Jeff Tiedeken

Born To Build, and Dreaming of Possible Things

Jeff Tiedeken can build six impossible things before breakfast – on the rare days he remembers to eat or sleep. Powered by imagination and caffeine, his lifelong drive to tinker has made him one of the West Coast's most sought-after model makers and prototype builders.

With his partner Crystal Allen, Tiedeken co-founded Cutting Time, a prototype shop in Richmond, California, just across the bay from San Francisco. Among the people Tiedeken has worked with and who have mentored him are Google co-founder and former CEO Larry Page, former Autodesk CEO Carl Bass, Elon Musk, SpaceX manufacturing founder Bob Regan, and Tom Lipton of Ox Tools. Tiedeken's projects are mind-blowing and out of this world – literally. They span spacecraft for commercial and Department of Defense applications, deep-ocean discoveries, cutting-edge neuroscience tools for brain surgery, and green energy systems, such as nuclear reactors, EVs, and wind energy.

Born to build and quick to smile, Cutting Time co-owner Jeff Tiedeken brings a relentless sense of new possibilities into every room.

Minnesota Proud

Before rockets, satellites, jet engines, and nuclear reactors became part of his daily routine, Tiedeken simply loved making things.

Raised in New Ulm, Minnesota, Tiedeken points out that for the people in his town, “manufacturing is in our DNA.”

“Farming, job shops, and school programs backed by companies like 3M gave us outstanding shop training from a young age on machining, casting, CNC, woodworking,” he says. “It showed students real career paths outside of college; I am so proud of Minnesota manufacturing and how it made me who I am today.”

Tiedeken's move west began with BMX and mountain biking, where he gained recognition for building concept bikes, motorcycles, and components. The cycling world was infused with aerospace talent in the 1990s, and Tiedeken absorbed their welding and machining expertise, even earning aerospace certifications from the American Welding Society in the early 2000s.

“I'll always be a welder; it's in my heart,” he says. “But waiting on machined parts pushed me into machining, and then CAD/CAM came along. I was in the right place at the right time to learn the perfect triad of skills.”

California Calling

Tiedeken's work caught the attention of TV producers on the West Coast, and soon he and his brother were on their way to California. He was thrown into shows like Discovery Channel's “Biker Build-Off.”

“In New Ulm – population 14,000 – I was suddenly the guy who welded motorcycles on TV,” he says. Living in early 2000s Los Angeles, Tiedeken still felt like a “farm kid with no clue,” yet he repeatedly found himself hanging out with Robin Williams and Lemmy Kilmister and helping build motorcycles for Green Day and Chris Cornell.

“I didn't know or care that they were famous, so I connected with them as people. Everyone's the same,” he says. Today, that mindset helps him stay grounded when working with CEOs.

Connecting With Innovators

By 2010, Tiedeken was known for high-end concept work and was an early user of the design software HSMWorks. When Autodesk acquired it, he was introduced to Autodesk CEO Carl Bass. The two ended up sharing a development shop. Tiedeken and his partner, Crystal Allen, lived in the attic above it while stress-testing early prototype versions of Autodesk's Fusion 360 3D modeling software in 2013.

Jeff Tiedeken started his metalworking career building and designing bikes, such as the concept bike that hangs on the shop wall.

After moving to their own location, the two co-founded Cutting Time (see their partnership story). The shop features five workhorse CNCs: a Haas Automation VM-3 and two DT1 vertical mills, as well as two Matsuura MX-330 5-axis mills. The design workstations are loaded with software from Autodesk and Toolpath, and the shop also has a press brake, several high-end AC/DC TIG welders, drill presses, and other tools.

“Toolpath blends deep manufacturing experience with AI, so we can program advanced parts fast,” Tiedeken says. “It saves hours every week and even handles quoting. For a small shop competing with big ones, that time savings is huge.”

To connect with the people developing and using other time-saving technologies, Tiedeken already has IMTS 2026 on his radar.

“I first went more than 20 years ago, and I've been hooked ever since,” he says. “It blends the unique styles of U.S. manufacturing, and it brings in people from all over the world.”

For example, many West Coast shops specialize in building models and prototypes, as well as innovations in the aerospace, defense, medical, and energy sectors. These are high-precision, lower-volume applications, so the equipment considerations will differ from those of high-volume production contract manufacturers serving the automotive, construction, or agriculture industries.

“You see things at IMTS you'd never find online,” Tiedeken notes. “I've spotted equipment I didn't need personally but later recommended to other shops because of what I saw there.”

Plan Ahead

Before IMTS 2016, Tiedeken found himself working on a crazy project and expected to miss the show. At the last minute, a window opened up. With IMTS starting the next morning, Allen drove him to the airport, and he jumped on a flight from San Francisco to Chicago. He arrived with nowhere to stay and found every hotel booked.

Tiedeken explained his predicament to Al Whatmough, a friend he made at Autodesk who is now the CEO of Toolpath.

“Al said he had a room for me, but I did not expect a 2-by-2-foot room,” Tiedeken says, laughing at the memory. “I slept in the little closet where you put your suitcase. My feet stuck out of the door into the hallway, and there was a mini-safe above my head.”

In addition to securing housing early, Tiedeken advises people to allow for several days of exploration at the show and around Chicago.

“Getting stuck in one hall at McCormick Place is a classic rookie mistake,” he warns. “Walk every hall and sector. There are four buildings packed with incredible tools and people to meet. My brain hurts by the end, but it's worth it.”

When he's ready to give his brain a rest, Tiedeken explores Chicago for some of its iconic foods.

“For a classic Chicago dog, I recommend 35th Street Red Hots over by the stadium where the White Sox play.”

Don't get stuck in a luggage closet – start planning to attend IMTS 2026 today. Visit IMTS.com to learn more and begin your journey to the largest manufacturing trade show in the Western Hemisphere.