
Curt
Yeah.
00:55:22
jamie peacock
It goes to all the different platforms.
00:55:23
Curt
Yeah.
00:55:24
jamie peacock
It's the same format. And see what that does. See if it gets in front of people.
00:55:28
Curt
Yeah.
00:55:29
jamie peacock
So we'll see how that how that all shakes out.
00:55:33
jamie peacock
Okay, so let's look at our year in reverse.
00:55:33
Curt
Cool.
00:55:33
Curt
Yeah, I like that.
00:55:39
Curt
Sounds good, my dude. Do you want to, ah should we so should we start with the
00:55:41
jamie peacock
So I like thinking of best than worst. I like that.
00:55:44
Curt
let's Let's start with the bad so we can end with positives. Do you want to you want tell me about your...
00:55:47
jamie peacock
That's fine. im
00:55:49
Curt
you it could be It doesn't have to be like the worst thing. It could just be like your thing that didn't pan out. It can be whatever you want for 2025. Whatever you feel like talking about.
00:55:57
jamie peacock
Yeah. Well, the the the worst thing that has had the biggest, hopefully, lesson, we'll find out as the year goes on, whether I've actually learned from or not,
00:56:09
Curt
Hmm.
00:56:10
jamie peacock
is that what people say and what people do are not the same thing.
00:56:16
Curt
Okay.
00:56:16
jamie peacock
If it isn't in writing, orders, whatever, it means nothing. Because I was promised a bunch of orders, like Danny Clowney was discussing it over the weekend, and we were promised a bunch of work,
00:56:29
jamie peacock
kind of stretched to make sure we had the capability financially and then the orders didn't come and they didn't come and they didn't come and they haven't come yet and it's been nearly a year and yeah this year we are going to be well we are now very hard ass oh you want samples cool samples are at this price production price is x oh you want us to get a equipment and to make samples you're paying for the equipment and we'll give you discount on your production when you place your order because we burnt our fingers on the big tumbler the fiber laser a bunch of stuff last year with uh overreaching on promises so yes that yeah that was the the biggest bummer because there was a lot of promise work that just never came we i think last year we did want say 600 of the diesel tubes we had we were meant to do
00:57:17
Curt
Right.
00:57:19
jamie peacock
three or four times that was the year before and they were meant to be yeah it was meant it was meant to be uh 6 000 units a year is what they were trying to do last year and they just didn't sell any units so now we sit with a dicks in our hand so yeah that's yeah now if i get zero facts given sorry you don't get production pricing if you're not placing production orders is what it is if you don't like it look at all go to china
00:57:48
Curt
Well, and I get that. like That makes sense. If I approach a company, like that makes sense.
00:57:51
jamie peacock
Yeah.
00:57:52
Curt
like I get it. Time
Jamie Discusses Anchor Point Launch Successes
00:57:54
Curt
is money. and like
00:57:55
jamie peacock
Yeah, we've got well, exactly.
00:57:56
Curt
And missed opportunity. and Yeah.
00:57:58
jamie peacock
Missed opportunities is a huge thing. But yeah, what was your least favorite part of last year?
00:58:05
Curt
I mean, aside from the obvious ones, like the style not behaving well and all that kind of stuff, think
00:58:12
jamie peacock
are Your fourth axis endeavors?
00:58:15
Curt
Yeah, all that stuff. Honestly, the one that kind of stung the most was this was that this like past week i got i was sick. it just it was... wasn't that big it just like it compiled weird and it was at the time of year where i needed to be there like i needed to get that done it would like it would have made a bigger impact to have this done mentally for me anyways just to have that done so i just health is such an important things and it was like i do put a lot of focus on it like i try to take care of myself i try to like eat well i try to i do everything that i can to stack i have little people they bring me viruses it's just what happens um
00:58:27
jamie peacock
Yeah. Yeah.
00:58:49
Curt
Yeah, that's kind of like the most, probably one of the more annoying things is just the fact that I've talked about on like multiple podcasts, it's weighing on my mind. um So it's, that's probably been the least fun. the Other side from ah the stuff that literally is bugging me, but yeah, that's kind of probably the most one that I just noticed dragged on my mind.
00:58:59
jamie peacock
yeah
00:59:03
jamie peacock
yeah let's say it's yeah it's also interesting what what you perceive is the worst as compared to what other people may think is the worst for you because it's it's all about your own perspective like for me the lessons i learned last year are those hurt more than v and anything else like
00:59:14
Curt
Oh, totally. Yeah.
00:59:17
Curt
Yeah.
00:59:21
jamie peacock
though That made launching anchor point really difficult when the orders stopped rolling in.
00:59:21
Curt
Yeah. Yeah.
00:59:26
jamie peacock
And all of a sudden, my R&D budget went from, or my production budget went from, okay, cool, we can probably swing a couple hundred dollars a month at this just and so in two or three months we've got production to, well, there's no spare money. Ooh, okay, we can kind of skimp some here, skimp some there, and make a plan to get batch one done.
00:59:45
jamie peacock
Like, that was a that was a proper stressful... thing but yeah that was definitely the best thing for last year was releasing anchor point batch one
00:59:54
Curt
Well, and I think that's the difference too like of like people perceive it from the outside of like a bad thing. Like for me, like, yeah, I lost ah or didn't lose, but like refills, like the supplier kind of ghosted But those are things where like I can approach it from like nine different angles. I can be like, okay, well, if that's not going to work, I can get it from this way. Or I can like, you can work your way through it with multiple paths where it's like,
01:00:16
Curt
if you're, uh, whatever, like if you're like, in my case, I, if I'm not feeling well, like that's, that's it. There's no other like sneaky path.
01:00:23
jamie peacock
Yeah. Yeah.
01:00:24
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:00:24
Curt
It can't be like, well, I'll just put a thousand bucks into my body and that'll make me feel better.
01:00:27
Curt
And I can like, that's, you don't have any other paths. Like you have one path forward and that's the ones I don't like. Cause I'm like, I have no control now. Like there's only one way to fix this. And it's like, those ones stress me out a lot more than like,
01:00:40
Curt
oh, I can't get titanium. Like whatever. I'll find my way through it. Like, oh, the machine is broken. Whatever. I can think of my way through it. And so it's like, anyway, what's your best? was your What was your best?
01:00:50
jamie peacock
So yeah, this, this would be starting the learning machinist podcast. have
01:00:55
Curt
Hell yeah.
01:00:56
jamie peacock
No, the best thing from last year, I think business wise was launching the anchor point, because that is setting us on a trajectory as a product based business, not a job shop, because job shopping is fun and all, but I'd rather not be job shopping, I'd rather be product based.
01:00:56
Curt
but
01:01:10
Curt
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
01:01:11
jamie peacock
And that put us on the trajectory to go product based. And We're still heading that direction, but yeah, it's, I think it's the, it's one of the better things that happened last year was being pushed to release the anchor point.
01:01:25
jamie peacock
Cause that was very much a ah very hard push from Danica and through June to get it ready to release in the beginning of July, because we knew there was a bunch of orders and things that were not coming through and we needed to push that to market to make ends meet. And we pushed it to market and we're still kicking somehow.
01:01:44
jamie peacock
And then you're making a
Operational Improvements and Equipment Utilization
01:01:46
jamie peacock
making telescope housings was also pretty cool.
01:01:50
Curt
Oh, those big aluminum plates? Yeah, I remember those.
01:01:52
jamie peacock
Yeah, the big the the big rings.
01:01:53
Curt
Yeah, yeah.
01:01:53
jamie peacock
I actually saw finished pictures of it.
01:01:54
Curt
Yeah.
01:01:56
jamie peacock
They look really cool. That was kind of cool.
01:01:58
Curt
Oh, cool.
01:01:58
jamie peacock
like yeah like We did some really interesting stuff last year. Let's put it that way.
01:02:03
Curt
Cool, cool.
01:02:03
jamie peacock
And what was your best bit of last year?
01:02:08
Curt
my best bit of last year was finally, let's see, it was probably finally pushing everything onto the big style. And that just literally happened like three, four months ago, like getting everything moved off the little mill,
01:02:24
Curt
onto the big machine. And like the last thing to move was fourth axis stuff, which was, cause it was just, it was easy. It was like, I'll just screw this on, let it go. Like, I don't care. I can do other things while it's running and just like taking the time to be like, no, let's first, let's get the fourth playing nice.
01:02:36
Curt
Let's get all those toolpaths set up. Like it took me a week to tune it, but now it is like,
01:02:40
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:02:41
Curt
oh much nicer just to know like oh after this i just load this machine up it does it faster it does it beautiful and it's repeat over and over and over and over and i'm not comping and chasing and it's like that was the one thing where like i didn't i didn't factor in how much mental load that was bringing me just to like always be like oh i gotta adjust this oh i gotta boot it's like is it's a non-issue now i don't think about it that that was that was a huge mental like ah yeah
01:03:07
jamie peacock
Well, that's a better I mean, my my slow year hasn't been turned on. Cole used by the day to scrap a block machine some golf balls with it.
01:03:14
Curt
Mm-hmm. Yep. Mm-hmm.
01:03:16
jamie peacock
It gets used for one job which hasn't come around since like March. It doesn't get powered on anymore because i'd rather just put it on the LK because the LK just does the thing.
01:03:27
jamie peacock
Like now I'm busy making the bodies.
01:03:28
Curt
totally
01:03:29
jamie peacock
The balls are within like three or four microns across so far 12 bodies. I'm not comping anything like I'm machining aluminium, but I'm not comping anything. I'll check everyone and they're all the same.
01:03:40
jamie peacock
It's great. Like, yeah, that would have been a nightmare on the slow wheel. Like an absolute nightmare.
01:03:46
Curt
Yeah, i I know. I cleaned mine too and it just sits here and I have i no idea what it's going to do. it Like you said, it does what yours does. Square up blocks.
01:03:54
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:03:56
Curt
That's about what I'm doing on it now.
01:03:57
jamie peacock
Yeah, stupid, stupid shit.
01:03:57
Curt
Until I find a sneak use. yeah
Future Product Design and Expansion
01:04:00
Curt
yeah Totally.
01:04:00
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:04:00
Curt
Totally. Exactly.
01:04:02
jamie peacock
So what have you got planned for this year, Kurt?
01:04:02
Curt
Yeah. This year, I had a first high on my list was to get the click, but I have the click mechanism in my hand.
01:04:14
Curt
It's not playing nice. So that's
01:04:15
jamie peacock
It is a click mechanism. It clicks once.
01:04:19
Curt
It doesn't even click once. It is because it binds like instantly.
01:04:21
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:04:23
Curt
Um, so that was kind of disheartening, but, um, I mean, it's, it's 90% there. So it's not like, I'm not too, I'm not too upset about it. Um, But ah yeah, pens. And oddly enough, a ton of people reached out. They're like, yeah, a click is cool, but I still want bolts. I'm like, okay, well, maybe it's not going to crush the the bolt demand as much as I thought it was.
01:04:42
Curt
um So anyways, getting the pen, the bolt action, I'm going to update it with the new clip so people can stop being like, can you make a left-handed and right-handed version? um And i'll I'll make a slot change. I'll probably do a run of lefts because there's like six left people that are constantly in my DMs. So like, can you make a left-handed bolt? I'm like, can you just not be devil-handed?
01:04:59
Curt
Can you just join us on the proper side of the world?
01:04:59
jamie peacock
yeah just learn to use your right hand
01:05:02
Curt
Yeah, exactly. The world's not built for you lefties. Um, anyway, so that's, that's one, um, the fidget that I've had kicking in CAD now, like I'm a very 50 of it.
01:05:13
Curt
Uh, fuck dude.
01:05:13
jamie peacock
when did you start that because I know it was in the last year no just curious because yeah it's got to be like a while but it
01:05:16
Curt
Don't let's not talk about that. Um, I have no idea. I don't, don't remember. I'd have to look back. it's It's been a while, but like, yeah, I'm super happy with how this one works.
01:05:25
jamie peacock
Okay. Nice. Yeah. 100%. Yeah.
01:05:28
Curt
I have all the titanium. I already blanked it. It's sitting in discs. I need to make soft jaws for it. I do not want to make soft jaws that fit on these vices. I want to make soft jaws that fit on the anchor point. because why like yeah it's like if i'm gonna go through the effort i'm going to put it on your anchor points because i'm sick of not having the ability just to offline load so that's that's kind of why i've been stagnant on that project because i'm not doing this i'm not designing soft jaws that go in this that are going to be obsolete in a short while so um yeah
01:05:41
jamie peacock
hundreds
01:05:59
jamie peacock
Yeah. Yeah.
01:06:00
Curt
So that, and then the last thing I would like to do is, um I don't know if people around here follow like Chris Bathgate whenever he does one of his projects. If it's, I don't know if he does it with all of them, but he does it with some of them. He does like art releases. So he'll do like a cool blueprint drawing.
01:06:15
Curt
um ah Blueprint's a loose term. He does it really, really cool, like kind of vector line work. and Anyways, I want to do more of that. um with some of my products. I think it would look really cool. And that's just honestly for me to hang up in here. um And if people dig it, I'll put it on the site. People can buy them like posters and whatnot. But that's something I really want to play with because that's one of those other things that kind of scratches the inside of my brain that hasn't been scratched in a while. So that's on my list.
01:06:40
jamie peacock
Okay, nice.
01:06:41
Curt
How about you? What's on your 2026?
01:06:43
jamie peacock
Yeah, so we have a target of anchor point sales, which I don't know, we might make public at some point. i don't know if made it public yet. um And then we've got the mechanical anchor point coming, which will have higher holding force. My load cell should be in the next like two or three days to confirm the actual hold force of the normal anchor points and validate the mechanical one and what the torque requirements are. thinking of relaunching the Bolt Belt, the V2 Bolt Belt, going to be making a bunch of flux just for my own sanity and stock and whatever else. If they sell, they sell. If they don't, they don't.
01:07:16
jamie peacock
um And then one of the big things for this year is work-life balance because having a job in each hand doesn't mean balance so with danica going back to work uh full time my goal is when she gets home from work i'll stop working and i spend time with her so gonna try and rein in my hours and prioritize or plan to run stuff at night because the hours are there if i can have the machine running reliably and have the tools preset
01:07:33
Curt
Yeah.
01:07:46
jamie peacock
I can load pallets at night and just let the machine run for an extra two or three hours. I don't need to stand and watch it. So yeah, but I mean, even now while we were recording, I had a ah body running. The machine powered down 20 minutes into the podcast. and I'll go turn the compressors off now when we're done.
01:08:03
jamie peacock
And yeah, if I can keep the machine running, not super loudly, keep it running at night, I think that's going to be a ah huge force multiplier. But yeah, we're going have to see. I may need an additional machine this year.
01:08:16
Curt
ah Nice. Nice.
01:08:18
jamie peacock
Yeah, that's going to be a fun one to try and explain to my wife, brother-in-law and mother-in-law because, yeah, there was a little bit of drama and my new goal is to make my wife's entire family pay ah capital gains tax this year.
01:08:32
jamie peacock
Because obviously my brother-in-law helped me fund the machine and I'm like, cool, I don't want that over my head anymore.
01:08:34
Curt
Oh.
01:08:38
jamie peacock
I'm to settle that up this year.
01:08:41
Curt
Yeah. that's That's a good thing.
01:08:42
jamie peacock
Like,
01:08:42
Curt
Yeah, for sure.
01:08:43
jamie peacock
Settle it up. That's fuck all over my head. And then I don't have to. It's not something I have to stress about. And film if sales go the way I hope, then that will be very much possible.
01:08:50
Curt
Yeah.
01:08:53
jamie peacock
That excludes any job shop work that I still do. So yeah, the job shopping this year is going to be interesting. yeah This year this year is is queuing up to be a really banger year already.
01:09:05
jamie peacock
And we're five days
01:09:06
Curt
Well, yeah.
Budget-Friendly Workshop Enhancements
01:09:07
jamie peacock
in.
01:09:09
Curt
I guess I should touch on that too. Yeah, for equipment. Because I got a ton of people that like, when buying a Swiss? When you buying When are you buying a Swiss?
01:09:13
jamie peacock
Well, before you answer that, Kurt, we have a question about that in our Q&A section.
01:09:14
Curt
And it's like...
01:09:20
jamie peacock
Yes. So let's let's cover that in the Q&A section because this is going to be a long episode.
01:09:24
Curt
Gotcha.
01:09:26
jamie peacock
So we've put out shouts for like three weeks now for questions on Instagram and, you know, on Instagram.
01:09:26
Curt
Yeah.
01:09:33
jamie peacock
Told people to DM us. I hope we got all the questions. We are going to be returning back to the question from last week. Favorite purchase under $10?
01:09:41
Curt
Mm-hmm.
01:09:41
jamie peacock
I now have three in mind.
01:09:44
Curt
Okay. You lead the way because know why I answered partially last week, so shoot.
01:09:48
jamie peacock
the 15mm spanner or wrench I bought for my vase.
01:09:53
Curt
Oh, okay.
01:09:54
jamie peacock
lives on the vase when I'm doing stuff that just needs to quickly be loosened and tightened. Best money I've ever spent.
01:09:58
Curt
Yeah.
01:09:59
jamie peacock
Because a stupid vase handle is great when you need to like really crank on it. But if you just need a lightly tighten, the little wrench, it just lives there. You just grab it, loosen, great. Second one is a water decanter.
01:10:10
Curt
Nice.
01:10:13
jamie peacock
So it's a little, didn't know it was powered, it turns out it battery powered, Thing that you meant to put on like a four or five gallon water thing.
01:10:20
Curt
Oh, yep. Yep, yep, yep.
01:10:21
jamie peacock
Yeah, no, screw that. It's in my coolant. So I put it in my bucket of coolant, put my bucket next to push the button and it runs out.
01:10:25
Curt
Okay.
01:10:29
jamie peacock
It pumps coolant quite slowly. Don't really care. I can put the bucket there, hit the button, let it pump till powers off because it auto powers off after a while.
01:10:34
Curt
Right.
01:10:37
jamie peacock
Hit the button again, hit the button again and it gives me 6% when I fill the bucket up.
01:10:42
Curt
Cool. Okay. that Yeah, that's a good one.
01:10:43
jamie peacock
And it was all of... I've actually got the Imperializer open today. $3.70 from the Charler shop. I'm going to go buy another three of them just because they want to see what's inside.
01:10:53
Curt
Nice.
01:10:55
jamie peacock
And I've got some other uses for them.
01:10:56
Curt
nice
01:10:58
jamie peacock
seems to be just a little peristaltic pump with a battery and USB charging.
01:11:01
Curt
Right.
01:11:02
jamie peacock
So I'm like, this is great.
01:11:03
Curt
Perfect.
01:11:04
jamie peacock
it's like I don't have to tilt the bucket. Because that's the tilt the bucket and then you get splashed. And I'm like, no.
01:11:09
Curt
Yeah.
01:11:09
jamie peacock
And the pump's out. Friggin' great. And then the last one...
01:11:12
Curt
Perfect.
01:11:13
jamie peacock
this thingy. bought a magnetic phone holder.
01:11:15
Curt
Oh.
01:11:17
jamie peacock
So I find it very offensive that Haas put phone holders on their machines.
01:11:23
Curt
Not kidding, right?
01:11:23
jamie peacock
I put a phone holder on my machine today.
01:11:24
Curt
Right.
01:11:25
jamie peacock
No, because like I'll be listening to a podcast or something, and then I'll put my
Pre-Sales Strategies and Customer Management
01:11:29
jamie peacock
phone down. And then someone will phone me, and then I'm running around the workshop trying to find my phone so I can answer the phone call because the button on my headphones doesn't work. So now I go, I chunk on my machine? And that's where my phone is.
01:11:40
jamie peacock
It has a place to go every single time. And that was like, you're going laugh when I'm telling you one dollar eighty is nine $1.89. Got two ringy rings and a magnetic thing.
01:11:51
jamie peacock
China shop, number one.
01:11:51
Curt
That is so cheap.
01:11:53
Curt
That is so cheap.
01:11:53
jamie peacock
Yeah, no, it was stupid cheap. I put it on the machine today and I'm like, okay, this is great. Because i put my phone on on a workbench and then you put stuff over it or it falls or whatever. Now it's there.
01:12:03
jamie peacock
When I need to find it, it's there. I don't have to go questing for my phone because that has been a problem in the past where I can't figure out where I left it.
01:12:08
Curt
Right.
01:12:12
Curt
Fair.
01:12:12
jamie peacock
So yeah, all under $10 things.
01:12:12
Curt
Totally fair. Yeah. Yeah.
01:12:15
jamie peacock
Because yeah, $10 is not a lot of money to for a workshop improvements. But yeah, are those three things, I think in total come to $10.
01:12:23
Curt
That's awesome.
01:12:24
jamie peacock
yeah
01:12:24
Curt
That's awesome.
01:12:25
jamie peacock
yeah
01:12:26
Curt
Well, and i I know I mentioned, I mentioned Audible for my 10 bucks. Um, a couple other ones are, uh, just ah a giant pack of Sharpies.
01:12:30
jamie peacock
Yes.
01:12:34
Curt
Um, a gang of, book I use Sharpies everywhere. So keeping all around my shop and then like notepads, I bought it.
01:12:38
jamie peacock
Do not buy the Chinese ones.
01:12:41
Curt
No, Sharpies are cheap enough.
01:12:42
jamie peacock
I found a pack of 12 of them for $1.
01:12:43
Curt
Just buy the Sharpies.
01:12:45
jamie peacock
They literally write this along and then run out of ink.
01:12:46
Curt
Oh,
01:12:49
Curt
Yeah, fair. Okay. But yeah, pack of Sharpies, pack of like little notepads. I just keep them everywhere, wherever I want. then that way, if I've got an idea or something, it's like, going write that down. That's perfect. um I don't know if I didn't buy this here, um but oh, anyways,
01:13:04
Curt
names um My ah flip down visor, that is like 10 bucks, ah or magnifiers, like they just go on your head, like a little kind of jewelry. They're not fancy. They're just cheap ones. But like I didn't have one prior. And now like I wear those constantly when I'm doing, I want to get a pair of like a dental, I forgot what they're called now.
01:13:23
Curt
Um, they're like dental loops. They're like glasses with nice loops in them. Um, but they have a focal range of like 18 inches or whatever. So like you can be sitting upright and working with your hands and you're, you're zoomed in.
01:13:34
jamie peacock
that's cool yeah
01:13:35
Curt
They're way more expensive than 10 bucks or like two, 300 bucks.
01:13:38
Curt
Um, but the cheap $10 ones, I use those all the time. And like, if, yeah, if I was without them, I would just, I would immediately go out and buy another one, even the cheap one. So those are probably my favorite purchases for under 10.
01:13:50
jamie peacock
loss yeah five ten dollars so we've got another question here from Joshua from firmworks um
01:13:57
Curt
e
01:13:58
jamie peacock
What would you do differently with anchor point or bolt release and fulfillment? I'm assuming it's either the bolt belt or bolt pin. um Yeah, what would you do differently if you were releasing it again and fulfilling it again?
01:14:14
jamie peacock
It's an interesting question because there's no gaping holes in the anchor.
01:14:17
Curt
Yeah.
01:14:19
jamie peacock
Well, yeah. There's one issue that i ran, one major issue ran into with Anchor Point, but that was out of my control. I took too long to take Trump out. um The whole tariff situation was a little annoying to deal with.
01:14:34
jamie peacock
But yeah, I wouldn't live in South Africa.
01:14:35
Curt
Right. Fair.
01:14:37
jamie peacock
That's what I would do differently. But then the thing is, but then the cost of everything goes up. So it's like, it's a bit of a catch-22. Like I live here in third world country and I pay third world prices for things.
01:14:49
Curt
Yeah, yeah. I don't know what i would change because like everything I did led to now. So like um like, I would like to say I would offer less customization because I would able to build higher quantities, but then the customization is what caught people.
01:14:55
jamie peacock
Yeah. Yeah.
01:15:01
Curt
So like, you know, having, showing so many different availabilities like off the jump to be like, holy man, there's all kinds of pretty pictures that just got me a lot of eyeballs. um So if I could, if I could just pick it, like keep my sales the same and pick it, it' have been less customization for sure.
01:15:15
Curt
And then avoiding any kind of pre-saling. So make sure like, not that I did, but sometimes I like, I sold before the batch was fully complete and that was a lot more stress. Cause when you're like, oh no, like now I have to make these 20 work or at the time was like eight work.
01:15:29
Curt
I would have just made sure they were perfect in boxes, ready to go and then release that. That would have been, that's the thing I avoid now is just, I make sure that they're like good to go.
01:15:36
jamie peacock
So, unfortunately, mine are all now pre-sales because I do the anno in-house and I only do that once the order comes through.
01:15:37
Curt
Yeah.
01:15:43
Curt
Mm-hmm.
01:15:44
jamie peacock
But at that point, i've got I've got spare of everything.
01:15:44
Curt
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
01:15:46
jamie peacock
If I scrap a body in anno, I just grab a another one off the shelf and carry on. Literally happened on the last batch. I'm trying to remember what happened. think one of the... the copper lead broke that goes to that went to the to the cath anode whatever to the frickin to the thing and when the copper wire broke it threw bits of copper into the tank and stained the part so the part is literally scrapped at that point with an hour of machining into it but yeah like yeah I would avoid pre-sales like I did pre-sales are great if you need a cash injection but it brings a whole lot of stress
01:16:13
Curt
Ooh. Ooh.
01:16:17
Curt
Totally.
01:16:26
jamie peacock
that's not always the best like I did the bolt belt like that wouldn't recommend like the only problem is if you're not doing a pre-sale you've got to fund the the stock but also yeah there I know with the with his vases it's a bit of a thing where like
01:16:32
Curt
Yeah. Yeah. baby
01:16:46
jamie peacock
there's a lot of money tied up in material and processes there. So it's a bit of a bit of a tricky one to try and make stock. Because also if you try to send off two vases for black oxide, they're going to tell you to get knotted. They want you to send 20.
01:17:00
jamie peacock
But yeah, it's sometimes worth just making a few and slowly building up. Like tell you, make a few, sell them, make a few, sell them, make a few, sell them. Okay, cool. Let me make a few extra this time.
01:17:12
jamie peacock
And then slowly build your numbers up is that option.
01:17:16
Curt
And pre-saling, it does make sense to be like, you know what? I'm going to take X amount of dollars to determine um like demand. like that That's hugely helpful, too.
01:17:22
jamie peacock
Yes.
01:17:24
Curt
Taking full price up front is just... it can get it can get It can get out of control pretty quick. But I think taking a small portion is actually...
01:17:30
jamie peacock
They nearly got out of control.
01:17:32
Curt
Yeah, taking like a reserve fee, I think that's a really good idea because it doesn't give you enough to really... like fund anything, but it gives people enough incentive to be like, well, I'm going to stick with it now because I have 10 bucks tied up or 50 bucks or whatever.
01:17:43
jamie peacock
Well, we did that at the anchor point. We did a pre-sale.
01:17:43
Curt
So I think that's a good idea.
01:17:48
Curt
Yeah.
01:17:48
jamie peacock
We didn't sell that many of them. The last coupon was used like in December, November, December, that the guy who pre-ordered one in March or June or whenever finally used his coupons to buy his two anchor points that he had said he wanted to buy like six months before.
01:17:55
Curt
Oh, wow.
01:17:59
Curt
Yeah.
01:18:02
Curt
Yeah.
01:18:06
jamie peacock
But that is that is what it is.
01:18:07
Curt
Right.
01:18:08
jamie peacock
Like, that's the risky run with pre-sales. Like, cool, coupon may never get used.
01:18:11
Curt
Yep.
01:18:12
jamie peacock
Coupon may get used right away. um So, yeah, it's an interesting...
01:18:15
Curt
Yeah.
01:18:18
jamie peacock
It's interesting on the pre-sale story. Like, I agree, avoid it as much as possible. But when you're getting going, that's really difficult.
01:18:26
Curt
Yep, yep, totally.
01:18:27
jamie peacock
And Kickstarter is super appealing. Like, I can't do, I would have done one for the Anchor Point, but I can't do one because I'm in South Africa.
01:18:32
Curt
Yeah.
Evaluating Equipment Investments and Supplier Frustrations
01:18:34
jamie peacock
So when I did the Bolt Belt, I used my friend's banking details in the UK.
01:18:35
Curt
Yeah.
01:18:38
jamie peacock
And after that, was hey, boo, no, because it stuffs his tax up. because he's now all of a sudden got bunch money coming into his account then going out of his account and it makes makes for questions.
01:18:49
jamie peacock
So I was no, no, 100% Drew, that's fine, that's what it is.
01:18:50
Curt
Totally.
01:18:53
jamie peacock
It just takes that off the the table as an option. Then we've got Mr. Drew Chandler, drops all products for 2026. Well, we kind of covered that.
01:19:05
jamie peacock
the Mechanical anchor points.
01:19:05
Curt
I said we kind of touched on that. oh Nice. Yeah.
01:19:08
jamie peacock
We're pushing that hard over the next few weeks. um Yeah, Kurt and I have discussed that a little while back. um When will Motorsports Swiss lathe in 2026?
01:19:19
jamie peacock
I don't think I'm in a bar one.
01:19:21
Curt
a
01:19:22
jamie peacock
To be honest, I don't think 2026 will go for me.
01:19:25
Curt
e um Maybe. I mean, the ones I'm looking at are like a six-month, ah between a four- and six-month kind of lead to get, ah like by the time they get on my floor and whatnot.
01:19:37
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:19:37
Curt
So I have to make the decision sooner than later and because i'm not I'm not unloading one in the winter.
01:19:41
Curt
That's just... not going to happen. i just I was so close.
01:19:44
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:19:45
Curt
I was so close with the mill. I'm like, I'm not playing that game. um I don't know. The thing is like, the thing is right now how everything is set up. I can make a pretty good living with all the equipment I have, not running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Um,
01:20:01
Curt
And it gives me still enough time. Like my my goal was always like 75% of my time or let's say 50% of my time. Between 50% and 75% of my time doing production, 25% of my time playing. Like coming up with new things. um And for the amount that I can, the quantity I can produce in that 75% time range, I would be okay.
01:20:20
Curt
If I did that every month and only did that,
01:20:22
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:20:23
Curt
Uh, I'd be okay. Like I would do, I would do well, I would do better than any job would pay me here. So yeah, I want a piece of equipment. Um, I also want to pay off the mill in full. Like you said, I just want to take loads off my brain. Um, I still don't have three years of business. So getting loans is like, I have to personally finance it all, which I have, I'm fortunate enough to have options there.
01:20:44
Curt
Um, I have power issues here with a Swiss, especially when you consider like high pressure coolant. It is definitely on my list. I'm looking at a bunch of them. I've getting inundated with emails from salesmen because I've shown some interest.
01:20:55
Curt
Uh, so style very much wants me to take their new Swiss and be the first in Canada. And I very much don't want to be. So they're like, they did give me some incentives for that. So we'll see. We'll see. Um, it,
01:21:05
jamie peacock
Yeah, come Kirk, be an influencer, get a free Swiss lathe. Yeah.
01:21:08
Curt
And it's not, I'm trying to get some sample parts because like I, I need to see the surface finishes. Cause it might just give me a bunch more work that is not going to be helpful to me, but I don't know.
01:21:18
jamie peacock
Sure.
01:21:18
Curt
It's, it's constantly on my brain. Yeah. We'll see. I'm, I'm not sold on it yet. So yeah.
01:21:24
jamie peacock
Yeah, well, it's going, yeah, the year is going to be, the year is going to be interesting. It's also, I think both of us are not looking for growth for growth's sake. Like that seems to be the the common thing of grow as big as you can, as as can.
01:21:33
Curt
Yeah.
01:21:35
jamie peacock
It's like, yeah, not really. Don't really want to be running around like a chicken without a head.
01:21:41
Curt
yeah, I want to, I want to grow so I can, yeah support my family, do what I love, enjoy every day of it, and, uh,
01:21:47
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:21:48
Curt
and not not be stressed to the gills and like be able to take vacations. and not And I have enough equipment right now to do that.
01:21:55
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:21:56
Curt
So that's the problem. That's that's like the the unmotivating factor of it. of like I could grow with efficiencies. like Right now, for instance, when I build my product and when I finish, pack up, anodize, clean, all that stuff, it's like a 50-50 split.
01:22:09
Curt
So right now, if I focus some effort on to just...
01:22:09
jamie peacock
Yep.
01:22:12
Curt
efficient efficientizing the the like pack up cleanup anodize all that stuff yeah like if i knock that down 80 of my time that's a humongous roi increase for zero capital expenditure so that's one thing i'm focusing on big time right now because if i had
01:22:15
jamie peacock
It's definitely word.
01:22:19
jamie peacock
Yep.
01:22:27
jamie peacock
Well, not zero, because you're going to have put a robot on, but sure.
01:22:31
Curt
Of course, yeah, and put them in a circle so I can dunk them. Yeah, yeah. But, like, that's that's one of those things where it's like, that's a humongous cash change for nothing.
01:22:38
jamie peacock
Yep.
01:22:42
Curt
So, yeah, we'll see.
01:22:43
jamie peacock
Yeah, it's interesting because I think we will see how the year unfolds and I'm quite excited to see which direction you decide to go in. But like you say, you don't need the extra stress of having a machine payment if you can make due with what you've got.
01:22:52
Curt
Yeah.
01:22:59
Curt
Exactly. Yeah, exactly. So we'll see. We'll play by ear.
01:23:04
jamie peacock
So Joshua from Filmerix sends in another question. um
01:23:08
Curt
Ooh.
01:23:09
jamie peacock
Yes, when buying workholding, what don't you like from the industrial standard suppliers?
01:23:18
Curt
Aside from me having to call you to get pricing.
01:23:21
jamie peacock
Talking to people, fucking hate it.
01:23:21
Curt
ah but Talking.
01:23:23
jamie peacock
If I could buy online, I would.
01:23:23
Curt
and Totally.
01:23:24
jamie peacock
Like, I bought my vases from my mates in Cape Town.
01:23:25
Curt
Yeah.
01:23:27
jamie peacock
I'm like, hey, bro, I need two vases. they sent me a quote.
01:23:30
Curt
Yeah.
01:23:30
jamie peacock
I don't mind talking to him. He's quite fun to talk to, but still, like, I want to just go online and buy it. i want to talk to people.
01:23:36
Curt
Yeah.
01:23:37
jamie peacock
And lack of documentation on them.
01:23:37
Curt
Yeah. Yep.
01:23:39
jamie peacock
Like, I want a model of my vase.
01:23:40
Curt
Yep.
01:23:42
jamie peacock
Good luck. Nothing. So yeah, CAD models, or even dumbed down CAD models, and not having to talk to people is great.
01:23:52
Curt
Yeah, that'd be for me. Dumb, like a dumb CAD model.
01:23:54
jamie peacock
Yep.
01:23:54
Curt
Totally fine. Price that I can see, even if it's not the the best price, just give me what I could, like if I could pay, like a buy now price.
01:24:01
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:24:02
Curt
And yeah, i don't I don't want to talk to you. I want to be able to just order it. Give you my credit card. I will give you money. You give me your product. That's, I don't want to have to talk to you.
01:24:08
jamie peacock
Exactly.
01:24:11
Curt
Yeah.
01:24:11
jamie peacock
Exactly. And then John from 2SM Performance, looking back at 2025 and hindsight being 2020, what admin or shop floor level changes do you wish you had made sooner?
01:24:31
jamie peacock
fourth axis integration for me because it's now integrated know you saw um so now my fourth axis and my machine well my machine talks to the fourth axis and it listens a little too well sometimes um i think it triggers the relay when it powers up not sure need to figure out what's going on because yeah you know problem for another day uh that and getting tool break to detect working greatest things ever
01:24:31
Curt
i
01:24:32
Curt
I... Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
01:24:37
Curt
I did, yeah, yeah. Yeah.
01:24:55
jamie peacock
Although, yeah, Toolbrake Detect, I think I only got working this year. And Automatic Tool Length Setting, I should have just pushed for that so much quicker. It's amazing.
01:25:07
Curt
i did ah I did a bunch of like packaging, automation, new software, different shipping carriers, and a better box up method. That was huge. Because now like orders come in, they can be sent out. And then I pay i pay a company, like like there's called first mile services and last mile services.
01:25:24
Curt
Like you order from Amazon, you usually have like a last mile service of like someone that carries your package from the warehouse to your door.
01:25:27
jamie peacock
Yeah Yeah, okay, yeah
01:25:29
Curt
But you can also pay first mile services. So like someone from my house to the the main carrier, if it's far enough away, um it costs like next to no money for when I do like batch shipping. And I organize that now. So like if I want someone just to come right here or like, for instance, I have to drive like a couple blocks as opposed to having to drive like 20 minutes, half an hour.
01:25:48
Curt
um So anyways, I set that up.
01:25:49
jamie peacock
okay
01:25:50
Curt
that That was a huge change. I mean, like, oh, I have to pay 20 bucks and I can save an hour of my time. It's like, yeah, yeah, all day. So yeah, set
01:25:56
jamie peacock
yeah just have FedEx fetch from me it's great
01:26:00
Curt
Yeah, setting that up was nice because people, yeah,
01:26:01
jamie peacock
yeah
Exploring DIY Projects and Personal Goals
01:26:02
Curt
that that made a big difference.
01:26:04
jamie peacock
yeah those those small things make a huge difference like 20 minutes here 20 minutes there makes a huge difference um okay and then last question on the list here from Stabo Engineering on Instagram is a Linux retrofit the way to go in 2026
01:26:12
Curt
Mm-hmm. Totally, totally.
01:26:23
jamie peacock
I'm kind of curious to hear your answer, Kurt, because I have an answer and it's not going to, don't think it's going to what you expect.
01:26:24
Curt
I mean,
01:26:29
Curt
It's, ah I mean, depends what you're doing. If you're a home shop garage guy and you want, you get, you get a lathe and you want retrofit it. Yeah, go nuts. Absolutely. I think Linux is like crazy powerful compared to what's out there. um If you're like trying to run a business off it, unless you know Linux CNC really well and you're like, you know, you can complete a retrofit.
01:26:47
Curt
Sure. But I'm not going to be doing any retrofits anytime soon. So I don't know. What's your answer, Jamie?
01:26:57
jamie peacock
It depends if you have time or you have money.
01:26:59
Curt
Totally. Yeah. Perfectly. Well said.
01:27:01
jamie peacock
That's what it comes down to. I am literally building a custom robot in probably February, a welding robot using Linux CNC for a customer. And would probably i'm probably going to build a router as well but that's because i don't like myself um if you can afford to buy a machine just buy a machine that works like just if you can afford or find one that works just buy one that works you can always have linux cnc in the back pocket that if you buy an older machine like dylan from got taps i'm sorry not from got chips on the taps and patience discord he bought a big ass machine uh for next do nothing accidentally won the auction on ebay
01:27:19
Curt
Yeah.
01:27:43
jamie peacock
for like, it cost him more to move the machine than the machine cost him. I want to say the machine was like $500, cost him $1,200 to fetch the machine, to rent a trailer and whatnot, and a telehandler, and yeah, he's finally got the spindle running on this thing.
01:27:43
Curt
Oh no.
01:27:58
jamie peacock
But if he doesn't come right, he knows he can spend another $1,000 and have it running with LinuxCNC. a
01:28:05
Curt
Right.
01:28:05
jamie peacock
The iron's still good, but it seems like he's getting it to work. It's been a bit of a process. I actually forgot that Friday was Friday, so i didn't hang out with them on that Discord.
01:28:11
Curt
Mm-hmm.
01:28:14
jamie peacock
But yeah, he was running. He got a spindle to jog. still won't run with... ah M3, but the jog button works or the spindle drive works. It's now just a case of finding the interlock that's not happy and then you should be able to have it running.
01:28:30
jamie peacock
So that's been quite the process to watch. But yeah, you can get a second hand or scrap machine for next to nothing. And if you've got time, like I said, if you're a garage guy looking to do it as a hobby, it's a very different situation to if you're trying to go from having a ah machine land on your floor and make parts as quickly as possible that's a different situation. Like, yeah, turned my good way around in a month, but I also spent two months planning for that.
01:28:56
jamie peacock
Then when it hit my floor, I was up and running within a month. oh It's not the, yeah. And then there's still also like, a retrofit is never done. Mostly because, yeah, it it's functional.
01:29:06
Curt
Yeah.
01:29:09
jamie peacock
So don't mess with it kind of story. And yeah that's a very, very slippery slope when you start not adding safety things because it's working.
01:29:13
Curt
Yeah, totally.
01:29:18
jamie peacock
You don't need them. It'll be fine.
01:29:21
Curt
Yeah, yeah.
01:29:21
jamie peacock
As we learned with the with Bertha.
01:29:22
Curt
Yeah.
01:29:25
Curt
Yeah. And I also have a question or not a question, but someone mentioned, cause we talked about that Swiss noun or retrofit um way back in the, that one gentleman that's doing it.
01:29:30
jamie peacock
Yes.
01:29:33
Curt
ah
01:29:33
jamie peacock
Yes.
01:29:34
Curt
Forgive me. I forgot your Instagram.
01:29:34
jamie peacock
Luke from Fabtastic.
01:29:36
Curt
Luke. Yes.
01:29:36
jamie peacock
Yes.
01:29:37
Curt
So we will, we will bug Luke.
01:29:37
jamie peacock
I had a chat to other day.
01:29:39
Curt
Okay.
01:29:39
jamie peacock
No, had a chat to other day.
01:29:40
Curt
Well, when he makes, if,
01:29:41
jamie peacock
He is moving shops or moving house and hasn't actually been in the shop for like three months. So when he's got his shit together, he said he will send us ah an update on that machine.
01:29:54
Curt
Yeah, so we'll ah we'll keep going. Because is a cool machine.
01:29:56
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:29:57
Curt
I do like the pet project of like making that thing work. It's kind of cool.
01:30:00
jamie peacock
Making it not shit, yeah.
01:30:00
Curt
Yeah, I'm making it not shit.
01:30:04
jamie peacock
That's the only way can describe that.
01:30:05
Curt
Yeah.
01:30:06
jamie peacock
I'm actually curious as to where Hacksmith are getting their hardware from.
01:30:07
Curt
Yeah, fair.
01:30:10
jamie peacock
Because know initially they were making hardware on that thing, which is hilarious.
01:30:14
Curt
Oh, yeah.
01:30:14
jamie peacock
um And they haven't showed any Swiss machines. i assume they're buying their hardware.
01:30:20
Curt
I would assume so. For the quantities they need, i would assume so.
01:30:22
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:30:23
Curt
You'd have to have multiples, Swiss.
01:30:24
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:30:25
Curt
Or at least one just honking.
01:30:26
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:30:27
Curt
yeah
01:30:27
jamie peacock
One honking, I think, would do it. But yeah, that that whole project, i don't know if you've been following the updates on this.
01:30:33
Curt
A little bit, but I haven't caught up in a few weeks here, so.
01:30:34
jamie peacock
Okay. Yeah. but now They now ship, they they got their highest... throughput for a day, which was, think, 60 knobs. They need to get it up to 400 a day.
01:30:47
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:30:47
Curt
So many.
01:30:48
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:30:48
Curt
That's so many. Yeah.
01:30:50
jamie peacock
And then it's, yeah, at that point, it's still 100 days of production to meet their Kickstarter goal.
01:30:56
Curt
That's so much like people, if you've never shipped anything, you have no idea.
01:30:58
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:31:00
Curt
Like if you want to, you want to ship a hundred orders a day, unless it's stickers, but you want to like pack, let's say I'm coffee cups.
01:31:05
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:31:08
Curt
I don't care. Pack up a hundred coffee cups a day.
01:31:09
jamie peacock
anything. Yeah.
01:31:11
Curt
Yeah. One day is easy. Now do it for a week straight. It's like you start realizing where you hit logistical nightmares. Yeah. Yeah.
01:31:17
jamie peacock
100% like, and that's something I'm a little bit cognizant of at the moment with the anchor points and making sure that all those processes are somewhat streamlined.
01:31:27
Curt
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:31:28
jamie peacock
Because it can get out of hand very, very quickly.
01:31:32
Curt
Yeah.
01:31:32
jamie peacock
So Kurt, what is in your Google box?
01:31:33
Curt
Cool. Yes, man.
01:31:38
Curt
My Google box is full of all kinds of juicy nerd content this week.
01:31:42
jamie peacock
Oh, that's Yeah.
01:31:43
Curt
I think I have, still have nine tabs open. Um, so the printers like we, yeah I guess I don't like tabs. So I close them pretty quick. Um, The printers we talked about earlier, ah looking between Bamboo and Prusa, ah specifically the giant core one, I think, large or whatever from Prusa. It looked kind of cool. ah Sticker stuff, bunch of different companies because i refuse to use Sticker Mule because they're kind of soulless.
01:32:07
Curt
I came across a cool ah a local AI on a Raspberry Pi 5. There's a new chip set. I'll put the link in the description or like a hardware-based ah whatever, whatever that handles the...
01:32:17
jamie peacock
Like a coral thing, yeah.
01:32:20
Curt
Kind of a coral thing, you bet, um that you can plug into a Raspberry Pi and have it like all battery operated local AI.
01:32:21
jamie peacock
Yeah.
01:32:25
Curt
It's kind of cool.
01:32:25
jamie peacock
Yeah, OK. Yeah.
01:32:26
Curt
Kind of cool. um I just was reading it.
01:32:27
jamie peacock
Yes.
01:32:29
Curt
A bunch of Bitcoin stuff because I've been overclocking my little lottery machine here because that's what I do. um The gadget Guino or whatever. I know...
01:32:41
Curt
Dylan talked about it like a week or so ago and I have all the parts downstairs. So I spent time organizing all the parts, making sure I have everything set up. So I'm kind of messing around with other, I think I'll bench test it pretty soon because I've had the parts for a year and I haven't touched it yet.
01:32:50
jamie peacock
lost. Yabbles. They can't be yeah.
01:32:53
Curt
ah And then, and then a fiber laser coin video, cause I've been geeking out on fiber laser stuff. I'll link it in the show notes. Pretty smart. Pretty cool way to ah kind of a nice way. I've seen someone fiber laser coins. I don't want to get into that world really, but I do want to make a few of them cause they're kind of fun.
01:33:09
Curt
And there's so many, So many fun things I want to do with like this company that's sending me, allegedly sending me a fiber laser. There's some interesting projects I want to try on it that some people have had success with and not success with.
01:33:19
Curt
So I want to mess with it, like ablating PCBs, um doing some coin stuff, doing some just different things with it that ah is not just challenge coins because everyone's doing that. So how about you?
01:33:29
jamie peacock
yeah everyone does that um so i have got uh wordle on 12. um looking up where swahili is the official language because it's short okay in south africa um comparing the dollar to the euro and the dollar to the rand because that is frustrating um looking at RAM prices because I was going to get some more RAM for this PC and then decided that's a stupid idea um was looking for a path 3 to put on my printer found a really cool little pcb with a brushed motor driver two servos built in and two servo outputs that runs on can't remember which protocol i think it runs on the dsm2 protocol or dsmx protocol uh for dlgs because don't know maybe build a glider someday in the future again and then looking for a rice cooker because uh
01:33:56
Curt
Right now, yeah. Hmm.
01:34:24
jamie peacock
ah in order to pay off all my machines, to be eating a lot of chicken and rice.
01:34:32
jamie peacock
Now, don't know if can spend way too much money on fast food, so I want to make life as easy as possible.
01:34:32
Curt
Dude.
01:34:38
Curt
Rice cooker is life. I don't care. If you make rice, buy rice cooker. That's...
01:34:42
jamie peacock
I hate making rice. I absolutely hate it. So I'm going buy rice cooker. And then it and my goal for this coming year is to make dinner at lunchtime. So when I come inside to make something to eat, whatever we're going for dinner, I want to have it prepped that when she gets home from work, but we can make dinner quickly.
01:34:57
jamie peacock
I don't want it to be okay.
01:34:58
Curt
Yep.
01:34:58
jamie peacock
oh, no, I didn't take anything out. Oh, don't feel like cooking. Fuck it. There you got Ten minutes. Dinner's done. his gone Because the problem is we're both lazy or ADHD-ish and we'll just not feel like cooking and then get go get something.
01:35:04
Curt
Yep.
01:35:09
jamie peacock
And next thing you know, could have paid off a machine.
01:35:13
Curt
No doubt. Yep. Yep. that's the That's the way, man. It's the way forward.
01:35:17
jamie peacock
yeah it it's yes it's yeah 100% eating vegetables is healthy apparently yeah and on that bombshell thank you everybody for listening and we will see you next week also the new the new shirts on the website go check them out thought gonna plug this a lot but yeah thank you everybody for listening and patrons we'll see you in the after show
01:35:17
Curt
And it's healthy it's healthy for you. It's usually better for you.
01:35:25
Curt
Yeah, so they say.
01:35:41
Curt
Yeah, happy new year everybody. Thank you for a year of listening to our podcast. I enjoy the hell out of talking to Jamie, and I appreciate that you guys ah follow along.
01:35:44
jamie peacock
Kiss.
01:35:48
Curt
So we will see you next week. Take care, all.