The definitive guide to online communities where machinists, CNC operators, shop owners, and manufacturing engineers connect, learn, and talk shop.

Whether you're a seasoned journeyman, a shop owner looking for advice, or just getting started in the trade, these are the places where the machining community gathers online. We've verified every forum and community listed here is active as of 2026.

Professional Machining Forums

These are the heavy hitters — where professional machinists and shop owners discuss everything from feeds and speeds to running a business.

Practical Machinist

The largest professional machining forum in the world. Over 2 million posts covering CNC machining, manual machining, shop management, and every major machine brand (Haas, Mazak, Okuma, DMG Mori). The "Shop Management and Owner Issues" subforum alone has 179,000+ posts. If you're a working machinist or shop owner, this is the most important community online.

  • Best for: Professional machinists, CNC operators, shop owners
  • Highlights: Manufacturing Resource directory, career listings, tooling classifieds
  • Culture: No-nonsense, highly technical, expert-level answers

CNCzone

The broadest CNC community online. Covers CNC machining, routing, plasma/laser cutting, CAD/CAM software, and more. Includes RFQ boards where shops post and find work, job listings, and classified ads. Machine-brand and software-specific subforums make it easy to find help for your exact setup.

  • Best for: CNC operators across all disciplines, from metal to wood to plasma
  • Highlights: RFQ boards, machine brand subforums, classified ads
  • Culture: Technically diverse, beginner-friendly in most sections

Manufacturing Forums (machinistboard.com)

A smaller but intensely professional community focused on production CNC machining. Discussions cover Swiss machining, EDM, gear making, fixture design, and specific brands like Haas and Mazak. The "Shop Owners and Management Discussions" subforum is where real business conversations happen.

  • Best for: Production shop operators, CNC programmers, shop owners
  • Highlights: Swiss machining, fixture design, shop management discussions
  • Culture: Professional shop floor talk, experience-oriented

Shop Floor Talk

A well-established skilled trades forum with nearly 800,000 posts. While welding and fabrication are the most active sections, the machining subforum has 62,000+ posts and the business discussions (hourly rates, insurance, certifications) are invaluable for anyone running a shop.

  • Best for: Skilled trades workers, shop owners discussing business
  • Highlights: Business setup advice, hourly rate discussions, safety
  • Culture: Blue-collar, practical, direct

Hobby & Home Shop Forums

Home shop machinists are some of the most passionate people in the trade. These forums cater to hobbyists, but the skill level is often remarkably high.

The Hobby-Machinist

Self-described as "The Friendly Machinist Forum" — and it lives up to that. Over 42,000 members share projects, ask questions, and help beginners. Vendor-sponsored subforums (Precision Matthews, TouchDRO) provide direct access to manufacturers.

  • Best for: Home shop machinists from beginner to advanced
  • Highlights: Beginner-friendly, active vendor participation, project galleries
  • Culture: Welcoming, patient, supportive

Home Shop Machinist BBS

The companion forum to the long-running Home Shop Machinist and Machinist's Workshop print magazines. With 1.4 million posts in the general forum alone, the archive is a treasure trove of machining knowledge accumulated over decades.

  • Best for: Traditional machining enthusiasts, magazine readers
  • Highlights: Massive knowledge archive, CNC and gunsmithing subforums
  • Culture: Old-school, knowledgeable, relaxed

Home Model Engine Machinist

A specialized community of 11,000+ members who build miniature engines from scratch — steam, IC, and more. The machining skill required is extraordinary, and the community is one of the most encouraging you'll find.

  • Best for: Precision hobbyists, model engineers
  • Highlights: Engine build logs, casting, "Mistakes & Boo Boos" subforum
  • Culture: Encouraging, detail-oriented, international

Reddit Communities

Reddit's machining communities are large, active, and rank well in Google — making them great places to find answers and connect with other machinists.

r/Machinists — 254,000 members

The largest machining subreddit. A mix of professional shop machinists, apprentices, and journeymen discussing everything from career advice to technical problems. Trade-shop culture at its best.

r/CNC — 109,000 members

All things CNC — mills, lathes, routers, CAM software, G-code, and automation. A broad mix of operators, programmers, and hobbyists.

r/machining — 33,000+ members

Focused on machining processes, tools, and projects. Great for seeing real setups and finished parts from other machinists.

r/metalworking — 762,000 members

The broadest metalworking community on Reddit. Covers machining, welding, casting, sheet metal, and fabrication.

Other notable subreddits:

Facebook Groups

Facebook groups are where many working machinists spend time daily. Member counts are approximate — you'll need a Facebook account to join.

Machinists (Facebook Group)

150,000–250,000+ members. The largest machinist group on Facebook. Daily posts from professional tradespeople covering manual and CNC machining, troubleshooting, and show-and-tell. Search "Machinists" in Facebook Groups to find it.

CNC Machinists

50,000–120,000 members. CNC-specific discussion — Fanuc, Mazak, Haas programming, G-code, CAM software, and career topics.

Machine Shop Talk

30,000–80,000 members. Skews toward shop owners and foremen. Equipment purchases, tooling, hiring, pricing, and business advice.

Job Shop Manufacturing

5,000–20,000 members. Smaller but highly targeted — quoting, scheduling, ERP, customer relationships, and growth strategy for job shops.

Other active groups to search for:

  • CNC Programming — 30,000–70,000 members, CAM and G-code focused
  • Manual Machining — 20,000–60,000 members, traditional trades
  • Tool and Die Makers — 15,000–40,000 members, stamping, injection molds, EDM

YouTube Channels

YouTube is where the machining community watches, learns, and gathers in comment sections. These channels have built real communities around the craft.

Top Channels for Professional Machinists

  • Titans of CNC (1.1M subscribers) — CNC education, aerospace manufacturing, Mastercam. Titan Gilroy's academy has trained thousands of machinists.
  • NYC CNC / Saunders Machine Works (443K subscribers) — Fusion 360 tutorials, CNC entrepreneurship, fixture plates. A machinist who turned YouTube into a manufacturing business.
  • Abom79 (565K subscribers) — Third-generation job shop machinist. Authentic manual lathe and mill work in a real production environment.
  • Edge Precision (100K+ subscribers) — High-end CNC turning and milling, aerospace work, Mastercam programming.
  • Joe Pieczynski (100K+ subscribers) — Manual machining skills and setup tips for working machinists.
  • oxtoolco (Tom Lipton) (147K subscribers) — Precision machining, special tooling, deep engineering insight from decades of experience.
  • Keith Fenner / Turn Wright Machine Works (130K subscribers) — Real job shop repair work. Manual lathe, welding, heavy equipment. As authentic as it gets.

Top Channels for Hobbyists & Learners

  • This Old Tony (1.21M subscribers) — The most-watched machining channel. Humor-driven storytelling with genuinely impressive lathe and mill work.
  • Clickspring (678K subscribers) — Precision clock making and ancient mechanism recreation. Extraordinary craftsmanship.
  • BlondiHacks (257K subscribers) — Welcoming and beginner-friendly. Manual machining, electronics, and project builds with clear explanations.
  • MrPete222 (Tubal Cain) (200K+ subscribers) — Vocational/educational machining from a veteran instructor. The gold standard for learning fundamentals.

LinkedIn & Professional Networks

LinkedIn is where procurement managers, manufacturing engineers, and shop owners network professionally.

  • NTMA (National Tooling & Machining Association) — The premier trade organization for precision machine shops. Their LinkedIn page and local chapter events connect shop owners directly.
  • Lean Manufacturing group — 121,000 members discussing continuous improvement in manufacturing
  • Manufacturing Operations Management group — 36,000–46,000 members, operations and supply chain focus
  • Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) — 28,000+ members, manufacturing executives and plant managers

Discord

Discord is growing among younger machinists, though most professional machinists still prefer forums and Facebook.

  • The Metalworking Discord (~3,300 members) — Official Discord for the r/Metalworking and r/Machining Reddit communities
  • PrintNC: DIY CNC, Hobby Machining & Making (~18,500 members) — Active maker community focused on DIY CNC builds

International Forums

If you're looking for machining communities outside the US:

Know a machining community we missed? Let us know and we'll add it to the list.

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