Are knife makers really tool hoarders at heart?

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tryppyr

tryppyr

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I can't help but notice that several people on this forum seem to like talking more about their tools than they do about the knives they produce. Some seem to always be looking for a tool upgrade, or space to put yet another tool. This seems to especially apply to big power tools more than manually operated hand tools (though some of you are a little too fascinated with hammers).

It occurs to me to wonder how many knifemakers are in the hobby/business simply as an excuse to fill up a shop with big, impressive, manly power tools.

I'm only half joking here. I know you guys do actually make knives, and damn fine ones at that. But really, this tool obsession is totally obvious, and women might well declare it unhealthy. ;)
 
I consider myself a tool whore to the worst degree, at least as many as I can afford. That being said
all the tools in my shop are manual. Here's the biggie-when knifemaking is your "day job" it takes a whole lot
of them to keep your bills paid and your head above water.
Ken.
 
I sense a bit of jealousy. To me the more tools you have the more you can do, my work's not just knives (in fact very little knives), so I have alot of out of the norm tools for that.
 
This was posted 3 minutes after I posted a question about a protractor. Timing timing timing........ :)
 
Man I can agree and disagree. I have alot of stuff and want more. I have a LG 100#, I want a press. I have hammers and just saw another one I want. And the list goes onnnnnnnnnnnnn......
 
Sam Salvati said:
I sense a bit of jealousy. To me the more tools you have the more you can do, my work's not just knives (in fact very little knives), so I have alot of out of the norm tools for that.
Click to expand...

Not at all, Sam. Honestly, I don't like big bad power tools. I prefer small functional hand tools, generally speaking.
 
Sam Salvati said:
I sense a bit of jealousy. To me the more tools you have the more you can do, my work's not just knives (in fact very little knives), so I have alot of out of the norm tools for that.
Click to expand...

The right tool for the right job, bottom line is tools make our job easier. Greg I know you are big into using files, I have done that but prefer a power grinder. To each his own.
 
Kind of a broad statement by the OP, with an insulting undertone. Who cares what people do with what they have? Really none of your business how fascinated by hammers someone is, or how many grinders they think they need, just because you think otherwise. I would understand and take it lightly if you had not said you were only half kidding.

They are in the hobby because they enjoy that, and part of knifemaking is tools.

They are in a business and tools make they're life easier, cannot fault a guy for trying to make his life easier to support himself or his family.
 
Tools are tools and tools are cool! I have to admit that some of my favorite threads are the ones about folks shops and the tools therein. Afterall we use tools to make a "tool" do we not?
 
A buddy of mine who lives in Lynchburg, VA once told me if I EVER caught him buying and selling tools and never making anything with them, that I should knock him around a bit.

For my self, "To do is to be." quote from Socrates (I think, I'm not positive about that quote). Tools are devices used to facilitate what I want to do.
 
I don't have nearly as much as some have on here but I do have a pretty nice setup already. I still want more, of course but it is for the possibility of what I can do with them, not for any manly "Look at all my big tools" thing. In the same line of thought, I post about tools with you guys because I am happy and want to share with my friends here who will understand my enthusiasm.
 
Patrice Lemée;10729331 said:
I don't have nearly as much as some have on here but I do have a pretty nice setup already. I still want more, of course but it is for the possibility of what I can do with them, not for any manly "Look at all my big tools" thing. In the same line of thought, I post about tools with you guys because I am happy and want to share with my friends here who will understand my enthusiasm.
Click to expand...

my thoughts also Patrice
 
Hmmm... I seem to have touched a nerve here. My apologies for wording the base post in an offensive manner. Obviously, I hold a contrarian view to most folks on the board... that fact is pretty well known. I don't mean to insult those who use power tools.
 
Any tool is cool if you make good use of it. I like mine dirty and well-used:). There is a "collector" mindset that some guys have about tools, but it's presumably not too different from the mindset of a knife collector, so I don't see that making judgements about it is useful or wise in any way.
 
I'm fascinated and love most of all old tools. Bradley Helve Hammers, Little Giants, old anvils, hammers and post vises. I love em!
Right now life/work keeps me limited on shop time so I take a portion of my overtime and invest in tools for when I have more time.
Right now I'm searching for a table top mill. I want to build the best knives possible and will happily invest a disproportional amount of money into tooling to accomplish the task at hand.

Ultimately I'm an artist trying to use any tool at my disposal to bring my vision out.
 
This thread is not taking the light-hearted course I'd jhoped for, so I'm closing it.
 
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