From Fashion to Fabrication: How Rachel Marshall Became “The Lathe Babe” at Excel Machine

A few years ago, Rachel Marshall never imagined herself working in a machine shop—let alone helping run one. With a degree in Fashion Merchandising and Technical Sales from Weber State University, she was building a career in retail, far from the world of cutting tools and turning centers.

But life has a way of coming full circle.

Rachel grew up surrounded by makers—her father and grandfather both worked at Northrop Grumman, instilling in her a strong work ethic and a fascination with how things are made. Her husband, Luke Marshall, is a machinist and now co-owner of Excel Machine, a family-owned job shop founded by his parents at the turn of the century in Utah.

The turning point came—literally—when Luke walked up to Rachel one day and said, “You’re on the lathe, babe.” That machine was the DN Solutions Lynx 2100, and the nickname “The Lathe Babe” stuck.

“It was definitely unexpected,” Rachel laughs. “But Luke believed in me from day one. He’s the machinist, and I took on the marketing and branding side. We just started sharing our everyday shop life online—nothing too polished, just real stuff from my point of view.”

That authenticity resonated. Rachel’s posts began to pick up traction, especially among the growing community of women in machining—a group she hadn’t known existed when she first entered the field.

“There are so many amazing women in this industry—in the shop, in marketing, in leadership roles. It’s inspiring and made me want to stay.”

Today, Excel Machine is a proud DN Solutions house, and the Lynx 2100 turning center Rachel learned on still holds tolerance and hasn’t needed a service call in over three years.

“DN is a forward-thinking company,” she says. “Their technology is solid, and they actually listen to customers. That makes a big difference for shops like ours.”

Rachel’s favorite part of the job? Working with Luke.

“People always ask how we do it, but it works. We’ve gone from two incomes with separate goals to building something together. It’s ours.”

Her advice for anyone looking at a future in manufacturing?

“Be willing to learn. Be willing to ask questions. People here love sharing what they know.”