GRINDING WHEEL GRITS, RASK BLADES ON THE KERN, SAUNDERS CALLS GRIMSMO OUT, CHAMFER PSA, 2D CONTOUR VS. SWARF, FRUSTRATING FREIGHT FEES, GEOMETRY SELECTION HACK in FUSION 360, HIRING EMPLOYEES, FIXTURING FOR THE NORSEMAN, 3D PRINTING, AND NEVER TRUST ZERO

Business of Machining

This podcast is GOOD VENTING and BAD VENTING all things manufacturing and entrepreneurship.

Blade to the Grindstone After taking Saunders's advice (perhaps a bit too literally) Grimsmo takes a Zedaro Miltera Endmill to a knife blade and ends up with an incredible surface finish but the grinding wheel was another story...

Throughout the talk of grit, mesh, and desired results, Grimsmo casually drops a bombshell---and Saunders calls him out immediately.

PSA CHAMFER OR CORNER ROUND YOUR DANG PARTS A prospective hire for SMW finds it surprising to see how much deburring is done inside the machine! The guys highlight the benefits of chamfers and creative ways they've used different types of endmills to get that beloved edge break. Plus, Saunders shares his process for the SMW Diamond Dowel Pins, which come off the lathe a fully finished product.

BUT, BUT....I WANTED IT TO BE COOL! Grimsmo laments the fact that he's using something a lot more simple than a Swarf toolpath but he knows the more simple, less exciting one still gets the job done.

FRICKIN' FREIGHT Without rhyme or reason, a national freight company adds limited access fees or lift gate fees that really aren't sustainable for SMW long term. Obviously, it's a problem that will need solving but how much action does it require? Saunders decided to take action based on an interesting strategy.

THE BIG GOOD VENT Saunders shares his thoughts on things he's learned about hiring people and buying machines.

HACK IN FUSION Selecting multiple chains of a sketch or contour can be a hassle, especially if you want to use that same geometry for multiple operations. VIDEO COMING SOON! Grimsmo's been learning better workflows, component structures, how to organize and lay out sketches all while keeping in mind future Grimsmo Knives employees.

Fixturing & Tooling Standardization Grimsmo gives an update on the Norseman and while they're still able to make 6 knives daily, he's thinking about redesigning the fixture. The 2 long dovetail clamps on at each end causes the fixture to bow. The Johns discuss possible solutions and luckily, this is what SMW is all about!

Standardizing tooling doesn't sound exciting but once you've implemented it, it's like seeing something you can't unsee!

MINDS THEY ARE A CHANGIN'--and that's a good thing! RoboDrill replacement was going to be a Haas DT-2 but another consideration is MUCH more important to SMW than the fast rigid tapping.