I build the thing.
Out of metal, plastic, and patience.

Bullfrog Machining

I was asked to fix a part on a golf cart that had been driven into a tree. I cut off the old bent part, machined a replacement, and welded it onto the original. A quick coat of paint and good as new.

Knurling on the CNC lathe

Knurling on a CNC machine! Took some research to wrap my head around it but now I got it figured out! #madewithtormach

Filmmaker → Machinist (YouTube channel)

Built a rideable backyard train from scratch for my nieces and nephews — welded frame, sprocket-and-chain drive, 48V battery pack, 12V throttle, forward/reverse. After six months of trial and error in the workshop, it finally runs consistently, so I'm laying PVC-and-wood track at my parents' place in Georgia. No engineering background, plenty of wrong turns, one jig for spacing the rails, and a top-speed test that got a little hairier than planned.

Building a Montessori Floor Bed

Built a Montessori floor bed from scratch for a coworker's daughter after Googling what one even was. SketchUp for the cut list, Forstner bit and drill press for the dowel holes, a cross-slide vise for clean repeatable positioning, and lag screws at the corners so it breaks down to fit in my car. Roughly 60 hours, $119 in materials, plus a scroll saw and cross-slide vise added to the shop along the way. Includes the failed jig, the racked panel I had to remake, and the moment the drill press fixed everything I'd been doing the hard way.

DIY Ninja Turtles Bookshelf Diorama

I built a Ninja Turtles sewer diorama for my bookshelf using XPS insulation foam, a Proxxon hot-wire cutter, and a Shiftinglands circle cutter to carve brick walls, miter-cut tunnels, and straw pipework. The finish is layered — Mod Podge and black paint base, gray gesso pushed into the grout lines, syringe-applied washes for grime, airbrushed graffiti, Sculptamold for corner buildup, and silver Rub 'n Buff on the pipes. Three LEDs wired in series sell the moonlight-through-the-grate moment. Donatello, Raph, Leo, Mikey, and Casey Jones move in at the end.

Turning my Drill Press into a Mill (DON'T DO THIS!!!)

First attempt at milling — adapted a drill press with a cross-slide vise and end mills to machine a custom lock-down part in high-density plastic, learning from YouTube and figuring it out on the fly. Shot and cut on an iPhone 11 Pro Max with FILMIC Pro and LumaFusion. The part works. The learning curve is just getting started.

Making a Custom DIY Doggie Door (and getting stuck in it)

I built a custom doggie door for my parents' three beagles — frame out of PVC for weatherproofing, magnet-and-paint-pen alignment for a clean close, marine-grade vinyl flaps after a floor-mat first pass. Got the outside stairs and a landing in too, since the dogs had to clear a windowsill before the drop. The build dragged — wrong glue, family complaints about the noise, a full v2 with corrugated sign-board frames and rotating flaps — but it actually works. Watch a beagle named Ruthie shove her way through and decide if it was worth the months.

Restoring a Bridgeport Mill — Stark Industries makeover

Full teardown and rebuild of a 1970s Bridgeport milling machine, repainted in a custom Iron Man/Stark Industries scheme. Stripped to bare castings with a grinder, flap disc, and wire wheel inside a homemade dust booth, then bagged, cleaned, and oiled every part for reassembly. One year into machining and now running a refurbished Bridgeport that works on every axis. Closer to a love letter to the machine's history than a how-to.

5-Minute Project — Garden hose hanger from dumpster lumber

Built a wall-mounted garden hose hanger from reclaimed pine 2x4s pulled out of a dumpster. Five minutes, zero hardware-store runs, fully functional. Shot on iPhone 11 Pro Max, cut in LumaFusion on iPad Pro. Quick shop update — scrap in, useful object out.

Assembling a Tormach 15L Slant Pro Lathe — first part

Unboxed, hauled, and assembled a Tormach 15L Slant Pro CNC lathe in my home shop — three pallets, an 18-wheeler that couldn't make the driveway, a borrowed box truck, an engine hoist, and a lot of adult Legos. Walked through the upgrades I added: air-powered 5C collet closer, touchscreen monitor, and the automatic tool changer turret. Then powered her up, jogged the X and Z, and turned my first computer-controlled part out of aluminum. First step into CNC machining — and the start of where this shop is headed.

Adding a Bar Puller to a CNC Machine — automation

Added a bar puller to my Tormach 15L Slant Pro and turned a manual feed job into lights-out production. The job: 100 spacers for a stock race car, sitting between the fiberglass shell and the steel frame. Loaded three feet of bar stock, cut a custom bushing on the manual lathe to damp the spin, hit go, and walked away while the collet pulled, locked, and cut 36 parts in a run. First real taste of automation in the shop — terrifying for about ten seconds, then addictive.

CNC Workholding using Superglue and Painter's Tape

CNC-machined aluminum labels for the material rack at Lanier Technical College's machine shop, solving the thin-stock workholding problem with the superglue-and-painters-tape trick from John Saunders at NYC CNC. Spot-drilled the holes, engraved the text seven thousandths deep, profiled the perimeter, and chamfered the edges — all without a vise. Finished by flooding the surface with Dykem, sanding it back so the red dye only sits in the engraved letters, then riveting the labels to the rack. A small shop-floor upgrade that doubled as a workholding masterclass.

Tormach feature — He Left Disney to Learn Machining

Tormach featured my journey from quitting Disney to becoming a garage machinist learning CNC on their 15L Slant-PRO Lathe. The spotlight follows the path from technical school to building a home workshop to cutting first parts on the lathe, all documented on my YouTube channel. Proof that a clean career pivot — and a willingness to look dumb on camera — can land you in the manufacturer's own highlight reel.

Tormach Garage Series (host)

Host and creator of Tormach's eight-part Garage Series — the official onboarding course for new owners of the 1100MX CNC mill. I walk first-time machinists through power-up, the PathPilot interface, workholding, tooling, coolant, CAD/CAM, and conversational programming, then close the series running and inspecting real parts. Built for garage makers and shop teachers who want to be cutting chips fast. Episode one sets the table.

Lumière — Beauty and the Beast

🎨 Creating Lumiere’s candles for a high school production of Beauty and the Beast! @artios_sugarhill From 3D scanning and modeling to printing, painting, and wiring – see the magic unfold! 🌟🎭 Big shoutout to @kaden_moniz for bringing Lumiere to life on stage! 👏✨ 🔗 Watch my full process video on YouTube: link in bio. #3DPrinting #DIYProjects #BeautyAndTheBeast #Lumiere #TechWeek #BehindTheScenes #HighSchoolProduction #MakerMagic #3DModeling #Polycam #NomadSculpt #Fusion360 #StageProps

FidgetCraft launch reel

This new fidget toy is now on my #etsy shop: FidgetCraft: a Magnetic Fidget Slider and Building Toy. @fidgetcrafttoys This was super fun to develop and test out on my siblings and nieces and nephews. Plus I’ve had loads of fun playing with it. It’s so satisfying! Check it out over on my store. Link in bio! #maker #edc #fidget #fidgettoys #satisfying #satisfyingvideos #haptic #asmr

Magnetic Fidget Slider product

FidgetCraft: a Magnetic Fidget Slider and Building Toy. Check it out over on my #Etsy store. Link in bio! @fidgetcrafttoys #maker #edc #fidget #fidgettoys #satisfying #satisfyingvideos #haptic #asmr #3dprinting

Building the injection mold

Working on the injection mold for my @fidgetcrafttoys - once I get the mold working, I’ll be able to crank out these toys faster and they’ll look like real things and not just 3D printed. #fidgettoys #injectionmolding #cncmachining

Magnetic Lego Minifig shoes

I created magnetic shoes for Lego Minifigs that work with @fidgetcrafttoys! Oh my goodness! Game changer. www.FidgetCraft.com

Brother's surprise discovery

I gave my big brother a set of FidgetCraft tonight (the DICE and DOMINO) and he discovered this amazing trick you can do with it. My nephews and I lost it! So cool. I don’t understand it but I love it! #fidget #fidgettoys #fidgettoy #fidgetslider #stemtoys #stemtoysforkids

First Etsy order shipped

Today I shipped off my first Etsy order! I’m enjoying dipping my toe into the product world. Here’s a fun little reel showing a little bit of the process of how I make my magnetic action figure blister packs. (Etsy store link in bio) #actionfigures #toys #makersgonnamake #vacuumforming

Lathe II crankshaft final project

Lathe II students working on their final project for the class - a crankshaft! They have learned so much over their time in this program. #machining #machinist #trade #machinistlife #instamachinist

Offset turning a crankshaft

Student offset turning a crankshaft this morning. #machining #machinist #machineshop @lanier_tech

Heat-treat 1-2-3 blocks (still glowing)

Heat treat students pulling their 1-2-3 blocks out of the oven. Air cooling. That glow is so pretty! #machinist #machining

Mill I student on a radius cutter

Mill I student using a radius cutter. #whysoserious #manualmachinist #machinist

Machinist's favorite Halloween costume

What is a machinist’s favorite Halloween costume? #machinist #machining #halloweencostume #machineshop

'Twas the weeks before Christmas (shop holiday)

‘Twas the weeks before Christmas and all through the shop, not a lathe chuck was spinning… Machine tool lab is empty and quiet without the students here to run the machines. #machineshop #laniertech @lanier_tech #machining #machinist #instamachinist

DIY vacuum-forming machine

Sometimes inspiration hits you late at night. Last night around midnight I decided to try and make a vacuum forming machine. So using a laser to cut out the box and an aluminum welder to make the frame, I was able to do a couple of successful vacuum pulls. This can be used to make molds or to create packaging for a future product. I am really excited about possibilities. I still have a lot to learn but this is a great first step. #vacuumforming #maker

Mitaka lightsaber (Star Wars Visions)

I made this lightsaber for a friend who wanted to cosplay Mitaka from Star Wars Visions for @starwarscelebration this weekend. I couldn’t attend this year but glad to be a small part of it. Looks like everyone is having a blast. (Made on my CNC lathe @tormach, and my manual mill and lathe.). #starwarscelebration #lightsaber #machining #madewithtormach #machinist #cncmachining

Magnetic action-figure display

My latest creation - a magnetic action figure display pack. Display your favorite action figures ANYWHERE! I’m super excited about this - I’ve launched it for SALE on my Etsy store! (Link in BIO) These magnetic action figure blister packs are perfect for the action figure collector who likes to open their toys but also display them. The blister pack evokes the pristine nature of a action figures and the unique use of magnets allows you to display your action figures on refrigerators, filing cabinets, dry erase boards, etc... These are the perfect size for Star Wars, G.I. Joe, or whatever 3 3/4 inch action figures you want to show off. #actionfigures #toys #nostalgia #80stoys #display #custom #displaycase #blisterpackaging #vacuumforming #maker #etsy #etsyshop

Butane rockets

Playing with Butane rockets. Mix butane and water and flip = rocket! #science #rocket #fununcle

Pirate-ship treehouse zipline

Finally put up the zipline from our pirate ship treehouse. Been meaning to do it for a while, and the boys took the lead and made it happen. Everyone in the family had to try it. Some were braver than others. A few questionable landings. Lots of laughs. I love this crew. We’re always up to something fun, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. #Zipline #PirateShipTreehouse #MemorialDayFun #familytime

Vacuum-formed chocolate bars (YouTube)

Intro to Creative Technology students designed custom chocolate bar molds from scratch — modeling in Fusion 360, 3D printing the bucks, vacuum forming PETG sheets, then casting the chocolate themselves. End-to-end CAD-to-candy in one project, built to give high schoolers real reps with the tools of a creative career. Watch them eat their homework.

Servos + PS4 controller — Arduino build (YouTube)