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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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Now displaying: December, 2018
Dec 28, 2018

Last podcast episode of the year!

BUT how important is the calendar year anyway when you’re constantly trying to achieve your goals?

“I’m already living in 2019” - Saunders

2018 THEME OF THE YEAR: STRESS (and how to cope)

Saunders went through some of the older episodes, and apparently the Johns talked about this a lot.

“I’m okay stressing about the future. I’m not okay stressing about the present” - Saunders

GRIMSMO AGREES

“If you’re stressing about the present, it means you’re doing something wrong or you need to do something” - Grimsmo

Are you ever satisfied when you’re committed to continual growth?

Saunders debates between a vertical spindle or a CMM, but there’s always another thing that will make your business more effective. Just remember that the things you really really wanted last year have now become a part of the regular process flow.   

2018 Quote of the Year! (from a previous episode that Saunders dug up)

“Did we have fun? If not, we die” - Grimsmo

Should work be fun?

Thanks Eleanor, but fun sure makes it easier!

“There is something to be said for diving into your work, but loving your work makes it that much easier” - Grimsmo

Check out the book Saunders mentions!

Warren Buffett’s bio Snowball

Shifting Pens to Priority at the Grimsmo Shop

Knives have been a priority for a long time, Grimsmo struggles with taking the time he needs to get pens MOVING! At least there’s no doubt that the pen needs to be a staple product.

SO, time to get Swissish...

Saunders: “Dude, you NEED a Swiss Lathe!”

Grimsmo needs a Swiss Lathe for pen parts.

THE E-MYTH REVISITED (Revisited by Grimsmo, that is)

Going 100 PERCENT into the new year!

Episode 100 will come out then. For now, what’s your legacy?

Dec 21, 2018

Down for the Count
An illness drags Grimsmo home to recuperate for a few days.
Did it have a negative effect on GK production?

Urban Survival Gear: The Chapstick of Pens
Apparently, this pen has magical features not listed in the description. It vanishes but only reappears once replaced!

Check Out Tactile Turn Pens HERE

Deep Cuts
Grimsmo gets his FIRST custom knife from Brad Southard, complete with sweet engraved surprises. Buying a part of the story is the best way to support small makers!

Check out Brad's Knives HERE 

Husky Style Toolbox Finds a Home
After purchasing the new toolbox, no one was sure
where to put it but don't worry...Angelo's got this.

Fellow Entrepreneur Frustration
While growth is the epitome of success for most companies,
they risk spreading themselves too wide, leaving their original specialty to suffer.

"Quality isn't a light switch." - Rob Lockwood

LEAN GONE WILD. Could it be a thing?
Saunders entertains the idea of a video about lean shop improvements gone wrong.
Hey, what can I say? Sometimes Kaizen foam gets out of control!

Dialing in the 2019 Direction
Saunders films a new YouTube channel intro that defines specific areas of focus for the new year.  Stay tuned for its upcoming release on January 1st, 2019!

Relishing the Two-Pallet Run
After burning the midnight oil to fine tune the CAM, Grimsmo's tandem pallets are ready for a test!
Before you get gung ho about tombstones and pallets...there are a few things to consider. Array storage probing, anyone?

Siri's Kryptonite
Saunders points out the utility of recording voice notes; however, you may want to forego the transcription.

Small Improvements. Big Impact.
Saunders is pairing down. Smaller desk, less clutter, one monitor instead of 2 AND Jared's gettin' a new PC.
Check out the popular NYC CNC Article on What Computer to Purchase for Fusion 360!

Screwed Up in a Good Way
GK is building up knife part inventory so SAGA production can commence.
Fun Fact: Each knife has 7 screws!

Does The Canadian Dream include a Swiss Lathe?
Analyzing downside risk causes Grimsmo to approach a new machine tool with extreme caution.

'MURICA Serial No. 1776
With thoughts of American independence on his mind, Grimsmo's coming up with something awesome for the 1776 knife.

Next Week's Episode
The guys will rummage through 2018 podcasts.
The past is close, yet so far away.

Dec 14, 2018

Starts off on a SUPER positive note: “We’ve got the recipe down!”

The team is taking initiative, and making projects their own.

“You need the best guy to come up with the process. Then it’s trainable, it’s a recipe.” - Grimsmo

Healthy shops, happy team

Do your machines need filters?

Where are we at in the SAGA of the Saga Pen?

“Priorities, man” - Grimsmo

Knives are the first priority, and the lathe has been running non-stop for the past few weeks in the Grimsmo shop. That’s awesome! But it means there’s less lathe time for pen parts (which are entirely made on the lathe).

Saunders’ Challenge: What spindle to buy next? Check out Saunders’ December shop update! It breaks down how to budget, and what time of year is best to buy.  

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Grimsmo is successfully running two pallets(!!) at a time now on his mill, but getting this to work was no cake walk.

Among the casualties: a Cogsdill Tool

“I was so worried about the programming side of it, that I didn’t worry about the mechanical side” - Grimsmo

Your tolerance is inTENTH!

 

The Johns talk machining and getting their tolerances down to tenths.

Sad news: factory closing the doors after 100 years of operation

  • 100,000 sq/ft factory closes down
  • Saunders goes across the street to say goodbye, learn, and check out the auction

Back to the Grind...ing company

The Supfina fine grinding machine is no longer happening for Grimsmo. BUT Nifty Bar upped their game and meets the Grimsmo standard in grinding! Could this be better?

Questions raised: 

Q: Can an FAQ make up for a subroutine?

A: On a shopify website, perhaps!

 

Tune in to hear Saunders’ and Grimsmo’s 2019 goals!

Sneak peak:

Grimsmo: Get a new fixture installed to allow a four pallet setup

Saunders: Work steadily on improving the Shopify website

Dec 7, 2018

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE...where you might get a little misty-eyed.
The cycle has ended; the coolant is off so WHY is the foam still growing!?
With no through-spindle coolant and small ER collets, Grimsmo's got no explanation for the extreme coolant atomization--annoying problem but fun to say!


 

Saunders notices an off-white tinge occurs sooner than it should but instead of replacing it and shrugging it off, he examines potential root causes.
Will sending samples reveal what's really going on?

Improving Shop Environment Quality for $200? Yes, please.
Saunders has been working to improve shop air quality.
Between the Big Ass Fan, the ERV, and the new Fan/Filter Modification from Grimsmo's new lapping machine video, it's like a breath of fresh air.

So far, it's working great but whether or not the charcoal filter
will clog remains to be seen.

Want to get an upgrade? Check out this NYCCNC page for a bill of materials.

Double Dose

AU Toronto pays Grimsmo a visit to talk Fusion 360. PLUS,
the Elliot Matsuura APS Engineer stops by to talk machine tools and custom codes!

What makes it Swissish?

There's some fuss on WhatsApp about the 
Tsugami SS327-5AX Swiss Lathe with B-Axis

Pallets? Check. Code? Please wait.
Grimsmo wants the code to complete for one pallet, rewind, move over, and start from the stop but there's one BIG problem: Fanuc and it's dinky memory size...

Come on, MAN.  It's 2018!  You can't even BUY memory that small anymore! 

To make matters worse, logic can't be used in the DNC side of memory which holds 2G (plenty of room).  So, that means 2-3 hours of alone time (hand coding) and the pallets should be good to go.  

Tune in to hear about Grimsmo's end of 2018 thoughts AND outlook for 2019!

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