#precision-engineering
35 episodes
#5784: The Cheap Knife That Lies to You
Why a cheap sharp knife is worse than a dull one, and how to pick tools for stripping cable without nicking a conductor.
#5776: Why UV Epoxy Keeps Curing in the Dark
UV epoxy isn't the same as craft-store UV resin — and its acid-based cure keeps working long after the light goes off.
#5737: Why Measuring a $4 Spudger Tip Is Weirdly Hard
A listener wants to put a number on his spudger's tip thickness. Turns out that's a real metrology problem.
#5674: Sharpen vs Hone: The Right Knife Tool
A whetstone is the pro's choice — but it might be the wrong tool for the knife you actually own.
#5654: Why Hand Driving Beats Power Tools on Tiny Screws
A precision screwdriver set, ESD tweezers, and a spudger — the case for the manual tool in a world that reaches for the motor.
#5579: Cutting Things With a Dremel: What Actually Works
Cut-off wheels vs cutting bits, RPM by material, and why lateral cutting is fine with the right attachment and fatal with the wrong one.
#5514: Drilling Concrete: Jigs, Anchors, and Fidelity
Why your hammer drill wanders off mark, which wall-capable jigs actually grip, and how to match drill bits to anchors.
#5321: From Millimeters to Atoms: The Units of Small
A millimeter is the last unit you can feel. Below it, the trades borrow microns, mils, and angstroms — and the atom is a different regime entirely.
#5320: Where Does Micro-Engraving Actually Begin?
The naked eye's real resolution limit isn't what textbooks say — and it changes everything about micro-engraving and micro-soldering.
#5287: Does an Engraver's Practice Material Kit Exist?
Hand engravers have practice plates. Designers have plastic sample sets. Nobody's combined them — here's how to build your own reference library.
#5283: PH vs PZ: The Screw Bit Difference Nobody Notices
Two cross-head bits sit in every driver set. One was an accident that became a standard; the other was engineered on purpose and almost nobody can ...
#5224: When Hands Learned to Cut: Engraving and the First Metals
Half-million-year-old shell grooves, 9,000-year-old copper beads, and the feedback loop that turned cutting lines into an entire civilization.
#5131: Drill Bits Decoded: Wood, Steel & Tile
Why the right drill bit matters more than the drill itself — and how each material shapes its perfect tool.
#5060: Engraving Bits Decoded: Geometry, Grade, and Material Match
Cone vs. ball-nose vs. pointed, C2 vs. C4, single vs. multi-flute — what actually matters when engraving with a handheld rotary tool.
#5050: Engraving Hardened Steel: Carbide Grades & Hardness Tests
How to measure material hardness without destroying your workpiece, and pick the right carbide grade for stainless steel engraving.
#5016: Micro-Engraving Bits: Why Fine Carbides Fail on 2mm Text
The bit that's perfect for 0.5mm text is exactly wrong for 2mm numbers. Here's why.
#4949: Honing vs Sharpening: What Actually Happens at the Edge
The magnetism myth debunked, plus the real tools and techniques for keeping blades sharp.
#4392: Monocle and Pocket Watch: Authentic Props for the Ultimate Bit
Can you buy a prescription monocle and a vintage pocket watch without looking like a costume? We investigate.
#4311: How Your ATM Counts Cash in Milliseconds
The forgotten miracle of the deposit ATM — optical, magnetic, and ultrasonic sensors reading every note in milliseconds.
#3993: Installation Drivers vs Precision Screwdrivers: Which Tool for Which Job?
Why drills strip laptop screws and which tool actually bridges the gap between furniture assembly and electronics repair.
#3978: What's Actually Under the Road You Drive On
A highway looks simple, but it's a precision-layered structure engineered to last 30 years under millions of truck loads.
#3977: Who You Call When Rock Needs to Blast
The surprising engineering discipline behind controlled explosions near ancient buildings in Jerusalem.
#3869: How a Bendy Stick Transmits Torque
The surprising engineering inside flexible screwdriver extensions and how they transmit torque around obstacles.
#3613: Paint-Fill Engraving: Permanent Tool IDs That Survive Everything
Why paint markers fail on metal tools — and how a $120 engraver plus a paint-fill trick creates markings that last.