Machining talk from inside the shop.
Within Tolerance follows machinists talking directly with other machinists about what is happening in their shops. Conversations move from five-axis limits and CAM automation to unpaid invoices, shop moves, coolant problems, pens, ERP software, and the business pressure behind finished parts.
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Within Tolerance is a machining podcast with dirt under its fingernails and CAD/CAM in its bloodstream. Dylan Jackson hosts conversations from the world of Protean Machining, where machine tools, customers, software, and shop logistics all collide in real time. The show is aimed squarely at machinists, and it talks like it. Episodes do not separate technical work from business stress. A discussion of five-axis limits can sit beside a story about moving a machine, chasing payment, rebuilding a website, or trying to make space in a shop that filled up faster than expected. That mix gives the show its shape. The technical side is specific: turning spindles, volumetric accuracy, Hermle maintenance, CAM automation, robots, pallets, tooling, quick disconnects, and complicated tolerance work. The business side is just as present. Guests talk about one-person shops, production pivots, ERP tools for job shops, customer communication, late invoices, and the constant tradeoff between growth and sanity. Zap’s recurring check-ins bring a serialized feel, with travel, partnerships, California work, Boise packing, Toolpath plans, and the day-to-day pressure of keeping momentum. Other guests widen the lens. Devin Bodony talks Lichen Precision and machine growth. Curt Van Filipowski brings garage-built titanium pens and EDC craftsmanship. Jamie Peacock explains JSpec Engineering and the one-man-shop rhythm behind The Lone Machinist. Juan March and Blake Nazario discuss InFab, software for job-shop workflows, and the value of talking to people who actually run machines. The result is technical without becoming sterile, casual without losing substance, and blunt about the parts of manufacturing that rarely make it into clean case studies. Within Tolerance works best for listeners who care about both the cut and the context around it.
Made for: Within Tolerance is for machinists, small shop owners, CAM users, manufacturing founders, and technically curious makers who want real conversations from working shops. It especially suits listeners who care about the business pressure behind precision work.
What sets it apart: The show stands out by treating machining as both craft and operating reality. It keeps the tolerance talk, machine detail, money stress, shop moves, customer friction, and informal peer advice in the same frame.
Within Tolerance is a podcast where the hosts talk everything from machine shop work, CAD/CAM, and other manufacturing processes!
Dylan Jackson can turn a forgotten coolant hose into the shop lesson you'll remember.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A machinist catch-up about travel, packing up Boise, and a shifting machine plan.
Within Tolerance is mostly a catch-up between Dylan Jackson and Zap, and its appeal comes from how plainly it lets the month spill out. Zap has just come back from the UK after several days with Simon, with breakfast runs and rides to Evolve folded into the chat, while the…
A shop-software conversation that keeps growth, fit, and machinist reality in the same frame.
Within Tolerance centers on a practical question: how InFab can keep growing without giving up the agility that helps it answer shop requests quickly.
A shop-floor conversation about workflow, automation, and how machining gets introduced earlier.
Within Tolerance stays in the Proteum shop with Dylan Jackson, Justin, and Zap, and it keeps its focus on two practical concerns: getting the podcast setup working and making cam automation for toolpath easier to use.
A live camera setup, a custom stand, and one shop spill keep this machinist chat moving.
This machinist conversation opens with the awkward charm of becoming a video show in real time, as Dylan Jackson and Zap work through the first in-person multicam setup, the camera glances, and the strange lag of seeing yourself a beat behind.
A practical shop-floor conversation about equipment choices, space, power, and price.
Within Tolerance comes across as a practical look at how a small machine shop got off the ground, with Rebecca Wolfinger framing Millspec Manufacturing as a service-disabled veteran-owned job shop and the Practical Machinist series as a start-from-scratch story for less than…
Host Jack Rhysider narrates true hacking, breach, and privacy stories from the people involved.
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Long-form interviews on AI coding agents, infrastructure, and security, plus a recurring SED News roundup.
Founders and engineers on AI coding agents like Claude Code, and supply chain security.
David Sparks and Stephen Robles dig into Keyboard Maestro, Shortcuts, and Mac automation weekly.
Host Dylan Jackson and co-host Chris Zapatini catch up on recent podcast appearances and machining projects.
Dylan and Zap catch up on Zap's recent trip to the UK, where he worked remotely and visited Simon.
On episode 269 of Within Tolerance, host Dylan Jackson of Protea Machining catches up with returning guest Devin Bodony of Lichen Precision, who has grown from two to five employees and moved his shop from an 800-square-foot pole barn into a 4,000-square-foot industrial space since his last appearance on episode 181.
Kurt VanFilippowski discusses his business Confounded Machine, where he makes high-end titanium pens in his garage.
Jamie Peacock discusses his journey from starting JSpec Engineering to co-hosting The Lone Machinist podcast, focusing on the challenges and joys of being a lone machinist.
Machinists discuss business challenges, including payment delays and stress, while catching up on recent events.
Infab started with Juan March needing job tracking, not a product roadmap.
Justin explains why Tool Path needs a constraint system, not just "super advanced Clippy."
Dylan Jackson says the new retainer model cut friction by taking 100% up front and billing weekly zero-dollar invoices.
Dylan Jackson interviews Rebecca Wolfinger, co-owner of Mil-Spec Manufacturing, about her journey from culinary arts to starting a machine shop from scratch.
Dylan and Chris catch up on recent podcast appearances and discuss machining challenges.
Juan March returns to discuss the major changes at Jacksonville Precision over the past two years, including replacing all their CNC machines after spindle failures.
Dylan Jackson interviews Ethan Patane about his experience as an intern at Prodium Machining and winning the Formula SAE competition.