#209 - The Return Of Johnny Five
TOPICS: Reaming holes. Endmill coatings and storage. Grob factory tour. Tool like time and replacement methods. Johnny Five returns. Links: https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/09782467
John Grimsmo of Grimsmo Knives and John Saunders of Saunders Machine Works discuss their success, struggles, goals and more as machinists, business owners and entrepreneurs.
TOPICS: Reaming holes. Endmill coatings and storage. Grob factory tour. Tool like time and replacement methods. Johnny Five returns. Links: https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/09782467
TOPICS: Trusting Instincts Social proof for marketing and branding Creative Fixturing and Workholding Grimsmo and Saunders Approved Tools! Grimsmo's Favorite Gripper Pad The "I can't believe it exists already" wrench Good reasons to outsource things beyond the scope of your business Xometry Pay - Solving Collection of past due accounts for businesses? Prusas, 3D printed 1/4" Royal Collet for sub spindle & Gauge Housings UP NEXT: FEBRUARY 2021 GOALS FOR GK...
TOPICS: Ordering Lathe Material - Purchasing/procurement Finances in Business What makes you happy? Growing a business in 3 stages Lathe talk Past due accounts receivables? Creating your own cnc machine?
Saunders on feeling overwhelmed and a defining moment at Pierson Workholding. Can daily tasks actually KILL your business? "You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." - James Clear Marketing Business accounting Tool life for lathe parting inserts
TOPICS: Saunders is starting 2021 off great with their ERP system and staying busy with orders. Saunders also tells us about his broken tool on the lathe. Grimsmo has been getting their Okamoto surface grinder up and running and it has been awesome! The big news out of Grimsmo is that the Rask is back! They have been hard at work for almost 4 years to bring back the Rask.
TOPICS: Grimsmo starts us off with a smooth lead in SMW Product Demand Increases & The Struggle to Reduce Lead Time Super Helpful Tools & Gadgets (Scales & Pallet Jacks) https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200680712_200680712 Precision Abbe's Principle The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World A Crazy Metrology Question on the NYCCNC Forum Toolpath & Product Improvements Reliable Processes VS. Cycle Time Using templates for easier programmin...
2020 has been a wild year, and we are sure you are tired of hearing about it by now. But here at the Business of Machining we decide to reflect on the positives. Thank you to everyone for being with us throughout this year! Grimsmo has found a solution to lift very heavy objects within their shop without the need of a forklift. It takes them back to the old Volvo days in the garage. Saunders is playing with a Vortex cold air gun and is having a literal blast.
TOPICS: - Podcast Feedback & Developing a Consistent Opening Statment - Strategy: Learning Your Customer Base & SEO - Email from Brewery | ERP VS Wiki - Covid Hits Close to Home at SMW - Staffing A Growing Business & The Concert Mindset - Recycling Chips: The Need for a Compactor
Grimsmo makes a big move and purchased a Okamoto surface grinder! Saunders' offers his input and general advice on purchasing new machinery. The boys talk about the potential of using "Slack" in their respective companies. This could help bridge the gap between consumer and company and it is worth looking at. Saunders has started to step away from his ERP system "LEX" to let his team run it. While Grimsmo works very very hard to get shipping Rasks before the end of the year, how exciting!...
Business of Machining has now reached it's 200th episode! That's 3.84 years of "private" conversations about manufacturing and growing small businesses. A sincere thank you to the listeners out there--or as we've lovingly dubbed them, "parking lot circlers." In the past 4 years, this podcast has been downloaded over 1 million times! TOPICS: - The importance of authenticity - Detailed trips down memory lane for both Grimsmo Knives and Saunders Machine Works. - Mental Health & Tony Hseih...
Saunders & Grimsmo are ending of the year with expansion! Both shops are on similar growth paths in their respective shops. Grimsmo has hired on Pierre to help boost production, while Saunders has hired 3 people around his shop. Grimsmo's surface grinder should be here in a couple of weeks! Which means they have to make some room for it and figure out how to bring it into the work flow. Top 10 List for entrepreneurs Saunders' describes how "Lex" is formatted. Going in depth about the benefit...
TOPICS: Auctions, Warranties, and Riggers Is Saving Money the Ultimate Purchase Factor? Developing Decision Making Framework Formalizing the Interview Process Tom Lipton's Test Jig Pierre - New to GK Team SMW Phase 5 of Shop Overhaul Machine Modifications for Chip Evacuation & Larger Coolant Tanks Water & Coolant Delivery System Update Vendors and Relationships DLC Coating Sandvik QS Holder...
The boys have been crazy busy this week. Saunders' and his team have developed a little bit of a safe word around the shop. PINEAPPLE! This signifies that the person is safe. For example, if you hear a loud bang or somebody drops something and hear the safe word. Than you know that person is ok! Its actually a very good idea especially when you have a lot of ground to cover or a lot of employees. Saunders' also visited the Grob machine manufacturing facility in Ohio! He said that he had an aweso...
Today the Johns are reppin' each other by sporting SMW and GK tees. Grimsmo Knives Tee SMW Tee TOPICS: Orange Vise Tour Grimsmo's Next Machines Process for Pressing Bearings into Bearing Cages Surface Grinding Machines - CNC or Manual? Air Compressors & Sound Proofing Tasks - Batching VS. Whack-A-Mole Organizational Chart - G Suite Alias Emails SMW is Hiring! SMW Careers...
Have you ever had such a premium custom table experience that ruined every other table in the world for you? Well Saunders has! He is loving the MakerPipe table systems to make some custom solutions for his shop. You can find Makerpipe here . Both Grimsmo and Saunders are falling more in love with the idea of full ERP integration in their respective shops. Grimsmo especially are looking to get very creative with "GERP". Saunders needs a new air compressor while John reminisces about the old shop...
RASK KNIVES ON HOMESTRETCH, LIGHTS OUT MANUFACTURING, LATHE CRASHES, DATA & TOOL LIFE MANAGEMENT, MACRO VARIABLES, Q PARAMETERS, FUSION 360 BUG, PROVENCUT PART SERIES, and MORE! Machining Verbiage The new rule is that when running machines, you add "ING" to the end of the machine brand name to create a new CNC-centric gerund. Acceptable examples are: KEARN--ING TORNOS--ING HAAS--ING TORMACH--ING A BUMP IN THE NIGHT... Just when you think it's dialed, you hit the lights and leave the shop onl...
John & John go over the never ending struggle of the classic make vs buy scenario. This time they are talking about making a custom shipping table to help speed up Saunders' work flow. Grimsmo has a Canadian version called FlexPipe. Saunders' has been doing some WORK when it comes to Automatic Brix reading of coolant systems. He has been using a digital refractometer that you can find two versions of them here. ATAGO MASTER-20M Atago PAL-1 John Grimsmo is still struggling with the Kern. It h...
Solopreneurs, Robots & Payloads, ERP + Inventory Tracking, Brix, Automated Coolant Distribution, and MORE! Business of Machining Podcast = The Manufacturing Entrepreneurcast You CAN Be The Crazy Guy In Your Garage Forever! The idea of expanding beyond oneself or even becoming self-employed isn't enticing to everyone---and that's okay! Grimsmo reflects on his evolution from solopreneur to entrepreneur and Saunders shares an experience with an electrician who likes his gig just the way it is. ...
Grimsmo has made some glorious progress on the kern. They have finalized an auto grinding routine for Rask blades. While Saunders' and their team have been toying with the idea of buying a Horizontal machining center. Saunders' also has some awesome upgrades he is adding to Proven Cut. References: Surebonder.com
RASK PROGRESS, THREADMILLING, WORKHOLDING FIXTURES, 5-AXIS ROTARY TOOLPATHS, DIAMOND BURNISHING, GRINDING, SURFACE FINISHES, PROBING, & TOOL BREAKAGE DETECTION. KERN IT UP. Grimsmo machines his own ER 16 collet for the KERN! Wait until you hear about how he made this monolithic-integral ER. All this talk about holding parts on center brings back a good ol' Memory with Marv. Saunders recounts an accuracy test for cylindricity on the KERN--Swarf VS. Polar Interpolation in Garmisch- Partenkirch...
The year 2020 has not been exactly how we have imagined it. But it is in full swing for both Saunders' and Grimsmo, especially in the ERP department. Saunders' is cooking with LEX and Grimsmo is full GERP ahead. Both John's and their teams have worked hard to make it happen this year. It is a great teaching lesson for anyone to make the best of what you have. Focus on the things you actually have control over and take a step back. Grimsmo on the other hand is not happy with their Qualichen 450 a...
This podcast is GOOD VENTING and BAD VENTING all things manufacturing and entrepreneurship. Blade to the Grindstone After taking Saunders's advice (perhaps a bit too literally) Grimsmo takes a Zedaro Miltera Endmill to a knife blade and ends up with an incredible surface finish but the grinding wheel was another story... Throughout the talk of grit, mesh, and desired results, Grimsmo casually drops a bombshell---and Saunders calls him out immediately. PSA CHAMFER OR CORNER ROUND YOUR DANG PARTS ...
Overcoming obstacles is the foundation of life. But also one of the most important parts of running any type of business is being able to see an obstacle as a challenge and not a failure. This week on the business of machining podcast the John's talk all about making progress and continuing on moving forward. This includes getting the old machines running again and constantly finding new and improved ways on how to run the business and also create things!
MANUFACTURING ENTREPRENEURS--THIS IS FOR YOU! This podcast has 186 episodes about the experience of two entrepreneurs improving their skills in their trade and learning how to create successful businesses. "The day I stop learning is the day I fall asleep and never wake up." - Grimsmo DELUSION & HONESTY Entrepreneurship is a constant battle between delusion and self honesty. Justifying decisions is easy. Playing Devil's advocate is not. Knowing when to ride the wave of delusion and when to s...
What age did you get into CNC machining? This week we talk about the value of learning machining at a young age and the impact it has on the future. Grimsmo has gone full GERP, they have developed a wireless barcode scanner for their web base ERP system. Saunders talks all about reevaluating machine tool purchases and constantly improving. Both shops are expanding. Grimsmo is hiring some machinists and Saunders is potentially looking at another worker for their shop as well!...
The guys have been at this CNC machining thing for over a decade now and the amount of development in both shops in the past few months is surprising! FACING If you thought this was about face mills and decking parts, you're wrong. This is the first time the Johns have been able to video chat (reliably) during podcast recording in over a year all thanks to a sweet 220MB internet connection. EUMACH ME SO HAPPY! Grimsmo gets into detail about the Eumachs, while one is warming up its spindle, the o...
This weeks episode is about smart business decisions. Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the race of buying new equipment. But its always a good idea to take a step back and make sure it is the right decision. Make sure you are the best tool in your shop and that the machines you purchase will be a good fit. Saunders gives some great info on zero point fixturing and how to mange fixture offsets. While Grimsmo is on the edge of getting their Eumach machines running.
THE LOONS ARE HOOTIN' AWAY! Grimsmo paints a beautiful picture of his family vacation thus far. A couple of spy-thriller books, canoes, campfires, and marshmallows will take the place of machine hum for now. Just make sure to stay away from "Snake Island!" BREAK ME OFF A PIECE OF THAT...FOOTBALL CREAM? Does taking breaks decrease productivity? According to Forbes and many other studies, it has the opposite effect. Working for long stretches without breaks leads to exhaustion and burn out. If tha...
It is so easy to overlook the aspect of marketing your business. The fact of that matter is that if you can bring the consumer as close as you can to the business, than they have a special attachment. Look at what Saunders' & Grimsmo are both doing on YouTube as an example. They are breaking down that barrier and creating a consumer attachment like no other. That is valuable no matter what type of business you run. This episode is all about the strategies of marketing yourself and business....
IT'S JUST A PHASE. While Saunders and his team are busy implementing external phases of re-structuring SMW, Grimsmo's recognizing internal phases of intense creativity that eventually give way to productivity. Grimsmo and Saunders discuss their respective phases in comparison to shops that are further along in development. Visit These Pivotal Shops Via Video Tour: S&H Tour Grimsmo Knives Miltera Tour SMW Miltera Tour MetalQuest Tour Do the hustle! (thoughtfully) While the word "hustle" sound...