Findlay’s Machine Shop

Outstanding work and fair price with fast turn around.

Nice job and reasonable price.

I had two unusual requests. Keith was very informative in reviewing the plan prior to proceeding. Excellent results within 24 hrs!

Findlay’s is FANTASTIC! All the glowing reviews on Unilocal (which is how I found this machine shop) are completely accurate. Keith, the owner, cut and re-​threaded the ceiling rods for three light fixtures that needed to be shortened. The fixtures all have custom ball mounts, and I didn’t even know whether the job could be done. Not only were they cut perfectly, but affordably and quickly! This business is a TREASURE — thank you, Keith! Park on the alley behind Pontius; that’s where the shop entrance is located; cash only.

I have several old telescopes and eyepieces, and restoring them requires small machining jobs. Keith is a mechanical genius who communicates very well, is patient with non-​mechanical people, is a perfectionist, and a nice guy to boot. I have had a couple of adapters made that look beautiful, but these pale in comparison to the complex auto and other parts in the shop. Small jobs get just as much attention as bigger jobs, and the prices are very reasonable. This is a gem of a store.

i was out of options when i was referred to findlay; i had moved into an apt i loved except for the too low shower handles. if i took a shower, i strained my back. the landlord would not open the wall to move the pipes or even just to change the /​valves/​handles. keith came up with a custom designed lightweight extender, and i’ve just had my first shower since march 17! the price was under $ 200. considering the alternative, i.e., moving out or no showers, i’d say what a deal! findlay saved my butt!

An absolute gem of a machine shop, Keith Sawa is the man at arms. He lightened a motorcycle flywheel for me that turned out to have a better finish than factory!
I highly recommend this place to anyone who wants quality machine work done for a fair and competitive price.

They were able to fabricate a part to press out the armature in my 1952 Lionel train tender whistle car. They made a point to be careful and inspect the part before working on it to make sure it could be fixed the way I wanted. Amazing work and friendly team.

Findlay’s is an awesome establishment!!! There are not a lot of machine shops open to the public, and probably still fewer that allow walk-​in patrons.
The staff did an excellent job at helping with a small project and did it in less time than they quoted. I drove 20miles (45mins each way in Los Angeles traffic) and do not regret it! Lifesavers!!!

Thank you Keith for a quick, economical and beautifully executed repair to an impossible to replace part for my vintage car. I was blown away by the quality of work and the superb finish — this is probably the best part of my car! And thank you Unilocalers for giving Keith so many reviews that Findlay’s popped up at the top of my search. I was very surprised to find a real machine shop in WLA.

Keith was able to help me modify my camera cart so I could roll it out of my car almost fully built and then just add accessories on top to be ready to roll onto set. I had initially hacked a foot off the posts so it could fit in my car to begin with but it didn’t really leave much room to add accessories. Overnight I came up with the idea to add an inner aluminum tube to the pieces I had hacked off and then just stick them onto the existing posts after unloading. Keith listened to what my needs were, added some of his input, and we came up with design within 5 minutes. I came back less than four hours later and there is my camera cart, built exactly the way I had imagined it. It was like it came out of my thoughts and materialized right in front of me, and at a reasonable price as well. Long gone are the days of having to fully build the cart at the beginning and end of every job! I will definitely be going to Findlay’s for all my machining needs from now on. Oh, and they only accept cash so just be ready for that!

This place is a hidden jewel in west LA. I had a small project that I needed a bullet extractor lathed down by 1 mm and Keith had it done within 5 minutes and a very reasonable price. A couple other machine shops were giving me a ridiculous price to do such an easy job.
I look forward to giving them my business in the future.

Keith is very good at what he does. I needed a tool I made up for a shoot and he took my design and what I needed and made a great piece. It is better than I had hoped because of his experience. Thank you Keith.

Keith looks at it, suggests ways to save money and gets the job done right the first time. Way to go!!!

Keith is incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. Went in to get some brackets made for a camera mount. Not only did he make the four we needed but he threw in two more for free to make it even. He’s dedicated to making sure his products come out perfect. You won’t disappointed with your service here.

Had a custom project to finish and while looking for a machine shop, found Findlay’s and went there. Keith not only understood the problem, but also completed the job to the perfection. I couldn’t have wished for better. For all the custom works I will go here from now on.

Just came back from Findlay’s. Top notch shop! I will be a customer for life. They were able to open a ¼″ thick steel S-​hook for me so I could remove and replace the worn seats from our swingset. Job took all of 15 minutes (opening and closing 4 S-​hooks) and they could not have been more friendly or more efficient. They are cash only so make sure you have cash with you, but to put it in perspective, this was a job I could not do without hundreds of dollars worth of heavy machinery. They did it better than I would have in a fraction of the time for a total of 20 bucks. Can’t beat that!
Pro-​tip: enter from the alley behind the building as that is where the shop entrance is located.

No project to large or too small will keep Findlay’s from helping you.
I had a very small job, something I couldn’t do myself, that was done on the spot. How small? $ 10 small.
Stepping into Findlay’s, by the way, is like stepping back in time, to the heyday of the Industrial Age. He’s in a little pocket of Industrial Age businesses, with the entrance in the alley to the rear of the street address.

This is one those neighborhood secrets that provides such a great unusual service. Keith can fix things that you didn’t even think was possible. My project was a simple plumbing part that I thought was completey busted. But Keith fixed it easily and made sure it worked perfectly. I can’t tell if prices are reasonable but I didn’t care because his work saved me over $ 800 in plumbing repair!

This place is a great little find. I got some bar-​end mirrors for my motorcycle, but the mounting hardware they came with didn’t exactly fit my bars. Essentially I needed some metal cut off of the mounts. I brought everything in and explained what I wanted, and a couple ideas. After listening to my requirements, Keith made a couple suggestions on how to improve the fit, and quoted me $ 20, which I think is more than reasonable. I left everything with him and was able to pick up the bar-​ends the next day, with perfect results.
The parking/​entrance is a little tricky if you’ve never been there. Go in the alley between Pontius and Cotner, drive past some of the mechanics that are there, and just before you get to La Grange you’ll see a sign up high on the right of a brick building that says «Findlay’s Machine Shop». Park right there, and then the entrance is the first wooden door in the narrow passage just left of where you parked.