About this episode

Taylor Jenkins shares his journey from aspiring pilot to running a one-man machine shop after a series of unexpected career changes.

Taylor Jenkins didn't start out wanting to be a machinist. He wanted to fly planes. Then COVID hit, his plans changed, and he ended up in a composites program working with carbon fiber instead, chasing the same hands-on itch he'd had since high school building RC gliders and racing drones. From there he landed a job as a CNC operator in southern Utah almost by accident, just because he could already read a blueprint. A few shops, a few good mentors, and one really bad boss later, Taylor end...

People in this episode

Guest: Taylor Jenkins

Topics covered

• machining
• CNC operation
• career change
• drones
• mentorship

Keywords

• machinist
• CNC operator
• carbon fiber
• drones
• career change

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Practical Machinist

Places: southern Utah

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• Machinists Sent Us Their Worst Shop Stories, These Were Brutal | 54 · July 21, 2026 · 1h 19m
• How Do We Train the Next Generation of Machinists? | 53 · July 7, 2026 · 1h 31m

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