Josh Shapiro, owner and operator of J.N. Shapiro Watches, shares his background in manufacturing and his passion for reviving American watchmaking. We discuss his use of CNC machines, challenges in machining difficult materials like tantalum, and his efforts to develop his own watch movement. Josh emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement and combining automated and handcrafted processes. We touch on their current projects, design inspirations, and upcoming watch movement. Overall, we ...
Sep 09, 2023•47 min
I am rejoined by two wonderful past guests, Josh Hacko and Chris Zappettini, who ask me your questions! Thank you to everyone who listens for 200 episodes, and here's to another 200! Check out Josh's IG @nhmicro @nicholashackowatch Check out Zap's IG @zap.consulting @skillgapinc ----------------------------------------- Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast
Aug 23, 2023•2 hr 12 min
In this episode of Within Tolerance, Chris and I explore the second half of the book "Principles" by Ray Dalio and uncover valuable insights. We discuss problem-solving techniques, the importance of employee solutions, and talk about Fusion 360 CAM. We highlight the significance of a strong team for automation, and talk about the importance of employee training. I also announce the upcoming 200th episode celebration and share updates on ongoing projects and shop location search. Tune in for enri...
Aug 12, 2023•1 hr 52 min
In this episode of Within Tolerance, I have Rob Ellis, director of manufacturing at Maztech Industries, as my guest. Rob shares his journey into manufacturing, his passion for machining, and his experiences with 5-axis machines. He discusses the challenges and successes of his team at Maztech Industries, their focus on lean manufacturing principles, and their dedication to making the best parts possible. Rob also talks about networking, continuous learning, and the importance of personal growth ...
Aug 04, 2023•2 hr 4 min
Dylan and Chris get together to update on shop status, jobs ending and beginning, trying new tools, and Chris's best project yet. Both also discuss the first half of the book club book, "Principles" by Ray Dalio. Check out Zap's IG @zap.consulting ----------------------------------------- Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast
Jul 29, 2023•2 hr 6 min
Dylan is joined by Brad Matheus of The Factory Amsterdam this week. Brad tells Dylan about the origins of his business, trials and tribulations with finding space, SLS 3D printing, new machines, and more! Check out Brad's IG @insta.brad ----------------------------------------- Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast
Jul 21, 2023•1 hr 21 min
Dylan is joined by Joe Barnard of BPS.Space this week. Joe talks about jumping into rocketry with no experience, dealing with failure, his future spaceshot, machining large parts with small machinery and more! Check out Joe's IG @bps.space and check out the his youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@BPSspace ----------------------------------------- Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast
Jul 14, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Dylan is joined by Chris Lee this week. Chris started in manufacturing after designing and selling a motorcycle exhaust gave him the bug for making. Chris started machining with small home machines and at school, and now has run Hermle and Kern 5 axis machines. Dylan and Chris discuss both causes and potential cures for the growing skills gap. Check out Chris' IG @chrislee.design and check out the DFX Podcast @dfxpodcast and all podcast apps. ----------------------------------------- Help suppor...
Jul 04, 2023•1 hr 16 min
Dylan is joined this week by Chris Lichty, VP of Rainhouse Manufacturing Canada. Chris shares his start in manufacturing, stories from his apprenticeship, and how he moved across the country to apply at Rainhouse. Dylan and Chris talk about 5 axis Matsuuras, automation trials and tribulations, and more! Check out Rainhouse's IG @rainhousecanada ----------------------------------------- Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast
Jun 23, 2023•1 hr 19 min
From starting a race team, jumping Rally Fighters at work, to being a part of the future of semi trucks, Riley Gillman has lived out every gearhead's dream throughout his life. Riley joins Dylan this week to talk about how he got into manufacturing, the incredibly interesting companies he's worked for, and how one becomes a "TOM". Check out Riley's IG @rileygillman ----------------------------------------- Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast...
Jun 16, 2023•1 hr 21 min
Chris drove down to have a sit-down, in- person episode with Dylan this week. Chris talks about the work he is putting in to change the course of his business. Dylan shares his continued moving woes. Both talk about favorite tooling, probing, and more! Check out Zap's IG @zap.consulting ----------------------------------------- Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast
Jun 09, 2023•2 hr 4 min
Jeff Tiedeken is back this week! Jeff and Dylan catch up, talking about his new job at Astranis, Matsuura CNC's, and updates on his epic projects. Both share their thoughts on building shops while maintaining a day job, and Jeff talks about the new MX330 in his home shop. See Astranis Job Openings at https://www.astranis.com/careers Check out Jeff's IG @yetiman01 ----------------------------------------- Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast...
Jun 02, 2023•1 hr 26 min
Zach is back with new projects and machines! Dylan and Zach talk about his recent video on rocket combustion chambers, his Kitamura MedCenter5Ax, joining Nebula, and more. Check out Zach's IG @breakingtaps and his YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@BreakingTaps ----------------------------------------- Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast
May 25, 2023•1 hr 17 min
Dylan is joined this week by Alex Van Dyck, CEO and Founder of Packible. Alex started down the manufacturing road in high school, taking a chance to teach himself MasterCAM and how to run a Haas while there. Alex and Dylan talk about ERP's, 3D printing, pricing products and more! Check out Alex's IG @dark_sky_industries and Packible @packibletool ----------------------------------------- Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast...
May 19, 2023•1 hr 33 min
Dylan is back from his Germany trip and recounts the highlights. Chris had a down week in the business and shares the plan to fix it. Both talk about this month's book club book "The Pumpkin Plan" by Mike Michalowicz. Have you kicked your rotten pumpkin customers to the curb? Check out Zap's IG @zap.consulting ----------------------------------------- Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast...
May 12, 2023•1 hr 29 min
You may know Tom from his amazingly intricate brass parts on Instagram, or building his home shop and new business Prestige Precision Parts, but this week we get to dive into his incredibly interesting backstory. Tom talks about starting in welding, moving around the world to follow the trade, and ending up teaching himself CNC machining when the opportunity arose. Check out Tom's IG @tom_machinist and his business @p3_tec ----------------------------------------- Help support the podcast www.pa...
Apr 24, 2023•1 hr 27 min
Dylan and Chris check in since the last episode together, chat about machinery and employees, and digging out of the hole of work. Both discuss the most recent #withintolerancebookclub book "Extreme Ownership" by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin and share lessons learned from the book, and applications to their businesses. Check out Zap's IG @zap.consulting Check out the Nickolas Means talk on 3 mile island - https://youtu.be/1xQeXOz0Ncs ----------------------------------------- Help support the pod...
Apr 11, 2023•1 hr 31 min
This week's guest is Nick Heys, the President & Founder of Valence Precision and Co-Founder of DirtyRobotics. Join in as Nick shares his journey into manufacturing, his experience at LBNL, Makani, and Uber, and the story of how he started Valence Precision. Check out Nick's IG @valence.precision ----------------------------------------- Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast
Mar 30, 2023•1 hr 33 min
In this episode, Bre Pettis, the well-known entrepreneur and innovator, discusses his journey and career path with a focus on his work in technology and manufacturing. The conversation covers a range of topics, from Pettis' co-founding of Thingiverse and Makerbot, selling the company, and his acquisition of Bantam Tools. Bre and Dylan also talk about the Baja 1000 and Rally Fighters, as well as HP plotters, in addition to other interesting topics related to entrepreneurship, technology, and crea...
Mar 21, 2023•1 hr 19 min
Mickey Jacobs and Alex Kern return to the show to discuss the true cost of automation, getting your ducks in a row, inspection and more! Mickey was previously on Episode 170 and Alex was on Episode 143 "The INSANE Precision of The National Institute of Standards and Technology" (Moore CMM Video) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCyU97MoHFM The book Alex mentions is "Principles" by Ray Dalio Great GD&T Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RDeanOdellHVCC Check out Mickey's IG @mickey6thg...
Mar 16, 2023•2 hr 35 min
Dylan is joined by two past guests, and hosts of the excellent new podcast "Incremental: The Continuous Improvement Podcast", Devin Bodony and Uriel Eisen this week. Devin, Uriel, and Dylan talk shop improvements, when improvements go wrong, ways to make sure things keep improving, and more! Check out the podcast's IGs @incrementalci Devin's IG @lichen_mfg Uriel's IG @austere_manufacturing You can listen to Incremental CI here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5pjzm7sFZrumDHv2eqytg5 ---------------...
Mar 09, 2023•1 hr 29 min
Dylan and Zap commiserate over a wonderfully busy but tumultuous opening to 2023, and what they're both doing to overcome their obstacles. Zap shares his European trip, employee issues and changes, and successes with new tooling. Dylan talks about PEEK troubles, coolant flooding, and process updates. Check out Zap's IG @zap.consulting Vektek/Mitee Bite video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70nOI4eCUXs ---------------------------------------- Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintoler...
Feb 28, 2023•1 hr 48 min
Simon Hanmer, Managing Director of Freddy Products Ltd, joins Within Tolerance this episode to discuss a range of topics related to coolant filtration vacuums, including their history, maintenance, and unusual applications. Tune in to discover valuable insights into the challenges of refurbishing these machines, how they are used in the manufacturing industry, and more! Check out Freddy's IGs @freddyproductsltd You can check out their website at https://www.freddy-products.co.uk/ ---------------...
Feb 22, 2023•1 hr 23 min
In this episode, Dave Arneson, Vice President of Professional Instruments Company, shares the story of how Professional Instruments got into the precision manufacturing industry. He discusses their choice of machinery and the reasons behind it, as well as their approach to training new employees. Dave also talks about his own journey into the family business and the important lessons he learned along the way. Throughout the episode, Dave provides insights into the manufacturing industry and the ...
Feb 15, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Season 2Ep. 106
Josh Hacko returns to the podcast to update us all on his Kern HD, starting a new precision machining business, and more! Dylan and Josh talk about outsourcing vs. insourcing, and commiserate about job shopping. Check out Josh's IGs @nhmicro and @nicholashackowatch ----------------------------------------- Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast
Feb 03, 2023•1 hr 41 min•Season 2Ep. 105
Dylan is joined by Derek Schuetz of FidgetThings this week. Starting with fidget spinners at the beginning of the craze and making his way through products and projects that interested him Derek has grown a company and following dedicated to all things fidget. Derek talks about starting out machining, acquiring machinery, 3D printing tips and tricks and more! Check out Derek's IG @fidgetthings ----------------------------------------- Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodca...
Jan 23, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 2Ep. 104
Dylan and Chris discuss the remainder of Critical Chain, dive into being better contractors, make goals and homework for next episode, and more! Check out Zap's IG @zap.consulting ----------------------------------------- Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast
Jan 19, 2023•1 hr 39 min
Tune in as Uriel Eisen, the founder of Austere Manufacturing, joins the podcast to discuss automation, his spindle gripper workflow, and the challenges he faced in implementing automation in his manufacturing process. He also talks about his approach to lean manufacturing, drawing inspiration from the Toyota way. With his wealth of experience dialing in this workflow, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Check out Austere's IG @austere_manufacturing ----------------------------------------...
Jan 17, 2023•1 hr 30 min
This week welcome back Jay Pierson, president and founder of Pierson Workholding. In his third appearance on the show, Jay shares his company's upcoming product releases, reflects on the importance of prioritizing time management, and Dylan and Jay discuss trading money for time. Tune in to hear his valuable insights and experiences in the machining and manufacturing industry. Check out Pierson Workholding's IG @pierson_workholding ----------------------------------------- Help support the podca...
Jan 10, 2023•1 hr 37 min•Season 2Ep. 102
In this episode, Kyle Brunner, a senior applications engineer at Hermle USA, shares his experience in the manufacturing industry. Kyle began his career in die cutting and later gained experience in setting up and running screw machines. He also taught himself CAM programming to improve his skills and advance in his career. Kyle is currently working on some amazing projects as a senior applications engineer at Hermle USA, utilizing highly advanced 5 axis machines. Tune in to hear Kyle share his i...
Jan 03, 2023•1 hr 14 min
