HN is small but self-selects to have people who tend to care about what they do so anytime I find myself thinking that for any topic it usually turns out I'm wrong.

The most niche thing I actually care about is probably Cold War espionage, and even if the exact thing I mention doesn't ring any bells with any commenters, someone will usually chime in with at least familiarity with the people involved.

Nah, there are quite a few people into CNC things on HN. :)