Discussion. Forging VS Stock Removal

[betzner]

In a similar discussion Joe Caswell dropped this knowledge on us.

Best post yet.

 

[Darksky]

Prettiest, too.

 

[DEllis]

The discussion seems like a foolish one, to me, almost searching for a means of division among makers. Better? Worse? Hardly. This has been covered ad nauseum, and people that have decided to take a stance won't be swayed. I have friends that are forgers, and friends that are stock removal, and I learn from and appreciate both. I have, in the past, swung a hammer, and will likely return to it for the creative expression of it, but the steels I'm using now aren't exactly conducive to shaping with heat, and in fact would likely be detrimental to the structure of the steel.

Why is it so important to take a stand? I can grind a distal taper just as efficiently as I can hammer one. No advantage one way or another. Why not use both methods as a means of creative expression, rather than as a tool to look down your nose at others, and segregate those people that should likely be brought together through a passion for handmade knives?

I wasn't asking anyone to "take a stand", but merely point out the positive aspects of either method.

The comment that "There is really no longer a reason to forge a blade" from another thread was, in my opinion, misinformed. I intended this to be an informational thread to show valid reasons for forging exist, not to claim it's superiority over stock removal. All my blades are "stock removal", most, but not all, are also forged prior to stock removal.

As for being a foolish topic. Maybe? I never was the sharpest tool in the shed

Funny how people in a group that have more in common with each other than differences, always manage to focus on the differences, assume those differences are negative, and turn it into an argument. We really are a messed up species!:foot:

Darcy

 

[Matthew Gregory]

Darcy, there was absolutely no assumption on my part - this thread drifted so far from your initial intentions that it DID become a foolish discussion. I understand where you were headed. I know your intentions were positive. I think the two of us are in agreement. We, however, are only two voices in this thread, and so far only a few see that this really shouldn't be a rift.

 

[DEllis]

Darcy, there was absolutely no assumption on my part - this thread drifted so far from your initial intentions that it DID become a foolish discussion. I understand where you were headed. I know your intentions were positive. I think the two of us are in agreement. We, however, are only two voices in this thread, and so far only a few see that this really shouldn't be a rift.

Thanks Matt. I wasn't directing the last bit of that at you. It was just an editorial comment on human behavior in general. My behavior included, I'm certainly not immune to misunderstanding intentions.

I think this thread has stayed surprisingly civil all things considered

Darcy