When you’re making parts, there are a lot of things to keep in mind… tolerances, feeds and speeds, tool wear, workholding… the list goes on and on. Whether you’re making your own parts or stuff for a customer or even shipping components off for Xometry, the final finish of your product is important to remember.

I like new toys as well as the next guy, so I try to take reasonable care of them. Toward that end, I’ve adopted a standardized “check-in” procedure for my shop.

This week, as I bore the responsibility of preparing a PCNC 1100 for an upcoming trade show, I made the realization of how much I dislike cleaning. Making chips is fantastic entertainment, but picking up those chips makes me cringe.