Episodes

  • Ep. 102 – Growing a Community of Passionate Customers, with George Breiwa

    Ep. 102 – Growing a Community of Passionate Customers, with George Breiwa
    Jul 3 2025
    On today’s episode we continue our season talking about companies who produce their own products. Our guest is George Breiwa, founder of DynaVap, a company that produces a unique type of vaporizer, using Index multi-spindles and CNC Swiss lathes. George says that one of the keys to the company’s success is growing and nurturing a [...]
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    31 mins
  • Stop Waiting to Feel Ready-EP 245

    Stop Waiting to Feel Ready-EP 245
    Jul 1 2025
    I know a ton of people reading this will relate to what I’m talking about: starting something that feels completely daunting. So here’s another blog about my new YouTube channel, I Learned It on a Podcast—partly because I desperately need viewers, but mostly because this episode hit me hard.” “For those new to the show: [...]
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    11 mins
  • Selling Real Cow Bone to Machine Bone Screws! With Mary and Jim Rickert -EP 105

    Selling Real Cow Bone to Machine Bone Screws! With Mary and Jim Rickert -EP 105
    Jun 24 2025
    Have you ever wondered if bone screws could actually be machined from real tissue? If that were possible, where could one get such bone? What animals would be safe enough? Here’s an old favorite episode. If you haven’t listened to it before, it is going to expand your mind. And you get to learn a [...]
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    30 mins
  • Tasmania to Tehran Fixing CNCs, with Donato Notaro-EP 245

    Tasmania to Tehran Fixing CNCs, with Donato Notaro-EP 245
    Jun 17 2025
    A few months ago, we brokered a Tornos MultiSwiss 8/26 from Germany to a shop in Massachusetts. To make sure the machine was in top shape, we brought in two Tornos experts—my friend Dulio and his longtime mentor, Donato Notaro–today’s podcast guest. Donato had just officially retired after nearly 50 years in the machining world, [...]
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Leaving your Father’s Manufacturing Company and then Founding Your Own, with Howard Sheldon-EP 214

    Leaving your Father’s Manufacturing Company and then Founding Your Own, with Howard Sheldon-EP 214
    Jun 10 2025
    Our guest on today’s show, Howard Sheldon, grew up working in his family’s third generation precision turning company. He planned to eventually take over the business from his father, but unfortunately succession didn’t happen the way he had hoped. Howard left his family company in his mid-30s, and 10 years ago started his own Swiss [...]
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    50 mins
  • How to Talk to Anyone—Even If You Disagree-EP 244

    How to Talk to Anyone—Even If You Disagree-EP 244
    Jun 3 2025
    I just launched a new YouTube show where I share the most fascinating lessons I’ve learned from podcasts—ideas that can help you grow in business and life. It’s called I Learned It on a Podcast. The first episode dives into a topic I know Swarfcast listeners will appreciate: how to communicate, negotiate, and really listen—even [...]
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    10 mins
  • Precision Machining Class in Session, with Jared Daily-EP 207

    Precision Machining Class in Session, with Jared Daily-EP 207
    May 28 2025
    My guest on today’s podcast, Jared Daily, could have been a mechanical engineer or even a doctor if he wanted to, but instead, he followed his passion and became a journeyman machinist right out of high school. Then he fell into a career 24 years ago, teaching precision machining to high schoolers at South Adams [...]
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    Less than 1 minute
  • The Machining Revivalist with Chris Armstrong—EP. 243

    The Machining Revivalist with Chris Armstrong—EP. 243
    May 20 2025
    Chris Armstrong has saved me more times than I can count—helping us at Graff-Pinkert through tough machinery deals, especially when it comes to Swiss machines. Citizens? He’s our guy. But today’s podcast isn’t just about technical know-how. After years of driving coast to coast fixing machines and solving problems most people wouldn’t touch, Chris is [...]
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    49 mins