Saunders says 'tis the season with an Uberchuck commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lncrr_7aJE
Saunders visits EMO in Germany while Grimsmo uploads his first YouTube video in months: CMTS!
Grimsmo debates the future of producing videos: in-house or enlist outside help?
McMaster University partners up with Grimsmo knives for a marketing class project!
Saunders speaks on Social Media at a local Machinery Dealer open house
What can YOU get out of an Open House Sales Event? Will a Royal Chuck get Saunders over the Lathe hurdle? Bar Feeder Secrets that Machine Dealers won't tell you! The key to buying a new machine? Play the market!
UpWork FTW! Grimsmo implements a great solution to their maker's choice system via some custom code written by an UpWork expert.
Finally, Saunders and Grimsmo are both due for new computers! What to buy?!
Feel like picking some BRAINS?
By reviewing this podcast on iTunes from now through the end of September, you could be chosen to have a CHAT with the co-hosts on the topic of your choice!
Saunders visits Madison, WI for Tech Days, formerly the Tormach Open House and
Mitutoyo America Corporation, second to The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in metrology accuracy.
And I said, "LAAATHE, what's goin' on?"
Grimsmo's coming in hot...so hot his inserts are turning to TOAST! Reaching out
for some help on Instagram, he's told to go back to school when it comes to SFM.
Click here to see Instagram post.
Should Grimsmo dive into arduino and put a z-axis motor on the
Tormach Surface Grinder? It's a yes AND a no from Saunders.
With the August 31st deadline fast approaching, marking the Rask Advent Calendar
has become an exciting part of the day.
COMING SOON:
Crunching numbers on accounting and the role it plays in capital investment.
Video: Q-Mark
STRESS, SOLUTIONS, and...SUSHI?
How long have you been in survival mode? If you're feeling under the
weather, there's a good chance it isn't last night's dinner.
When it comes to stress, be prepared to bring solutions to the table.
If there isn't a solution, venting and validation can offer relief.
Saunders and Grimsmo mull over ways to avoid past pitfalls and new ideas
to move their businesses forward. Often, the right decision isn't the easiest decision.
What gives? Saunders and Grimsmo share personal experiences
and frustration about companies who refuse to give a ballpark when it
comes to pricing.
No more guessing! Saunders reveals plans for the $11.82 teaser nugget.
On philosophical note, the guys talk about inspiration and legacy.
The phrase, "You can't take it with you" takes on a new meaning.
Video: Okamoto - I DO give a chuck!
Book: THE GRINDING WHEEL
The Rask order is nearing completion and the stork's bringing the VF2.
Saunders has a fantastic week. Systems are falling into place but
he reminds himself "not to count his chips while he's at the table." Grimsmo
still thinks it's a good idea to pat yourself on the back every once in a while.
The guys discuss accounting, tool organization and an important question
that was posed by Saunders in episode 17. Now that Grimsmo's had
some time to think, he's got some answers but what if it wasn't the
right question to ask?
Tune in to find out about a project that will give some weight to spinner
production and Saunders's $11.82 "teaser nugget." Can anyone guess
what's going on with that? Hmmm...
Grimsmo returns from vacation but was he able to relax?
Saunders tinkers with a new plan for organizing tools.
Just because they're the same size doesn't mean they go together.
To maximize efficiency, you may need to think outside your tool box.
PROCESS RELIABILITY, tell me what it means to me...
Reliable and consistent results take the cake over pushing tool paths to the limit.
The guys get to the nitty gritty on boring heads, tool life and custom macro for probing.
Saunders plans to test his codes to instill some confidence.
Grimsmo dreams of a book about FANUC macro code for his birthday.
"If it's a Fanuc intruction book, it'll probably have to come freight delivery." -Saunders
The Founder, a movie about the McDonald's franchise, offers food for thought.
Even if you don't plan on franchising your business, this movie could help you "dial in" your
processes.
Are they status boards...work-flow boards? No one is sure exactly,
but they're working like a charm! Tune in to find out what the guys will be calling them
"henceforth."
Orange Vise Tour
Machine ROI
Delivering Happiness
Grimsmo + Vacation = Worry/Anxiety?
Normally, the idea of vacation should produce feelings of excitement and
relaxation but for Grimsmo, it's a different story. "What is the end goal?"
The guys are in a constant state of defining and refining goals.
How do you know you've made it if you don't know where you want to end up?
In his quest to pay it forward and build a positive community for machinists,
Saunders often connects to his audience by showing lessons learned the hard
way. No matter how thick the skin, the internet trolls get under it by using
petty and destructive comments to assert themselves.
Grimsmo "discovers" EDM --Not Electronic Dance Music, wire EDM for knife making!
Mitutoyo comes to SMW to do a Measurelink Demo. When it comes to business
partnerships, personal connections can add weight to business decisions.
At the end of the day, it's still a business needing to thrive.
Delivering Happiness: http://amzn.to/2sGeaO9
Grimsmo Pierson MPS Video: http://bit.ly/2slM8T6
"We've got to talk." The suspense is killing Grimsmo after receiving cryptic messages from Saunders during his Californian machine shop trip.
Saunders and Grimsmo get honest about the current state of their businesses. Bootstrapping has its merits to a point but it can also inhibit your personal growth. If you don't let others build the ship, you'll never get to steer it! Being able to steer when the tides are changing is crucial.
For the first time in 10 years, it's not John Saunders and the business; it's the business and John Saunders. While Grimsmo has been embracing more managerial practices, he feels that breaking the bootstrap barrier is far way but Saunders believes that now is the time.
Saunders might have gone to California but Grimsmo gets a taste of Hollywood when he visits a prop-designer in PA with Carl from Lakeshore Carbide. Now that Saunders is back in the building, it's time to get caught up.
Pierson Tour: http://bit.ly/2tk4c4w
Grimsmo Knives work-flow boards: http://bit.ly/2slM8T6
Pierson QC Review video: http://bit.ly/2slWfab
"Goals are tools that allow me to say no"--What does that even mean?
On this episode of Business of Machining, Grimsmo and Saunders are taking action to improve workflow processes and quality control. While Grimsmo visits a machine shop at a local college, SMW hosts a TIG Welding class with Roy Crumrine and Jonathan Lewis (WELDING TIPS AND TRICKS PODCAST). Grimsmo shares an Instagram photo that strikes Saunders in a profound way. Pictures are STILL worth a thousand words--and shows that inspiration and perspective can be cultivated from anywhere! Saunders adds another new member to the team with a focus on Arduino and automation and Grimsmo gets a few new suggestions for a chip load issue on the lathe.
"I'm not the host, we're co-hosts" and for now, they want to keep it that way. For these two, paying it forward and reciprocity keeps the wheels turning.
Blade Show has amazing products but for Grimsmo, the people and interactions are the bread and butter(knife). Today, he plans to chop up 20 billets of timascus.
Got heartburn? It might be your workholding. Saunders racks his brain about his current system and Grimsmo offers some perspective on plausible
solutions while the Richard King Scraping Class is hard at work.
The 30-year-old Okamoto grinder turns out some impressive results when subjected to the 5-Block test.
What a shame! In a hotel, sometimes the only place with decent WiFi is beside the pool in beautiful weather. Today marks day 1 of Blade Show 2017 in Atlanta, GA. This week is full of productivity, positivity, and new considerations.
Saunders hones his communication skills, grows the SMW roster, and shares an official result of negotiations spanning several months.
Grimsmo's week has been full of rask parts, fidget spinners, shipping, and family time. Serious questions and a fresh perspective on an old cliche' precipitates discussion about his next business move.
Although coming up with excuses is easy, Saunders holds Grimsmo's feet to the fire. It's time to put a plan in action. Join in to find out what's on the horizon!
The Okamoto grinder gets TLC and opens the door to the grinding world for Saunders. Although Grimsmo's not wearing his tuxedo shirt, he DOES have a lesson on the saga of the "Linda Wheels."
For entrepreneurs, self-evaluation and reevaluation is a skill that must be practiced. While it poses challenges to decisions and beliefs, it can unveil new and better solutions to problems. This past week has been full of productivity and new ideas on work-flow.
Grimsmo gears up attend the blade show in Atlanta and
Saunders get the shop ready for TIG welding courses.
X-Rays and broken bones but everyone is safe! Full of energy and passion, the Open House has an even better year than the last. Grimsmo gears up for his 6th trip to the world's largest knife show. The amateur bug bites Saunders when Niagara Cutter pays a visit and it was caught on camera.
The E-Myth Revisited is (oddly enough) REVISITED by Saunders. Are you a technician, a manager, or an entrepreneur?
Join them as they discuss current roles and responsibilities and goals for the future. What would you do if money were no option? Sometimes you have to think big!
E-Myth Book: http://amzn.to/2rjGH85
It's tradeshow time! On the same day, Grimsmo attends Elliot-Matsura Joint Open House while Saunders attends the Precision Machining Technology Show. As business owners, they always have to be on the look out for better products. Sometimes it's difficult to avoid getting sucked into the almighty sales pitch.
Saunders contemplates a new addition to the shop while taking care of some much needed decluttering before the Open House. Grimsmo finds a new use for Kaizen Foam, goes against strict orders against making spindle liners for his lathe and can
finally see light at the end of the tunnel for Rask knife production.
Entrepreneurship isn't all sunshine and rainbows. The Johns both express their gratitude for special people in their lives.
Grimsmo decides to make his own fidget spinners (out of titanium) and two new grinding wheels have arrived. The Renishaw OLP for the lathe helps him make strides in efficiency. He is now running machines unattended while making good parts; especially with some additional macro code.
Saunders is extremely pleased about how well the Tormach fixture plates are turning out. Do you think machine time should be shown during EACH op in CAM and Fusion 360?
As an entreprenuer, confidence in your tools and machines isn't all you need. Multi-tasking - is it a valuable skill or bologna?
Saunders applies Grimsmo's often stated advice, "You can do anything but it doesn't mean you should do everything" by hiring a new employee.
A dedicated Grimsmo Knives fan goes above and beyond and Saunders attends SKILLS OHIO, a state-wide machining competition for high school students.
Tattoo Photo: http://bit.ly/2pxRp8H