Within Tolerance

Within Tolerance

Within Tolerance is a podcast where the hosts talk everything from machine shop work, CAD/CAM, and other manufacturing processes!

  • 2 hours 18 minutes
    Within Tolerance Episode 271 - Pre-Flexing with Zap

    In‑person catch‑up: pre‑Flex rigging shuffle, neighbors bribed with donuts, and the first HyperMill customer part. Zap runs through leaving Boise, growing the team, splitting work the right way, and getting a shop moving with CMM, coolant, and probing.

    Check out Zap's IG @zap.consulting

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    Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast

    20 December 2025, 4:11 am
  • 1 hour 43 minutes
    Within Tolerance Episode 270 - Wait, You Take Breaks? With Zap

    We catch up on a busy stretch: Zap’s UK stint, dialing in systems, and turning chaos into consistency—including saying no when it counts. Dylan locks the shop layout, keeps the S700, preps for the Hermle HSFlex and hyperMill, and shares a few hard-won long-cycle lessons.


    Justin's Speedio Filter - https://marketplace.sendcutsend.com/p/CD80E306/chip-filtering-grate-filter-for-brother-speedio-s500-and-s700 Check out Zap's IG @zap.consulting

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    Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast

    14 November 2025, 1:34 pm
  • 1 hour 55 minutes
    Within Tolerance Episode 269 - Devin Bodony of Lichen Precision

    From an 800 sq ft pole barn to a 4,000 sq ft shop, Devin shares how Lichen leveled up: team, layout, and automation. We cover the R450 cobot project, M300 wins, live‑tool lathe realities, and building a stable, sustainable operation without the chaos.

    Check out Devin’s IG @lichen_mfg

    and check out his podcast Incremental at https://open.spotify.com/show/5pjzm7sFZrumDHv2eqytg5


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    Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast


    31 October 2025, 1:56 pm
  • 1 hour 53 minutes
    Within Tolerance Episode 268 - Curt Van Filipowski of Confounded Machine

    Curt of Confounded Machine shares how a garage hobby became a thriving EDC pen brand. We dive into retrofitting a Hardinge, moving to a Syil X5 , iso-grid grips, entropic anodizing, and his new “Mech One” mechanism.


    Rigibore RADS video mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0pM5cKUKSA


    Check out Curt’s IG @confoundedmachine


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    Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast

    22 October 2025, 2:15 pm
  • 1 hour 59 minutes
    Within Tolerance Episode 267 - Jamie Peacock of JSpec Engineering

    Jamie Peacock of JSpec Engineering and The Lone Machinists podcast joins to talk one‑man‑shop reality, from building and retrofitting machines to launching the Anchor Point zero‑point system. We hit in‑house anodizing, adding a 4th on Siemens, and why relationships beat everything in business.


    Link to the article discussed in the episode: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lets-talk-cheap-labour-expensive-mistakes-danica-peacock-cqrsf/ Check out Jamie's IG @jspec_engineering

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    Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast

    19 September 2025, 2:20 pm
  • 1 hour 52 minutes
    Within Tolerance Episode 266 - Pallets, Payments, and Performance

    California updates with Zap, CMM finally dialed in, HyperMill setup progress, pin finisher optimization, RO water planning, and some honest programming errors. Topics include surface roughness tools, machine comparisons, cost tracking, floating tap holders, and technology perspectives.

    Check out Zap's IG @zap.consulting

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    Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast

    5 September 2025, 1:57 pm
  • 1 hour 36 minutes
    Within Tolerance Episode 265 - Juan March and Blake Nazario of InFab

    Juan March returns with InFab co‑founder Blake Nazario to share how a shop-floor problem became a purpose-built ERP for high-mix job shops. We cover InFab’s beginnings, its rebuild for multi‑tenant use, ITAR/GovCloud and CMMC, plus AS9100 tools. Juan also updates us on Jax’s growth: a larger facility, a Datron ML Cube, DMG DMC 85 with integrated pallet pool, a new CMM, and an industrial “Roomba.” We wrap with quoting realities, roadmap, and practical lessons on communication and traceability.


    Check out Juan’s IG @jaxmfg

    InFab's IG @infab.app

    and learn more about InFab at infab.app

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    Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast

    25 August 2025, 8:19 pm
  • 1 hour 56 minutes
    Within Tolerance Episode 264 - Three Mics, One Shop with Zap and Justin

    Zap, Justin Gray, and I trade wins, war stories, and hard lessons. Justin breaks down Toolpath’s CAM automation progress—constraints, search space control, and getting from “seven ops” to the three you actually want—plus new work on undercuts and 3+2. Zap brings DMG mill‑turn tales, a 1.5× tool life bump, and the hidden cost of tool library drift. I talk CMM headaches and adding a newer manual machine. Then rapid‑fire Q&A: VF‑2 vs. higher‑end 30×16 choices, our aluminum rougher, Blum Z‑nano supremacy, zero-point with no probe, wear comp best practices, zero‑point/G10 for legacy setups, and real ways to recruit students (FIRST and desktop CNC done right). Stick around for a Mastercam RAM allocation fix, a Fusion post warning, Freddy bee‑duty, and why one‑piece flow still wins.


    Check out Justin’s IG @justinsgray and Toolpath Labs @toolpathlabs or https://www.toolpath.com/


    Check out Zap’s IG @zap.consulting

    -----------------------------------------Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast

    15 August 2025, 1:57 pm
  • 2 hours 7 minutes
    Within Tolerance Episode 263 - The Coolest Safeties Around with Zap

    From the coolest $10 aviator safeties to a future “van-cast,” Dylan and Zap catch up on shop projects and a mountain of listener Q&A. Dylan shares a smart coolant-dosing build, a bio-renewing parts washer win, PH Horn saw success, and ballbar/linear guide fixes that tightened up the Speedios. Zap details big wins on a project, Mastercam Mill-Turn on a Nakamura, and rolling out prepaid-hours plus Asana API automation. We dig into roughing tool holders (powRgrip, hydraulic, shrink), mist collectors, workholding vs toolholding, and more!

    Check out Zap's IG @zap.consulting

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    Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast

    10 August 2025, 2:34 am
  • 2 hours 21 minutes
    Within Tolerance Episode 262 - Patrick McClintock

    Patrick McClintock (@job_shopper_tn) joins me this week to discuss his unique journey from tech school to becoming a skilled machinist and programmer. We explore his decade at Galyon Manufacturing, his transition to RbSA Industrial working on tube bending tooling, and the challenges of changing jobs after building deep connections. Patrick shares the story behind growing his Instagram, the creation of the Impractical Machinists podcast, and gives us his best Yayhoo impression. We also talk about his experiences with probing in Fusion, finding the right balance between caring about your work and your well-being, and the value of quality workholding solutions.


    Check out Patrick's IG @job_shopper_tn

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    Help support the podcast at https://www.patreon.com/Withintolerancepodcast

    18 July 2025, 5:44 pm
  • 1 hour 35 minutes
    Within Tolerance Episode 261 - In-Person and On Video with Zap

    Zap joins me in the studio for our first-ever video recording! We share updates from both our shops, with Zap detailing his extensive travels and successful business model revamp. I discuss recent shop improvements, material supplier frustrations, and a surprising visit from wastewater management. We answer listener questions about optimal shop layouts, machine installation planning, and whether premium machines are worth the investment.


    Check out Zap's IG @zap.consulting

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    Help support the podcast www.patreon.com/withintolerancepodcast

    7 July 2025, 3:14 pm
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