The Impractical Machinists

Taking over the family machine shop means figuring out what to keep, what to change, and how to get everyone on board. Especially when your dad has been running it for 50 years.

In this episode of The Impractical Machinists, Dave joins us to talk about growing up cleaning out screw machines, coming back to the family business, and eventually taking the reins. We get into the changes that helped his team keep track of jobs, learn from expensive mistakes, and keep things moving without him watching over everyone’s shoulder.

Along the way, Dave shares how ECI’s JobBOSS² became part of the shop’s daily routine, why he bought everyone a shop phone, and how he’s using AI to build tools that fit the way his team works.

His goal? Be able to sit on a beach in Hawaii, drink a piña colada, and know the shop is doing okay. And yes, he actually got there.

Could you take a vacation without worrying about your shop? Let us know in the comments.

00:00 Intro
03:03 Growing Up in the Family Machine Shop
11:56 What Do You Charge for a Job You Don’t Want?
14:08 Quality Management Is More Than Inspecting Parts
25:03 Why Everyone in the Shop Got a Phone
33:26 Are You Making Quality Too Complicated?
42:16 Taking Over the Shop and Moving to JobBOSS²
53:18 What Happens When the Numbers Don’t Tell the Truth?
1:02:13 Getting the Shop to Run While You’re Away
1:06:14 Advice for Getting Started With Shop Software
1:09:48 Building Custom Shop Tools With AI

Learn more about ECI JobBOSS² here: https://www.ecisolutions.com/products/jobboss2/
or connect with them at
YouTube:  @ECISoftwareSolutions  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ECISoftwareSolutions
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/557215/

Find Dave DeVandry at https://deking.com/
or connect with him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ddevandry/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dekingprecision/

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Drop your comments or topic ideas in the forum.

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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!!!

The guys are back from IMTS, and it’s time to get back to reality.
In this episode of The Impractical Machinists, Patrick, Cameron, and Bradley look back at their week together at IMTS 2026, from doing live sessions in front of a real crowd to meeting people who actually listen to the podcast (still a little weird).
Then it’s back to what’s been happening in their own shops.
Patrick talks about what life has been like since going full-time with his shop, including his first late payment, a big job that seemingly disappeared, and dealing with the reality of making mistakes. The guys also get into customer relationships, knowing when it’s worth standing your ground, hiring help, keeping up with shop maintenance, and all the little things that start piling up when you’re busy making parts.
And, naturally, there are plenty of completely unnecessary side conversations along the way.
Basically, IMTS was fun. Now it’s back to running machine shops.
What’s been keeping you busy in your shop lately? Let us know in the comments.
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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!!!

What happens when you get The Impractical Machinists together at IMTS for their first-ever live, in-person episode?
A lot of shop talk, a little chaos, and more machines than anyone has time (or money) for.
Pat, Cam, and Brad sit down live from IMTS to talk about what caught their eye on the show floor, the machines and technology they didn’t even know existed, and the tools and workholding they could actually see themselves using back at the shop.
But as impressive as the equipment is, some of the best parts of IMTS have nothing to do with machines. It’s finally meeting the people you’ve talked to online for years, putting faces to usernames, swapping shop stories, and realizing just how big the machining community really is.
They also get into shop life, what they’d actually spend money on, Pat’s big move to running his shop full-time, and, of course, a little machining trivia along the way.
Welcome to The Impractical Machinists, live from the show floor at IMTS 2026!
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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!!!

Learn more about The Machinists' Hub here!
IMTS is almost here, and the guys are getting ready for a very busy week in Chicago.
Patrick, Cameron, and Bradley sit down before the show to talk about what they’re looking forward to, what they actually want to see on the show floor, and what might be a little overhyped this year. From workholding and inspection to automation, AI, and all the unexpected stuff you stumble across at a show this big, there’s plenty on the radar.
For Patrick, it’ll also be his first time at IMTS, which means finally meeting a lot of the machinists and people he’s known online for years.
And this year is a big one for Practical Machinist too. The whole crew will be at the Machinists' Hub with live sessions, trivia, meet-and-greets, happy hours, and the first-ever in-person episode of the Impractical Machinists Podcast.
If you’re heading to IMTS, come find us in the West Building, Level 3, Booth 432638. See you in Chicago!
🔔 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!!!

What makes a “real” machine shop anyway?
Justin Webb didn’t come up through the traditional machining route. He dropped out of high school, eventually went back to earn an engineering degree, and started Zealous Manufacturing almost by accident. He was designing parts for customers until one of them finally asked, “Can you make these too?”
There was just one problem: Justin didn’t know how to machine.
So he bought a Tormach, figured it out as he went, made plenty of mistakes, and slowly built a working machine shop around the equipment he could actually afford.
In this episode of Impractical Machinist, Justin joins Ian to talk about that journey and why, years later, he’s still running the same kind of machines some machinists told him he’d eventually “outgrow.”
They get into what smaller machines can teach you, engineers vs. machinists, knowing when you actually need more machine, the temptation to compare your shop to everyone else’s, and why the fanciest equipment isn’t always the smartest business decision.
It’s a conversation about Tormachs, but even more so, it’s about building the shop that makes sense for you instead of the one everyone else thinks you should have.
🔔 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!!!