IS YOUR SHOP HYPERLOCAL? How does a new potential customer find your shop? Yellow Pages are out... smartphones are in! Have you had occasion to type, or better yet, use voice commands with your smartphone to find a restaurant "near me"? This technology, called...

SLING YOUR SHAFT I have muscled crankshafts into place and used various methods of “slinging” them. I found this sling to be simple and easy. I built the hooks out of 1/2” steel rod and slid some heater hose over them to protect the crank's bearing surfaces. I found...

I'VE SEEN THE LIGHT Once again, I found myself on a ladder, one leg on the top rung and the other on a shelving rack, struggling to replace a ballast that was sucking the life out of our light and our electric bill. You’ve been there, trying to hold the swinging...

REFERRAL REWARDS CUSTOMER AND BUSINESS Rewarding existing customers when they share your services with a friend is a great way to generate new business. There are lots of ways to organize a referral program, including some cool eCommerce plug-ins for your website....

Professional auto and truck repair facilities are THE best source of high-value work for machine shops specializing in cylinder head repair. Professional mechanics usually know what they are working on and what is needed to correct a problem. Professionals have a...

TIME IS MONEY With certain jobs in the shop, setup time can be a big factor. I keep detailed notes and sometimes pictures of particular setups to save time. For instance, I have “crib sheets” for many set ups on the line boring machine. Block to machine head,...