Ever do a job requiring hundreds or even thousands of holes to be drilled?

Just launched my this month’s video with Cutting Tool Engineering for my “CNC Chef” column (a playful reference to the CNCCookbook). In the first video, I covered the subject of tool rubbing.

Walter Sorrells is a professional bladesmith and a YouTube knife maker. His channel focuses on teaching the processes of making knives and exposing the world to everything that is involved in the knife making process. Sorrells recently bought a PCNC 770 to help him produce and standardize his line of Tactix Armory knives.

As if the name didn’t give it away, Two Bit Circus is not your traditional engineering firm. The company places itself on the crux of developing technology and interfaces that are just too difficult to fake. Live-action video games, virtual reality experiences, and the cutting edge entertainment for groups are what make Two Bit Circus a whole new kind of company.

Understanding lathe tooling, what it does and how it works is a big part of refining finishings and maximizing tool wear and tear. There are a lot of options, so it can seem confusing, but it really isn’t once you understand the basics.

I love automation – there’s just something about watching a robot making parts you’re going to sell. A machinist friend of mine (Hi Peter T.!) refers to his bank of older CNC lathes as his money printing presses. They sit there with their bar pullers grinding out parts for him to sell all day long and about all he has to do is change bars and inserts from time to time.