The Impractical Machinists

Latest Episodes:

“I Just Bought a CNC Machine and Figured It Out as I Went” | 40 Jan 06, 2026

Show notes

He bought a Bridgeport to make better welding fixtures. That Bridgeport led to YouTube videos. Those videos led to a $7,000 CNC mill. That mill led to a full machine shop.

Ty Neff never planned to become a machinist—but once he discovered CNC, he found his thing. Now he's running five-axis parts in LA with a completely self-taught approach.

Ty's Impractical Tips:

Invest in zero-point work holding—even the budget options pay for themselves
Build CAM templates for every common operation (especially threaded holes)
Connect your machines to Ethernet and stop wasting time with USB drives
Communicate early and often with customers—it saves jobs and builds loyalty

Find Ty here.

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Connect with the hosts on Instagram:
Patrick Mcclintock: IG or PM@Job Shopper TN
Cameron Graves: IG or PM@Machiningiscool
Bradley Thomas: IG or PM@Marvel
Thanks for listening!!!

"I Started Machining at 12 — I’m Still Learning After 1,000 Shops" | 39 Dec 23, 2025

Show notes

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

They Get It for $3… I Quoted $18. How Do You Compete With That? | 38 Dec 09, 2025

Show notes

It’s been a weird year for a lot of shops, and we ended up talking about all the stuff you only bring up with other machinists.

In this episode, the guys compare how things have been going in their own shops — slower months, surprise rushes, work coming back from overseas, and the kind of quotes that make you shake your head. They swap stories about tariffs, reshoring, customers chasing the cheapest option, and what it actually looks like when parts hop between countries before landing back on your bench.

There’s plenty of real shop life in here: first machines, castings that needed rescuing, side projects that turned into lessons about global manufacturing, and a lot of “yeah, same here” moments. It’s just an honest conversation about what’s been happening in the trade — nothing fancy, just the real day-to-day most machinists will recognize.

Chat with Ian here, or connect with him on LinkedIn.

“I Swear Every Job I Start Is Already Late...” | 37 Nov 25, 2025

Show notes

Another week, another pile of machining problems we didn’t ask for but somehow ended up dealing with anyway.
In this episode, the guys dig into Instagram questions and end up covering everything from engraving tools to CAM strategy to finding work for a new shop — all wrapped in the usual chaos of real machine-shop life.
They talk about jobs that show up already late, material that’s the wrong size (but you don’t find out until it’s on the machine), tooling that mysteriously disappears right when you need it, and customers who expect parts before they even send the drawing. If you’ve ever assumed something was correct only to find out you definitely shouldn’t have, you’ll feel right at home.
Drop your best “something went wrong in the shop” story in the comments — we’ll read some next episode!

Timestamps:
01:34 Being Behind on Work
16:47 Engraving Techniques
20:30 3D Contour Finishing Tips
35:13 Finding Work When You’re a New Shop
49:27 Improving Shop Efficiency and Workflow
01:20:00 Tip Of The Episode

“He Told Me I Couldn’t Afford a Machine…Now He's Asking Me for Quotes." | 36 Nov 11, 2025

Show notes

Pat Foreman was 18 years old when someone told him he'd never be able to afford a CNC machine.

So he quit. Walked out. Called a sales guy on his way home. Three days later, he had a mill sitting in his parents' garage.

No family shop. No machining background. Parents were teachers. He learned everything from YouTube and Google.

In this episode, Pat walks us through the whole story: stumbling into a machining class that turned out to be a jail diversion program, calling 1-800-HAAS with $300 to his name, and setting up his first mill in his parents' garage. He talks about the day he crashed a probe while drinking at work during COVID (yeah, really), and how that mistake turned into the ProbeHalo—a product that sold 400 units in two hours and has now moved over 10,000 pieces.

We get into the real stuff: running a shop from home, never answering the phone, not knowing G-code, not owning a lathe, and still making it work. Pat's brutally honest about the yayhoo jobs he used to take, why he doesn't care if his machines sit idle, and how he's built a business around having free time instead of chasing growth.

This one's for anyone who's thought about going out on their own, anyone who's been told they can't do it, or anyone who just wants to hear how someone figured it out without following the traditional path.

How Much Can You Do with a Lathe Before You Need a Mill? | 35 Oct 28, 2025

Show notes

We’ve all tried to make a lathe do something it probably shouldn’t. But where’s the line? In this episode, Patrick and Brad get into the real talk about pushing machines past their limits, and why knowing when to level up (your tools and your shop) can make or break you.

From shop hacks that kinda work to those that really shouldn’t, the guys share stories every machinist will recognize — the overused end mills, the “temporary” setups that become permanent, and the customers who turn every job into a test of patience.

It’s a mix of laughs, lessons, and shop-floor honesty — with a few solid reminders about knowing when it’s time to move on, learn more, and sharpen more than just your tools.

We Scrapped a 29,000 lb Machine & Judged the Dumbest Shop Hacks | 34 Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

What happens when a 29,000 lb horizontal machining center reaches the end of its life? In this episode, we talk about tearing one down — what parts we salvaged, what went to scrap, and how much it was actually worth in the end. We also share the messy reality of what you find inside a decades-old machine and how we handled the teardown without expensive rigging help.
But before (and after) that, there’s a lot more going on in this episode. We talk about costly mistakes — like scrapping parts due to a threading error — and the lessons that come with resetting tooling and redoing work. We also get into forklift talk, DIY rigging, carbide recycling tips, machine cleaning routines, and how we keep the shop running efficiently.
And then we wrap things up with one of our favorite new segments: Yayhoo or Nayhoo — where we judge some of the dumbest and most questionable shop hacks we’ve ever seen. From sketchy vise tricks to cigarette paper shims, we give our honest takes on whether these hacks are clever shortcuts or disasters waiting to happen.

Tank Cleaning Sucks… and So Does Bad Threading | 33 Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

Every machinist knows the two worst kinds of headaches: when your threads don’t come out right, and when it’s time to clean the coolant tank. In this episode, the guys swap shop stories about snapped taps, thread engagement gone wrong, and the endless debate of form tapping vs. cut tapping. Then it’s on to the dirty side of the shop — coolant tanks, chip mess, and the cleanups nobody wants to deal with.

What’s the Secret Sauce for a Smoother Shop? Hint: It’s Not Just Coolant | 32 Sep 16, 2025

Show notes

Running a machine shop means juggling jobs, customers, employees, and the unexpected—usually all at once. For years, Stuard of Monarch Manufacturing tried to keep everything in his head and on scattered spreadsheets. But as his shop grew, so did the chaos.

In this episode of the Impractical Machinists Podcast, Sam joins us to share how implementing an ERP system from ECI gave him something every shop owner craves: control, visibility, and peace of mind. With the system in place, Sam’s team gained clarity on scheduling, job tracking, and profitability—while customers got more transparency and confidence in the work being done.

Sam opens up about what life was like before ERP, the lessons learned while scaling a shop, and how freeing himself from constant firefighting changed the way his business runs. If you’ve ever wondered whether an ERP system could actually make a difference in a small-to-mid-sized shop, this conversation is a real-world look at how it can transform not just operations—but the day-to-day life of an owner.

Connect with Sam here.

He Started in a Basement… Now He’s Machining for the Medical Industry | 31 Sep 02, 2025

Show notes

From wrenching on South Bend lathes in his basement to running Maple Lane Machine & Tool, Brad Jacob has lived just about every phase of the machinist’s journey. In this episode, Brad sits down with us to talk about how he went from BMX-riding shop kid to shop owner serving the medical industry. We dig into restoring old iron, the grind of starting a business out of your garage, and what it’s like to see your parts end up in life-changing applications. If you’ve ever hauled a Bridgeport down a set of stairs, wrestled with woodworking dust, or wondered whether manual machining really makes you better at CNC, you’ll get a kick out of this one.

Connect with Brad here:
YouTube: ‪@BasementShopGuy‬
IG: maplelanemachineandtool

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