What Today's Machining World does

Today's Machining World is a privately held, family-owned B2B media publishing company founded in 2002 and headquartered in Oak Forest, Illinois. The company produces editorial content targeted at the precision machining industry, operating a portfolio of content properties including a blog (Swarfblog), a long-running podcast (Swarfcast, with episodes into the multiple hundreds), YouTube video content, industry news coverage, a community forum, an email newsletter, and archive access to magazine back issues. The editor, Noah Graff, also operates as a used machine tool dealer, which provides the publication with direct industry relationships and deal-flow access that distinguishes it from purely journalistic competitors.

The core product is editorial content distributed across multiple formats. The underlying technology is a standard content publishing stack: a website, podcast hosting, YouTube channel, email newsletter infrastructure, and a forum. There is no disclosed proprietary technology, platform architecture, or AI tooling. Content is produced by a small team — Noah Graff (editor), Lloyd Graff (author), and Ridgely Dunn (author and video contributor) — operating with a headcount of 1-10 employees.

Revenue is generated through advertising and sponsorship from machining industry suppliers and machine tool companies. Named advertisers visible on the publication include First Source Manufacturing, Quotara, and Marubeni Citizen Cincom. The go-to-market model is classic niche B2B media: free, multi-format content to attract a specialized audience of machining professionals, monetized by selling advertising and sponsorship placements to equipment manufacturers, tooling suppliers, and related service providers. The small headcount and absence of disclosed funding, investor base, or transaction history indicate the business operates as a lean, family-controlled lifestyle enterprise rather than a venture-scalable platform.

Name

Today's Machining World

Legal name

Today's Machining World

Website

https://todaysmachiningworld.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Today's Machining World is a family-owned B2B media publisher founded in 2002, producing blog articles, podcasts, videos, and newsletters for the precision machining industry and monetizing primarily through advertising from machine tool suppliers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Trade Media

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Cooking & Beverage Magazines (MPAJAEAF)

Keywords

• Machining industry media
• CNC trade publication
• Metalworking editorial content
• Machine shop publishing
• Precision machining news

Headquarters

HQ city

Oak Forest

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Sponsorship: The publication generates revenue through display advertising and sponsored content from machining industry suppliers, equipment dealers, and manufacturers. Advertisers include used equipment auction companies (First Source Manufacturing), quoting services (Quotara), and CNC machine tool distributors (Marubeni Citizen Cincom).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Today's Machining World is a B2B trade media publication that produces and distributes editorial content, podcasts, videos, news, and forum discussions targeted at professionals in the machining and metalworking industries. The company monetizes its audience through advertising and sponsorships directed at suppliers, tooling vendors, and service providers serving machine shops and CNC manufacturing operations.

Product overview

Today's Machining World is a unified media platform serving the machining and manufacturing industry through multiple content channels. The core offering consists of the Swarfcast podcast, Swarfblog editorial content, Industry News coverage, and Video content—all anchored by the editorial leadership of Noah Graff (used machine tool dealer and editor) and Lloyd Graff. Supporting offerings include a Magazine Back Issues archive and a Forum community. The platform positions itself as a resource for machining professionals seeking insights on finding quality employees, customer acquisition, negotiation tactics, and CNC equipment recommendations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Swarfblog: Blog section featuring articles on machining industry topics
• Swarfcast

Products and services

• Swarfcast Podcast A long-running audio podcast under the Today's Machining World brand that covers the machining industry through interviews and editorial segments for machining professionals and shop owners.
• Swarfblog The blog component of Today's Machining World featuring editorial commentary, industry observations, and machining-related posts from the publication's authors and contributors.
• Industry News Coverage News section of Today's Machining World covering current events, developments, and announcements relevant to precision machining and metalworking professionals.
• Video Content Video programming from Today's Machining World featuring machining industry coverage, produced by the publication's video team and distributed via web and YouTube.
• Magazine Back Issues Archive Archive of past Today's Machining World magazine issues available through the website, providing long-form editorial access to historical machining industry coverage.
• Community Forum Online community forum where machining professionals and enthusiasts discuss industry topics, techniques, and shop-related issues.
• Email Newsletter Email newsletter subscription offered by Today's Machining World delivering editorial content and industry updates directly to subscribers' inboxes.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• First Source ManufacturingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUsed machine tool auction company advertising on the Today's Machining World website. Displayed as a sponsor banner with link to current auctions page.
• QuotaraminorGTM or Marketing PartnerQuoting service platform advertising on the Today's Machining World website as a display sponsor.
• Marubeni Citizen CincomminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCNC machine tool distributor (Marubeni Citizen Cincom) advertising on the Today's Machining World website.

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Manufacturing Engineering (SME): Society of Manufacturing Engineers' flagship publication covering manufacturing technology broadly, including machining; competes for advertising from the same industrial supplier base.
• American Machinist: Long-established (BNP Media) metalworking trade publication with broader industrial coverage; competes for the same CNC equipment and tooling advertiser budgets at a larger, more general scale.
• Fabricating & Metalworking: Trade media serving the broader metalforming and fabricating industry; overlaps with Today's Machining World's advertiser base (machine tool distributors, tooling suppliers) while covering adjacent metalworking processes.

Direct peers

• Production Machining: Gardner Business Media publication focused on precision machined parts production, screw machine products, and CNC turning/milling shops — a direct competitor for the same machining professionals and equipment advertisers.
• Shop Owner Magazine (Shop Metalworking Technology): Trade publication targeted at small and mid-sized metalworking shop owners, the exact persona Today's Machining World serves, with overlapping content (employees, equipment selection, business advice) and advertiser base.
• Cutting Tool Engineering: Trade publication covering metal cutting tools, tooling technology, and machining processes — directly competing for the same machining shop owner audience and tooling/CNC distributor advertisers.
• Modern Machine Shop: The leading trade publication serving the metalworking and CNC machining industry, with editorial coverage of machining technology, shop management, and equipment — directly overlapping Today's Machining World's audience and advertiser base.
• MoldMaking Technology: Gardner Business Media niche trade publication serving mold manufacturers, a closely adjacent vertical within precision machining that overlaps substantially with Today's Machining World's audience and sponsor ecosystem.

Others

• IMTS (International Manufacturing Technology Show): Industry's flagship machine tool trade show; an ecosystem partner where Today's Machining World's audience and advertisers converge, and a potential event/content monetization channel for the publication.

Emerging players

• Practical Machinist: Online community and content platform serving machinists with forums, articles, and marketplace listings; competes for the same hobbyist-to-professional machining audience with a stronger community/forum product.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TMWSwarfblog
• Facebookfacebook.com/todaysmachiningworld
• Instagraminstagram.com/todaysmachiningworld

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Today's Machining World