Does Shop Talk need subforums?

Spark

Spark

HPIC - Hatas gonna Hate
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One of the neat thing about the new software is that we can create subforums for existing forums. Since Shop Talk covers such a diverse range of topics within the actual "art" of knifemaking, I'm wondering if we could split it into several forums. Heck, for that matter, I'm almost of the mind that we could practically turn Shop Talk into it's own major category (like the Exchange, and Community), with sub-forums like "Heat & Beat" "Sheaths" "Grinding" "Materials" etc, and, of course, seperate forums for selling of materials and supplies.

What are your guy's thoughts on this?

Kevin
 
Kevin,
My vote is to leave it the way it is. I think we all read threads that, if broken down into subs, we might not get around to reading.
 
Spark
What your suggesting is to fragment the shop talk forum into sub units because a blade "smith" doesn't like "grinding" questions on the shop talk forum. So what if the tag on says bladesmith questions. Change it to knife making questions.

I have been here a couple of years and now someone has a problem of with forum tag names. I myself have been doing and experimenting with both, there is no way I would ever call myself a "blade smith" even though I do forge blades, however they require a sugnifficant amount of grinding.

What about us guys that have hydralic presses to make damascus bar stock that we grind knives from. Do we require a special forum "slot" to fit into so that we don't upset those that have earned the lable "Bladesmith" and hammer there damascus with a hand hammer on an anvil.

I do agree that a few extras such as material swap and sale should be here, also leatherwork. But I do not know of any "smiths" that do not do any grinding. Are people that use power hammers actually "smiths"? Is a blade that a power hammer was used on actually a "handforged" blade?

I do not post this to pi$$ anyone off but fragmenting the forums too much will led to to many places to slot things into and to many places to search for info. I spend to much time here as it is.

I call myself a knife maker and thats where I want it to stay, no extra tags or names required.
 
In my opinion,it should stay as it is. I've found that this is a very friendly and sharing form and would hate to see it break up.
If you forge or grind a blade it doesn't matter, its the love of the trade that matters. I know that with every knife I make I put a part of myself, and I know that all you other KNIFEMAKERS do to. Every time I come to this form I learn something. Each knifemaker has his or her own way of doing things and through this form we can share and learn from each other. This is just my opinion, but I would like to here yours.
Bill
 
No subforums, but I will agree with changing it to knifemaking Q&A, not bladesmithing. bladesmithing is too specific and there are a few forums decicated solely to bladesmithing.
 
What might be handy is a separate "Show 'n' tell" forum, mebbe next to gallery, so makers (newbie and oldie) can post pics there of latest creations. At the moment these pics are showing up here and in custom and in gallery...
 
I like Taz'idea of a more inclusive name.I also think a sub forum for the sale/trade of knifemaking supplies,new/used,would be great.
 
I don't think you should try to fix something that's not broken.

the present format works well. I also enjoy the other makers coments and encourgement on design issues
 
I was gonna add my two bits, but I think you can add up the change yourself Spark!

I wonder though if we could have a tutorials section, or somethign like that. I loved the magazine and the tutorials here. We could use more info banked like that here. I'm still interested in helping set something like that up, or writing here, or something.
 
I'm no maker, and won't ever be. But, I'm a regular reader, and probably too frequent questioner. I get a great deal out of this forum. And, I am frankly more interested in forging than I am in stock removal. But, I don't think that a question by a famous maker who's a semi-active participant here is any reason to overreact. Frankly, I don't think the lapse into "abrasiveness" was any mistake. One of the best things about this forum, except for the snit caused by a twit a month or so ago, is how pleasant it is, and how encouraging and supportive the makers are of each other -- regardless of persuasion.

As Eric said, it ain't broken. Don't fix it.
 
Two pennies from down south....
When I read the first post I was all for it, reading the others changed my mind. Splitting it up will make us search even more. As it is the internet is already jumbled up enough!

The problem I have is that I have limited time available to search for the info I need. Subtopics will make it much faster. This will mean that I miss out on all the other tips I pick up while searching for specific info. Even when you win you lose!

I agree that there should be a subforum for makers to post pictures of their latest creations to. (Knifemaking is a bit like opera or the stage: you are only as good as your last performance!)

I also agree that a tutorials section is an excellent idea. I am more than willing to take photos as I work and to supply you with any text you need, as I am already doing this for one of my websites.

"The ball is in your side of the court!" as our parade ground officer used to say.
 
Leave it the way it is. Quite frankly I didn't see the same insult in Tims post that many others did but I also don't see any reason to change a good thing. This is the most active enjoyable site I ever been on. The very good professionals are not primadonnas and for the most part the spare time makers are great people.

I didn't know Tim was one of the founders of Neo-Tribal and that explains some things, but it is an excellent "Knifesmithing" site in the true forge and anvil spirit.

If infighting and flaming start, change it maybe. Right now it's good just the way it is.
 
I'm not sure I like the idea of breaking out the pictures into a maker's gallery.....on the one hand it seems like a good idea but on the other hand there are usually no more than 1 page worth of posts per day so I don't think that picture posts are clogging up the airwaves. If you break them out then I'll probably miss a lot of them. Shoptalk already gets a limited amount of traffic compared to the rest of the forums.
 
I say Leave it like it is,Most people just refer to it as SHOP TALK anyway...
Is there really any reason not to post pictures on the different forums that you talk with other people on.I mean each forum has there own regular group of people that are doing most of the replying anyway.And they want to see pictures just like everybody else does.And who doesn't like all the feedback on there work that they can get.
There is already a picture gallery,so I see no need to break shop talk into one also.Bsides when people come to my house to sit around and BS we all show each other our knives in the SHOP and thats where we TALK about our knives and ask each other How did you do that.And if you look at how many posts are on the Gallery you will see that it is a small forum in itself,un-like here...
Just my two cents worth,
Buce
 
Leave it like it is! I like seeing and reading about all aspects of knifemaking in one forum. A supply sales forum would be nice like Darrel said. I don't see the need for a another gallery though.

Guy
 
First, let me say 'thanks a million' for providing the forum. I read most of the replys daily.

The forum as it stands is not too large for me to check the subjects and read what I want daily. If it gets too big for that to work then breaking it down into catagories would be appriciated.

Thankfully, Lynn
 
Please leave it like it is, Spark. I try to read each and every thread here, you never know when you might pick up some useful info. I'm afraid I might miss something if I had to search thru a lot of "sub-topics". Thanks!:)
 
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