Brent Donaldson Editor-in-Chief

Brent Donaldson is Editor-in-Chief for Modern Machine Shop, where he is oversees the brand’s writing staff as well as day-to-day management of editorial operations. Brent also serves as a columnist and feature writer and reports regularly about his travels to machine shops, trade shows and conferences around the country and internationally. Brent is also co-host, producer and editor of Modern Machine Shop’s documentary-style podcast, “Made in the USA.”

Before joining Gardner, Brent was editor-in-chief of Northern Kentucky University Magazine — the same university from which he received his journalism degree in 2005. Brent previously served as associate editor for Cincinnati Magazine, and is the recipient of two Ohio Excellence in Journalism awards for feature news writing, Cincinnati Society of Professional Journalists awards, and more than 40 individual awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education for writing and editorial.

Fun fact: Brent was the last journalist ever to interview Evel Knievel.

CAD/CAM

How to Start a Swiss Machining Department From Scratch

Contributed by Brent Donaldson

When Shamrock Precision needed to cut production time of its bread-and-butter parts in half, it turned to a new type of machine tool and a new CAD/CAM system. Here’s how the company succeeded despite the newness of it all.

Turning Machines

Inside an Amish-Owned Family Machine Shop

By: Brent Donaldson

Modern Machine Shop, PM’s sister brand, took an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of an Amish-owned machine shop, where advanced machining technologies work alongside old-world traditions.