The Impractical Machinists

Practical Machinist

Welcome to The Impractical Machinists, a podcast for machinists’ who are creative, innovative and a cut above the rest. Join hosts Bradley, Cameron, and Patrick as they discuss everything from CNC machining, tool innovations, shop floor challenges, business strategies, and the latest trends and techniques shaping the industry.  Our episodes provide valuable insight and actionable tips from real machinists that you can apply in your own shops. Whether you’re a veteran machinist or just starting out, tune in and turn up the productivity on your machining operations.

  1. FEB 3

    “I Didn’t Plan to Be a Machinist — It Just Took Over My Life” | 42

    We flip the script on Dylan Jackson — co-owner of Proteum Machining and host of the Within Tolerance podcast — and dig into how he actually got here. Dylan didn’t follow a clean, traditional path. He struggled in engineering school, stumbled into machining through community college, and slowly found that the shop floor made more sense than the classroom ever did. From running parts for free just to learn, to buying a used CNC before he even had a real shop, to building Proteome into a high-end prototype job shop, his story is messy, real, and very relatable. We also talk about what it’s really like running a two-man shop, why prototype work is a completely different mindset, and how Dylan ended up becoming one of the most trusted voices in manufacturing through his podcast. Find Dylan here: Proteum Machining's Instagram or Within Tolerance Podcast's Instagram. 🔔 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. Or listen to our podcast on YouTube 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!!!

    2h 6m

  2. JAN 20

    They Ruined a $20K Part During Finishing — Now What? | 41

    What happens when a finisher ruins a $20,000 part — and nobody wants to take responsibility? In this episode, we dive into the real, unfiltered side of running a machine shop. From late material deliveries and unreliable suppliers to finishers damaging parts and offering little more than excuses, we talk through the situations that quietly cause the most stress, lost time, and financial risk in manufacturing. From there, the conversation widens into shop operations and industry reality: How busy (or slow) shops are right now in different regionsWhat tool reps and machine sales tell us about the manufacturing economyERP systems, scheduling, and material planning in small shopsThe challenges of hiring, training, and getting a shop to run without constant oversightOrganization, unfinished side projects, and the never-ending push to improve shop efficiencyWe wrap things up by reflecting on last year’s goals, what actually got accomplished, and what each of us is trying to focus on moving forward — from better systems and organization to reducing daily chaos on the shop floor. 🔔 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. Or listen to our podcast on YouTube 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!!!

    1h 12m

  3. JAN 6

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

    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 themselvesBuild CAM templates for every common operation (especially threaded holes)Connect your machines to Ethernet and stop wasting time with USB drivesCommunicate early and often with customers—it saves jobs and builds loyaltyFind Ty here. 🔔 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. Or listen to our podcast on YouTube 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!!!

    1h 46m

  4. 12/23/2025

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

    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. Or listen to our podcast on YouTube 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!!!

    1h 31m

  5. 12/09/2025

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

    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. 🔔 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. Or listen to our podcast on YouTube 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!!!

    1h 38m

  6. 11/25/2025

    “I Swear Every Job I Start Is Already Late...” | 37

    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 🔔 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. Or listen to our podcast on YouTube 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!!!

    1h 21m

  7. 11/11/2025

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

    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. 🔔 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. Or listen to our podcast on YouTube 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!!!

    1h 21m

  8. 10/28/2025

    How Much Can You Do with a Lathe Before You Need a Mill? | 35

    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. 🔔 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. Or listen to our podcast on YouTube 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!!!

    1h 16m
See All (42)

5
out of 5
40 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Impractical Machinists, a podcast for machinists’ who are creative, innovative and a cut above the rest. Join hosts Bradley, Cameron, and Patrick as they discuss everything from CNC machining, tool innovations, shop floor challenges, business strategies, and the latest trends and techniques shaping the industry.  Our episodes provide valuable insight and actionable tips from real machinists that you can apply in your own shops. Whether you’re a veteran machinist or just starting out, tune in and turn up the productivity on your machining operations.

Information

  • Creator
    Practical Machinist
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    42
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Impractical Machinists
  • Show Website
    The Impractical Machinists

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