He started machining at 12 — and after working in over 1,000 companies, he’s still learning.

In this episode, Donnie talks about what decades in machining across countless shops actually teaches you — and why experience isn’t just about time on the clock. From growing up in his dad’s shop to walking into unfamiliar machines with no perfect setup, he shares how perspective changes once you stop seeing the industry from only one place.

The conversation gets into real shop realities: solving problems with whatever tooling and machines are on hand, why machinists argue online (and why both sides are often right), calling BS on tool and software marketing, and what it’s really like being an applications engineer who has to make things work under pressure.

No theory. No ideal conditions. Just real-world machining.

If you’ve ever thought, “That wouldn’t work in my shop,” this episode explains why that might be true — and why it might still work somewhere else.

👇 How much does perspective matter in machining: time in one shop, or experience across many?

Connect with Donnie:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donnie_hinske/
YouTube:  @donniehinske  
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnie-hinske-824599196/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donnie.hinske.2025

🔔 Subscribe, Rate, and Review to never miss an episode. Your feedback helps us bring you the content you love!

Drop your comments or topic ideas in the forum here:
https://www.practicalmachinist.com/forum/categories/the-impractical-machinists-podcast.102/

Or listen to our podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxzIM06jyJCYTCMGUQLgKXNtpq-HqvV2Q

Connect with the hosts on Instagram:
Patrick Mcclintock: IG: https://www.instagram.com/job_shopper_tn/ or PM@Job Shopper TN
Cameron Graves: IG: https://www.instagram.com/machiningiscool/ or PM@Machiningiscool
Bradley Thomas: IG: https://www.instagram.com/marvelmachining/ or PM@Marvel

Thanks for listening!!!