The Lone Machinists

Curt and Jamie dive into business and manufacturing as one-man shops.

The Lone Machinists is a business podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 85 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts The Lone Machinists, a business show with 85 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #86

  Ep. 86: Spindle Grippers and Questionable Decisions

  Aug 19, 20261h 12mS1

  This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast , Jamie and Curt discover that zero-point workholding really is fucking magical . Jamie has reached the point where swapping between jobs is becoming almost stupidly easy. A tray comes out, another goes in, the machine already knows where everything is, and production can carry on without spending half an hour re-indicating a setup. The Anchor Point system has officially gone from "cool workholding system" to religion . And there is plenty more happening around the shop. Jamie is preparing for the upcoming IMTS trip , including a meetup at Justin's shop in Cleveland. The current plan involves landing in New York in the morning and then driving roughly eight hours straight to Cleveland for the meetup. Because apparently flying halfway around the world isn't enough punishment. Then comes another retrofit. Jamie discovers that the drives on the machine use a proprietary encoder communication system, meaning the easy solution he was hoping for isn't actually a solution at all. The motors can stay, but new encoder wiring needs to be pulled through the energy chain — approximately 60 metres of encoder cable worth of fun. Meanwhile, the shop is getting busier, the new workshop continues to evolve, and Jamie is preparing to change coolant on the LK because the existing coolant is getting increasingly thick with tramp oil. The replacement is an aluminium-specific coolant that is about to get thrown directly into a production job — because apparently the best way to test coolant is to put expensive parts in it. And, as always, the episode eventually reaches the Google Box , where Curt has drones, transmitters and AliExpress purchases waiting for a sale, while Jamie has tiny screws, pneumatic check valves and yet another reason to spend money online. Links Discussed: IMTS Meet Up RSVP Form: https://forms.gle/CQXMmFsTZEytb8gD7 Kens Keyboards: https://notsuspicious.com/ Lego: https://www.reddit.com/r/DontPutThatInYourAss/comments/1nd8ant/legobutt_plug/ The Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinists Need Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ Jamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/ https://www.noughticalwh.com/ Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

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  Episode #85

  Ep. 85: Coolant, Calendars, and Counting Errors

  Aug 12, 202659 minS1

  This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast , Jamie discovers an important new limitation in his manufacturing capabilities: This week we're also talking about the reality of running production when customers apparently expect you to know which parts they need urgently without actually telling you which parts are urgent. "I'm not telepathic, motherfuckers." Jamie is trying to impose some sanity on the workday with a hard 7 PM cutoff and a maximum of 540 minutes of production time per day , because allowing customers to constantly turn everything into an emergency is a fantastic way to end up working every night. Meanwhile, the new 3D printer has gone from "cool new toy" to a legitimate production tool. In just five days, it's already clocked around 45 hours of printing , producing tool tags, trays, gripping fingers and other shop hardware. One batch of 75 small parts was made possible by printing custom trays, getting everything prepared while another machine was running, and then putting the CNC into three hours of unattended production. Of course, the printer now has one major problem: The CNC is spraying coolant all over it. So naturally, the solution is to build a giant lid for the LK out of square tubing and plastic sheet rather than doing anything remotely sensible. So grab a coffee, check your quantities twice , and hit Cycle Start. Because apparently 28 does not come after 27. Links Discussed: nimble gripper: https://nimblegripper.com/ tool audit: https://jspeceng.github.io/Tool-Audit/ How ELRS Works: https://youtu.be/ssmQkRkXE84?si=FisbQeGbXOltDpLv IMTS Meet Up RSVP Form: https://forms.gle/CQXMmFsTZEytb8gD7 The Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinists Need Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ Jamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/ https://www.noughticalwh.com/ Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

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  Episode #85

  Ep. 84: Birthday Cake and Broken Machines

  Aug 5, 20261h 22mS1

  This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast, Jamie celebrates another trip around the sun the only way a machinist knows how—by spending it surrounded by machines, projects, and just enough chaos to keep life interesting. Because apparently birthdays don't stop production schedules. The guys catch up on everything happening in the shop, from ongoing product development and production runs to the constant balancing act between making parts, designing new products, and finding enough hours in the day to do both. As always, every solved problem seems to reveal two more waiting just around the corner. There's plenty of discussion about running a small manufacturing business, the realities of launching new products, and why building a successful shop is often less about having the perfect idea and more about consistently shipping good work. Along the way, the conversation wanders into birthdays, family traditions, workshop stories, and the little moments that remind you life exists outside the machine shop... even if only briefly. Whether you're running a one-person shop, dreaming up your next product, or just trying to make it through another production week, there's something in this episode for every machinist. In This Episode: Birthday celebrations, machinist style Shop updates and production progress Product development and what's coming next Running a small manufacturing business Lessons learned from another busy week The usual machining stories and terrible jokes Why coffee is still the most important shop tool Grab a coffee, hit Cycle Start, and remember: Birthdays are temporary... unfinished shop projects are forever. Links Discussed: nimble gripper: https://nimblegripper.com/ applied science: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyIQkqBXhS0 The Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinists Need Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ Jamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/ https://www.noughticalwh.com/ Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

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  Episode #83

  Ep. 83: Nimble Gripper Has Entered the Chat

  Jul 29, 20261h 8mS1

  This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast , Jamie and Curt discover that making great machining videos is almost as difficult as making great parts. After another week of production, Jamie is finally looking at upgrading the workshop camera setup. The problem? His current action camera has all the image quality of a potato with a lens , which isn't exactly ideal when you're trying to film chips flying inside a CNC machine. The guys compare cameras, lighting, low-light performance, and whether an old cellphone might actually outperform a dedicated action camera. Meanwhile, the shop keeps moving forward. Jamie is preparing to run another batch of parts, making a new bar puller, and juggling product development while trying to find enough hours in the day to actually make chips. As always, production has a habit of getting in the way of all the exciting projects. The conversation also takes a hilarious detour into AI-generated search summaries after discovering that one of Jamie's websites has somehow been identified as a podcast hosted by AJ and Harrison instead of... well... the actual hosts. It's a perfect reminder that AI can be incredibly useful... and incredibly confident while being completely wrong. As always, there's plenty of discussion about shop life, content creation, product development, and the ongoing balancing act between building cool things and actually having time to show them to the world. So grab a coffee, hit Cycle Start , and remember: The part only takes five minutes to machine... getting the camera angle right takes forty-five. Links Discussed: nimble gripper: https://nimblegripper.com/ The Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinists Need Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ Jamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/ https://www.noughticalwh.com/ Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

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  Episode #82

  Ep. 82: Reddit Is Mad Again

  Jul 22, 20261h 16mS1

  This week on the Lone Machinist Podcast , Jamie and Curt dive into one of the less glamorous sides of making products: the internet. Between first-come, first-served launches, Reddit outrage, and the inevitable flood of "you should have made more" messages, they discuss why selling a popular product sometimes means disappointing more people than it pleases. And yes... rage comments still count as engagement. Jamie shares an update on Noughtical Workholding , where the next generation of products is already getting redesigned before it's even released. What started as a compact BT30 design has evolved into a Cat40 side-lock version after conversations with beta testers exposed a few practical realities. Sometimes the best feedback is the question you didn't think anyone would ask. The conversation also turns to the realities of growing a manufacturing business. Instead of chasing every custom job forever, Jamie explains why the long-term goal is investing in products and R&D that can scale, while still keeping the machines busy enough to pay the bills. It's the balancing act every small manufacturer knows all too well. Meanwhile, Curt talks about the emotional rollercoaster of product launches, why you can never build enough inventory, and how the internet somehow manages to be simultaneously your biggest marketing tool and your biggest headache. The Lone Machinist: Website: https://thelonemachinists.com/ Bonus Content: https://thelonemachinists.com/#bonus-content Merch: https://www.jspeceng.com/online-store Patreon: https://patreon.com/TheLoneMachinists Need Work Done? Check out Subtract Manufacturing at: https://subtractmanufacturing.com/ Jamie: http://instagram.com/jspec_engineering https://www.jspeceng.com/ https://www.noughticalwh.com/ Curt: https://www.instagram.com/confoundedmachine/ https://www.confoundedmachine.com/

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