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Business of Machining

John Grimsmo of Grimsmo Knives and John Saunders of NYC CNC discuss their success, struggles, goals and more as machinists, business owners and entrepreneurs.
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Business of Machining
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Now displaying: June, 2018
Jun 29, 2018

If you haven't felt STUPENDOUS lately, this podcast will brighten your day. Get ready for a game of Not Metalurgist Part 1 & 2, a nugget of advice from Brad Southard, and Saunders gets his butt kicked by a 5th-Axis toolpath on the HAAS!

Up the ANTSY?
During the annual Blade Show lull, Grimsmo suddenly finds extra time AND the urge to move on to something new.
Instead of making parts, he's pinpointing areas for improvement and keenly observing his behavioral patterns. #itfeelswrongbutitssoright

IMPROVEMENT NO. 1 <<<<FULL QUENCH>>>>
Thanks to the lapping machine, flat is actually FLAT. However, that means turning a critical eye toward the heat treating process. Grimsmo's idea involves a 2-ton arbor press. Wave goodbye!

THREADMILLING: Are you "doing it wrong?" If it's wrong but it works, does it matter? Ya might be killin' your tool life though! Grimsmo and Saunders discuss multiple passes, spring passes, cutter comp, and macros for tool life management.

VIDEO: Renishaw Probe like CMM

IMPROVEMENT NO. 2: LOCK BAR INSERT + DISGUSTINGLY TINY SCREWS...

 

We Paul Akers'd it!
The evolution of the podcast process represents something bigger.
Grimsmo shares an EPIPHANY when first encountering macros & tool life management--not knowing where or how to start and NOW, he's teaming up with Autodesk to teach it! So, get out your SAGA and get ready to take notes!

The end is nigh for the Super Comfortable SMW Adaptive T-Shirt Campaign---get yours HERE!

MYTHBUSTERS: Keep Torque Wrenches Stored at 0?
The release of the SHOP UPDATE video provokes a litany of comments surrounding stored torque values. Fact or fiction? If you have any empirical data on this, PLEASE SHARE!

Push Cycle Start.
Saunders paraphrases an entrepreneurial, button-pushing e-mail.  Both try their best to give advice for a fellow, overwhelmed entrepreneur.

Failing isn't the only issue. How do you deal with people losing faith in you after having failed multiple times?

FINALLY, 5-AXIS TOOLPATH ON THE HAAS!

Click Image for the IG Post!

 

OTHER LINKS: 

READ: Never Split the Difference

3M Radial Bristle Brush

NOGA Cine Clamp FOR FILMING INSIDE MACHINES

Jun 22, 2018

Where in the world is Saunders now? Stockholm, Sweden! And it’s “life-changing”

How could it not be when it's this beautiful?

This episode is a shorty but a goodie as our two favourite John’s talk production and management at the Sandvick Coromant headquarters, and how it relates to their businesses.

Link to Sandvick Coromant: https://www.sandvik.coromant.com/en-gb/pages/default.aspx

Saunders was allowed to film, so keep an eye peeled for a video about his adventure in Sweden. It’ll come out in the net few months on his channel.

Highlights of the tour:

  • Sandvick implements lean machining into everything, and the company is always improving (sounds familiar)
  • They are hungry for quality and are always pushing themselves
  • Focus on skilled labourers
  • SO much Emphasis on profitability and the bottom line

Grimsmo is awed by how they’re still doing this on a grand scale...and keeping up with production!

Major themes that Saunders noticed:

They have an “ability to stay focused, and ability to say no” - Saunders

“Having that hyper driven focus of what you do, doesn’t mean you can’t do other things later. It just means you shouldn’t do them now” - Saunders

How to be a “legacy company”

Fun fact: Sandvick started having autonomous forklifts in their company in 1989! That’s been normal to them for the past 30 years!

Get ready for some soul searching in future episodes! Hint: it might happen sooner rather than later because Saunders is coming to Canada to hang out with Grimsmo!

Jun 15, 2018

Grimsmo: I'm back...I think.
GK: You sure?
Grimsmo: *rolls into shop at 11pm to feed the lathe* Yep!

Grimsmo's recovered from Blade Show 2018!

VIDEO: Blade 2018 w/ALEC STEELE and more awesome makers!


Delrin Bearing Cage QC Process--DIALED

Debur. Pivot. Slip Fit. Insert Bearings.

While Grimsmo's catching up on Delrin bearing cages,
catch up on SAGA SATURDAY! 

Batch Gone Bad
Admitting a mistake is difficult but imagine admitting it publicly!
Mistakes lead to new processes but make sure your new checklist stays-- in check!
Read: The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get things Right 


Forum on NYCCNC.com: Batch Flow VS. One Piece Flow

TALK SHOP RE: Tool Setting
Grimsmo's setting up different tools; touching off and centering them individually by using a dial test indicator in a Noga indicator in a collet. The guys mull over ideas to improve workflow.

DIY CNC Turret Lathe? But WHY though?
- we think we can
- we want a dedicated, highly useful tool to make individual, magnetic, fixture plate hole PLUGS!

VIDEO: DIY CNC TURRET LATHE

Saunders/Hermle Sit Down
Despite the cut-throat nature of the industry, Hermle holds a tremendous amount of respect for other companies who are doing it and doing it well! A rare sentiment these days.

Gorilla Glass Curiosity Assuaged?
Saunders reads the full e-mail aloud.
"It is indeed similar to a Prince Rupert's Drop but a lot COOLER!"-Jason V.

Sized Up and Soured
What happened in Northeast Ohio?
"A Machine tool is only as good as its last mile."

PATREON ASKS, GRIMSMO ANSWERS!
Grimsmo explores different avenues and decisions
that brought him to where he is today.

Cool products. Cool Tools. Staff to support the products and tools.
"Is that a vision or is that just greed?"
Grimsmo feels unfocused but from the outside looking in, Saunders gets a completely different picture!

SMOOTHING
If you're looking for some sweet duds, look no further!

Next on the list: JORTS---jk.

WHO'S LAPPING NOW?

Click Photo to See IG Post!


Eric! That's who. According to him EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE SHOP IS WRONG!

Jun 8, 2018

First thing’s first: Grimsmo’s back from BLADE SHOW, BABY!

To sum up:

  • Awesome team bonding experience. The Grimsmo crew and Brad Southard shared everything (including the booth and the AirBnB)
  • Met SO MANY people during the event, and down in the pit! 

“A great way for makers to connect with their customers.” - Grimsmo

“Meeting people is what it’s all about!” - Saunders

The REVEAL of the SAGA!

Grimsmo did it! He crunched and turned the pen project into a pen PRODUCT!

And, just like Grimsmo, the pen is complicated and unique (especially the mechanism, which could stump an engineer)

Keep an eye on the Grimsmo YouTube channel! There’s gonna be a few videos on Blade Show coming out soon. 

That’s a lap!

Grimsmo not only decided to get a lapping machine, it was delivered on Wednesday! But it’s just a loaner...the new one is bigger, better, and coming in a couple months.

The Negotiator

Saunders raves about the book he’s been reading lately called Never Split the Difference by Christopher Voss and Tahl Raz, which is all about the art of negotiation. It’s an art form, and the masters of it find win-win solutions.

 Sometimes it’s okay to be blown away by the traction this podcast has, and Saunders takes a quick tangent to thank all our great listeners! (like Alec Steele!)

 Our only regret is that maybe we should’ve called it “accountabilibuddies”.

 What does Kate Spade have to do with the growth of a manufacturing business? A NPR podcast episode helps Saunders reflect on staying on track to happiness in your business.

“Growth can be addictive.” - Saunders

“You won’t realize how much energy you lost until you get it back.” - Saunders

OKAY let’s get down to nerding out about the new TORMACH SERIES

Better spindle, better horsepower, much better enclosure, and so much more that it won't fit in this description!

Thinking 5 Axis? So is Saunders; research keeps him focused.

Check out the book The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu Goldratt. It’s an oldie but goodie.

Thinking about IMTS already? So are Saunders and Grimsmo. They’ll be heading to MHub in Chicago the Sunday before IMTS to do a talk at the manufacturing and entrepreneurship event.

Jun 1, 2018

There Ain't No Rest for the....Knife Maker?
Grimso's dragging from pulling a 14.5 hour shift to get the SAGA ready for Blade Show!

Speaking of Blade Show, it's TODAY!
Gathering the team with pens in pockets, GK heads to Atlanta, GA for the World's Largest Knife Show--and it's going to be his best year yet!

If you're headed there, make sure to stop by table 948 to find them!

Tolerances on Tolerances
Is GD&T controversial?
This system for defining and communicating tolerances seems like a great way to employ another lean principle but Saunders senses some hesitance.

Work-Flow for Tweaks?
Numbered egg crates. Low hanging fruit. Multiple Fusion File Updates?


Boring Out Stainless 45RC?
With constant surface speed 350 ft/min (106.68 M/min), the RPM changes make the subspindle sing. That little ditty could be a sign of struggle.

The MAM72-35V has made a lasting impression on Saunders.
Check out the newly released AMAZING Matsuura 5-Axis CNC Show Room and Interview with Katsu Matsuura!

It's about the JOURNEY--not the DESTINATION
Grimsmo's taking advice about capturing the SAGA of the SAGA on film! See the newest SAGA SATURDAY EPISODE! The journey is ALWAYS on PI TIME.

Process Sheets & Manuals Underway
The SAGA is the first GK product with documented process sheets!
Ed creates a Guide to Shipping for SMW.

QUE:The 2-year long Johnny 5 Project
With helping hands from the J5 Guru, the SMW team is making headway at a faster-than-anticipated speed but remember, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Broken Tools - THOSE ARE ROOKIE NUMBERS!
Click HERE to check out the IG POST.

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