Topics: 

• Tour of Miltera
• CMM machines and Tolerances on Norseman Features
• Born & Koch - Grinding Wheels on a Mill
• Sweetwater Sound, Inc. - Business Plans and Visions
• Willemin Update
• Stainless Steel SFM & Endmill Chipping

TOPICS:

• Grimsmo tries to figure out a Kern alarm he has never seen before.
• SMW got their new DT2 milling machine and it is QUICK!
• Saunders is taking a Javascript course to edit post processors better.

TOPICS:

• Business Problem Solving & Developing Systems
• DIY Coolant Washdown System
• Shipping, Customer Service
• Air Compressor/Drain System IoT Failure
• Google Sheet To Do List
• Thingyverse RC F1 Car: 3D Printed Parts & Inspiration
• Pro-Active Machine Shop Maintenance
• Learning the KERN - Mid Routine Program Restart: Heidenhain Block Scan, Haas Setting 36
• Programming G-Code using Visual Studio Code Detecting Syntax Errors
• Grimsmo Knives Shop Tour Video
• Fluke Power Meter Determines Power Availability for Willemin
• Growth Vs. Scaling: Approaching with Caution
• Sister Tools & Multiple CNC Mills
• Lathe Tooling & Tool Life
• Seco Quick Change Toolholder on the Swiss
• Capto Toolholders for the Nakamura
• SMW Fixture Plate Packing & Shipping Process

Check out Spencer Webb's IG @spencer_webb_nh for Kinetic Precision PFG Stones

TOPICS:

• Being vulnerable & making decisions.
• Moving and reorganizing areas of both shops.
• CORE VALUES.
• Traction by Gino Wickman
• Saunders installed a coolant washdown system.
• Chip management & draining coolant.
• Renishaw probe batteries.
• Draining air compressors!

TOPICS:
- Chip Trapper VS. Freddy
- Machine Shops & Climate Control
- Regularly Scheduling Maintenance
- DIY Washdown system for the Haas?
- 3D Printing a Detent Dropper Mechanism Creality LD002H
- Information and Operations Overhaul at SMW
- Communicating Important Information for Team

TOPICS:

• Both John's are reading Traction by Gino Wickman. Has tons of great information.
• What are the most important numbers to monitor in your business?
• Do you watch cash on hand on a daily basis?
• Standardize info without the noise.
• Grimsmo is trying to machine acrylic, which is tougher than it looks.

Topics:

• Grimsmo shares an update about firing his father
• How the justice system relates to owning a business
• Saunders leans toward LEx tracking inventory and communicating with Shopify's API
• Astronaut Hangout: Outer Space, Infinitesimal Perspectives, & UFOs
• GK Seco Tool Update
• Swiss IRL - Setup, Material, Guide Bushings, Turning Centerless Ground Material
• Willemin - A Customs Nightmare
• Helpful Advice for Decision Making - More alternatives = Better decisions
• KERN - Tool Life & Pallet Management

TOPICS:

• This week Saunders & Grimsmo give a deep dive into all their employees and what they do.

TOPICS:

• Grimsmo quits (this is a good thing, we promise)!
• ERP Systems & Purchase Orders
• Raw Material Shortages
• Willemin (Mill-ish) coming to Grimsmo Knives from Ohio
• Haas VF-3 & Haas DT-2 for production at SMW!
• KERN & lights out production
• Diagnosing Tool Life Killers & Solutions (Chip Evacuation, Fusion 360 Adaptive with Ramp Taper Angle, tool coatings, through spindle coolant, flute count, magnetism, and more!)
• Higby Threads, CNC Lathe Love, Master Ring Gauges
• Dimension Drawings for QC at SMW
• Fusion 360 FINALLY allows threading with a grooving tool!

TOPICS:

• How do business leaders spend their time inside their company?
• Saunders wants to hire a machinist or an operations manager.
• Saunders did an awesome tour with Area 419.
• DT1 Favorite machines.
• "Leadership is being present."
• Lathe facing passes and how to get the best finish.
• Saunders QC bin for diamond parts is getting better and better.

TOPICS: 

• Area 419 Tour will be premiered on YouTube Monday April 19th, 2021 at 1:30 PM EDT! 
• Cashflow, Loans, and Post Covid Economic Impacts
• Grimsmo's purchased a used Willemin
• Neodymium Magnets
• Swiss Miss - Saunders Decides Against Swiss for Reversible Inserts
• CNC Lathe Probing & Tooling Options
• Business Mindset - The Shift from Preparer to Reviewer

TOPICS:

• Saunders is settling in and working very hard on some updates to the shop this past year.
• Grimsmo dives into new coolant dispenser.
• Being a parent and teaching your kids cool stuff!
• Oil vs coolant.
• Grimsmo talks about ordering two new lathes!
• Cycle time speed increases across different machines.

TOPICS:

• SMW and Grimsmo in limbo between the lone bootstrapper and leader of a team
• Plurality of Swisses. Saunders and Grimsmo discuss production volume, process reliability, and other decision making factors for buying new CNC lathes
• I'm Nak sure if I need a Willemin or Nak. Grimsmo and Saunders debate about whether or not the Nak should be let go in favor of a Willemin Mill Turn
• Sourcing centerless ground 17-4 Stainless
• Bar feeders & Automation
• Area 419 Tour of the new shop gets Saunders dreaming big. The tour is set to premiere on YouTube on Monday, April 19th!
• GK products like the SAGA, Norseman, and Rask increase in demand
• Superordinate Shop Goals - Giving the team a unified vision
• Renishaw Probe Replacements = Worth It!

TOPICS:

• Grimsmo crashed a Renishaw spindle probe on the Mori.
• Saunders hired an intern just to focus on Johnny Five!
• Orbit mechanical water timer for filling coolant.
• Should we both get another swiss lathe?
• Saunders is reorganizing the whole shop.
• Doing a night run of pallets is a game changer.

TOPICS:

• Just Start! Saunders and Grimsmo discuss the importance of context and relativity when it comes to business advice.
• SNAP OUT OF IT! You may not realize you're in a comfort zone!
• Work Smarter AND Harder? The age old debate.
• Intelligence Vs. Diligence & Practice Vs. Skill
• Lights out production on the KERN
• Saunders hires out the cleaning and bookkeeping!
• Odoo ERP at Seneca Woodworking & Using Data
• SMW got flooded! Delay on/off switches: https://amzn.to/3eU8ZB2
• Martin upgrades the Shapeoko into a detent track burnishing machine
• How and when to hire more people
• Grimsmo talks about the possibility of selling the Nak for a bigger Tornos!
• Oil Vs. Coolant
• Ultrasonic Cleaning

TOPICS:

• Saunders' makes something awesome that went to the bottom of the ocean!
• Machining titanium
• Fusion 360 Tool Library issues and fixes
• Catching up on backorders.
• Shipping delays and organizing.
• Playing catch-up.
• Grimsmo gives a deep dive into swiss lathes and purchasing info for Saunders

TOPICS

• Learning - The importance of Curiosity and the Dunning-Kruger Effect (overestimating your competence)
• 3D Printers for Dual Extrusion
• Pivotal Machinist Moments - Area 419 Tour, Never Stop Quitting Your Job, and the Downside of Bootstrap Mentality.
• It Figures. After releasing the "How to Get Paid On Time" video, Saunders gets stiffed.
• Don't Take It Personal! Implementing systems and strategies for handling problematic situations is a MUST.
• Whip It Good! Haas Lathe Spindle Liner Whipped Itself into Shape?
• Lights Out, KERN ON. Grimsmo and his team arrive at the shop to find the KERN still running after successfully completing 10 pallets.

TOPICS:

• Saunders talks about his experience with quitting his day job and when you should to.
• Do you spot holes in machining?
• Saunders goes into a huge rabbit hole of 3d printing.
• Lathes, Lathes and more Lathes!
• Hot glue in the shop? What are the uses?
• Saunders does a shop tour at Area419

TOPICS

• Does a College Education Matter? Grimsmo and Saunders share their different paths and initial interests BEFORE they got into CNC machining.
• Someone is looking for a new machinist---could it be you?
• Optical Flat & Monochromatic Light for Part Flatness @laneymachinetech
• Grimsmo and Saunders offer each other workable solutions for tool break detection and other quirky issues.
• Renishaw probing macros and lathe part off techniques

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 programming
• Conventional VS. Climb Milling