The Lone Machinists

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

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

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

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

Links Discussed:

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

The Lone Machinist:

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

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

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

Jamie:

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

Curt:

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Lone Machinist:

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

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

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

Jamie:

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

Curt:

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

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie drags Ben from Black Fox Machining into an emergency guest appearance after recent developments sent the machining community into full rumor mode. Running on almost no sleep and questionable amounts of enthusiasm, the guys dive into everything from home-built CNC machines to the strange reality of becoming accidental role models.

Ben shares how a burnt guitar neck, a B-minus shop project, and scavenging parts from scrap bins somehow led to a career in machining. Along the way, the conversation wanders through DIY routers, waterjet shops, engineering school disappointments, and the fine art of becoming a professional shop-floor vulture.

Meanwhile, Curt and Jamie discover that raising children in workshops might create unrealistic expectations. Apparently not every garage contains CNC mills, laser cutters, 3D printers, and enough machinery to casually build a billet volcano for a science fair. Curt nearly melts when his daughter announces she wants to become an astronaut, while Jamie confesses to being that guy who helped nieces and nephews turn ordinary school projects into unfair competitions.

If you've ever rescued expensive components from a scrap bin, worried about accidentally building your kid's science project to aerospace standards, or looked around your workshop and thought, "Wait… normal people don't have this stuff?", this episode is for you.

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:

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

Curt:

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

Ben:

• https://black-fox-machining.square.site/
• https://www.youtube.com/@blackfoxmachining
• https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe4Um8tm8DH7WqR94WgeMwjHXlDi9R2GvSe3ayuYfPUHFVreQ/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie finally gets the keys to the new workshop and immediately discovers that moving a machine shop involves approximately 4,000 decisions, 7,000 trips to hardware stores, and at least one full-scale CAD model of the building. Floor plans are taped out, paint is being thrown around, machines are getting shuffled, and somehow there's still time to argue about carts.

Meanwhile, Curt discovers that being nice to people is apparently a business strategy, his X5 is doubling as an industrial space heater, and he may have reached peak machinist by CADing an entire fence before it was built. The contractor was impressed. Everyone else thought he was insane.

The long-awaited pneumatic vice finally arrives, barnacles are multiplying in the shop, anodizing experiments go slightly sideways, and both hosts spend an unhealthy amount of time discussing fixtures, keyboards, organization carts, and why every shop project somehow creates three more shop projects.

If you've ever bought a machine before you figured out where to put it, designed furniture in CAD, or convinced yourself that "one more fixture" would solve all your problems, this episode is for you.

Grab a coffee, avoid the mosquitoes, and enjoy the ride.

Links Discussed:

• Seguin.Ink: https://www.instagram.com/seguinink?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
• Notsuspicousmfg: https://www.instagram.com/notsuspiciousmfg?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==

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:

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

Curt:

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

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie accidentally speedruns manufacturing because he misread an order and panic-machined a batch of anchor point bodies before realizing they were the wrong version. Meanwhile, Kurt discovers that machining titanium from round bar is somehow less efficient and more efficient at the same time, which feels spiritually correct for machining.

We also dive deep into:

• Industrial shop planning using LEGO men
• Why carbide prices now require emotional preparation
• Homemade chip-handling death traps
• Power draw graphs that make the house lights dim like a horror movie
• The extremely scientific measurement system known as “1453 bananas”
• Why random people keep wandering into machine shops asking for jobs
• And how a chair noise nearly derailed the entire episode

There’s also:
fountain pens, Linux CNC rabbit holes, load balancing, tumblers in Wendy houses, tiny linear rails, giant tool steel blocks, and enough Home Assistant automation to accidentally become a low-budget smart factory.

If you’ve ever looked at a machine tool quote and immediately started calculating breaker amperage… this episode is for you.

Links Discussed:

• sigma wallet: https://www.sigmawallet.net/

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:

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

Curt:

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

This week on the The Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie fights anodizing for three straight days, accidentally makes the wrong color parts, redesigns a bandsaw out of pure spite, and discovers that South African customs agents apparently moonlight as package demolition experts.

Meanwhile, Curt declares war on bubble mailers after the packaging industry collectively decided quality control was optional. Customs also disassembled a customer’s pen shipment like they were searching for state secrets, proving once again that no cardboard box survives international shipping emotionally intact.

There’s also:

• A Harbor Freight bandsaw running entirely on anger
• Soap bottle engineering failures
• Tiny dovetail vises called Barnacles
• A chip tray overflowing with enough aluminum to build a second machine
• A possible new workshop
• A helicopter seat machined from an aluminum brick the size of a kitchen appliance
• And at least three business ideas that should probably not be pursued without supervision.

If you’ve ever looked at a machine and thought “this can definitely be improved with compressed air and bad financial decisions,” this episode is for you.

Links Discussed:

• sigma wallet: https://www.sigmawallet.net/

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:

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

Curt:

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

Ever wondered how a conversation about burgers turns into industrial automation, toaster engineering, and titanium butt plugs?

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast:
Jamie survives a wedding weekend, immediately goes back to abusing the LK with horrifying amounts of tool steel, and starts planning how to automate 400,000 fence clamps without losing his sanity.
Curt discovers the joy of dual-wielding online stores, falls deeper into the flux vice rabbit hole, and accidentally reignites his dream of building the world’s smartest toaster.

We also discuss:
✔ Why South African fast food places sound like alarm clocks having a panic attack
✔ Tiny dovetail vices that solve all problems, potentially
✔ Why round bar is apparently the meaning of life
✔ Shop moves, power problems, and machine doorway measurements
✔ The return of Mr. Roboto thanks to catastrophic internet issues
✔ And a titanium “bean” with a flared base that lawyers insist is not a butt plug

If you like machining, fixturing, automation, or hearing two machinists spiral into increasingly dangerous business ideas… welcome home.

Links Discussed:

• calees cans flaired base bean: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/0v_NLglnqNQ
• toaster technoligy conetcions: https://youtu.be/1OfxlSG6q5Y?si=wgWDy3edZj69aXPV
• T-shirts: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store/Merch-c177137041
• cadbery advert 5star: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXVndnEiF5R/?igsh=ZHFic21vd2c2d3Bn

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:

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

Curt:

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

Ever wondered what happens when two machinists get slightly too much caffeine and absolutely no supervision?

This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast:

• One of us falls headfirst into an ERP system that started as “just a quick tool”… and is now basically a full-blown operating system 
• The other accidentally becomes a sticker manufacturer and nearly buys a $2000 mistake off Marketplace
• There’s a tiny dovetail vice so cute it should come with a warning label
• We talk shop spaces, power problems, and why 63 amps feels like a personality trait
• And yes… someone designed a magnetic spinning window thing after being peer pressured on Discord (as one does)

Also featuring:
✔ Chip welding rage
✔ Packaging glow-ups nobody asked for
✔ Questionable naming decisions
✔ And the phrase “spinning disk of justice,” which is now legally binding

If you like machining, making things, or slowly turning simple ideas into wildly overengineered projects… welcome home.

Links Discussed:

• Template Maker: https://www.templatemaker.nl/en/

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:

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

Curt:

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

Trevor:

• https://titanringdesigns.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/titanringdesigns

In this episode of The Lone Machinist, Jamie and Curt are joined by Trevor from Titan Ring Designs, and things get deep… like “question your entire life path while holding a mic” deep.

What starts as a simple chat about machining quickly turns into a full-blown masterclass on creativity, risk-taking, and why making tiny, ridiculously intricate titanium parts might actually be the most logical life choice.

Trevor walks us through his journey from school shop kid to teaching machining, to quitting it all to chase building cool stuff full-time, all from a backyard shop that’s smaller than most people’s garages. Along the way, we get into artistic machining, tumbling black magic, and the reality of turning passion into something that (hopefully) pays the bills.

There’s also a healthy dose of “just send it” energy, some very real talk about the education system, and a reminder that maybe… just maybe… playing it safe isn’t the safest option after all.

If you’ve ever thought about starting your own thing, making something from scratch, or just escaping the 9–5 grind, this one’s going to hit a little too close to home.

Links Discussed:

• jim carey speech: https://youtu.be/nLgHNu2N3JU?si=wzxY6ad-PFJC-CBB
• Jeff McWhinney Designs: https://mcwhinneydesigns.com/
• Titan Ring Designs: https://titanringdesigns.com/products/
• Fancy Flashlight link: https://www.coolfall.com/pShop.html

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:

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

Curt:

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

Trevor:

• https://titanringdesigns.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/titanringdesigns

In this absolutely respectable and definitely clean Episode 69 of the Lone Machinist Podcast… things go off the rails in under 2 minutes.

We kick things off with Curt accidentally spending what could’ve been a small mortgage payment on sticker equipment, because apparently “I can make my own stickers” is a perfectly valid financial strategy. Meanwhile, Jamie goes full outdoorsman, hosting a bachelor party that involves mud drifting, bass fishing domination, and aggressively avoiding anything resembling a normal bachelor party.

Somewhere in between:

• A vinyl cutter that definitely didn’t fall off a truck (probably)
• A fishing trip that cured burnout better than therapy
• CNC projects that make you question your life choices
• A Masso retrofit that somehow actually worked
• And just enough questionable jokes to remind you… yeah, this is Episode 69

Also, we tried to keep it civil.

We did not succeed.

If you like machining, bad decisions, and the kind of conversations that start technical and end with “how did we get here?”, you’re in the right place.

Come for the CNC talk
Stay for the chaos
Leave wondering why anyone owns this many stickers

Links Discussed:

• Xteink X4: https://www.xteink.com/products/xteink-x4

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:

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

Curt:

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