The Impractical Machinists

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 regions
What tool reps and machine sales tell us about the manufacturing economy
ERP systems, scheduling, and material planning in small shops
The challenges of hiring, training, and getting a shop to run without constant oversight
Organization, unfinished side projects, and the never-ending push to improve shop efficiency
We 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 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!!!

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.
🔔 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!!!

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!!!

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 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!!!

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 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!!!