The Impractical Machinists

What's actually killing machinists faster — big corporate shop rules or the chaos of running your own place? This week Pat jumps in as guest host and we go deep on all of it. Lead time strategy that keeps customers off your back, why a $350 pizza might be the best business investment you make this year, and the real reason good machinists walk out the door and never come back.
We get into scrap part confessions, exotic material nightmares, G-code quizzes that stumped everyone, and the one question every machinist eventually asks themselves — if you could start a shop from scratch, what would you actually do differently?
In this episode:
Lead time strategy that protects your sanity
Why you should never ship early
The $350 pizza that saved $4,000
Big shop vs small shop culture debate
Scrap part show and tell
G-code quiz: G18, G96 and more
No-quote jobs and when to walk away
Starting a shop from scratch — machines, mindset and mistakes
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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!!!

Owning a machine shop sounds great… until you’re chasing work, quoting jobs at midnight, dealing with problem customers, and trying to stay profitable while keeping the lights on.

Recorded live as a panel session during a Kennametal open house event, Brad from Marvel Machining, Ian from Lakewood Machine & Tool, and Luke from Progressive Turnings / Crusader Machining sit down for a real conversation about the ups and downs of running a shop.

They talk about finding work, quoting jobs, when to say no, staying busy vs actually making money, keeping good employees, buying equipment, and the jobs that almost broke them.

Whether you’re a one-man shop, running a full team, or thinking about starting your own business, there’s something in here you’ll relate to.

Just honest shop talk from people living it every day.
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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!!!

Pat, Cameron, and Brad catch up on what’s been going on in their shops—from current projects and production challenges to the reality of keeping work on track.
They also dive into a listener question about when to go full-time with a side shop, breaking down the financial side, the risk, and what that transition actually looks like. The conversation touches on balancing a day job while building something on the side, using your job to fund equipment, and what happens when that decision gets made for you.
They also get into shop culture, big vs. small companies, and why more machinists are thinking about going out on their own.
🔔 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!!!

The guys kick things off talking about the realities of repair and walk-in work, then get into quoting strategy — specifically what to do when a customer hands you a massive stack of confusing prints and expects a price by Tuesday.
From there it's community questions: trusting manufacturer speeds and feeds, probing from CAM, machine warm-up routines, and how AI tools like ChatGPT are actually finding their way into everyday shop life.
Brad shares advice on finding enough work to go full time, and the guys close out responding to a second-gen machinist who programmed 510 new parts in a year and still couldn't keep up — breaking down what's really going on when programming becomes the bottleneck.
🔔 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!!!

Hans Keisler from Motor Control Technology joins the podcast to talk about his path through the machining trade — from working at Lockheed to building his own aerospace-focused machine shop.
We get into what it’s really like working in a union shop, the differences between big aerospace companies and small job shops, and what it takes to go from a one-man operation to hiring employees.
Hans also shares the reality of chasing aerospace and defense work — certifications, compliance, IT requirements, and all the behind-the-scenes work that most machinists never see.
It’s an honest conversation about building a shop, navigating the industry, and trying to make cool hardware that ends up on some pretty serious projects.
🔔 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!!!