I hate to see a good thread go unanswered. Maybe it's better suited for Shop Talk?
I'll not post pictures, but I can make a few observations about my style evolution. When I started out, I chose designs limited by the size of the steel I was using, and limited by the size of my heat treat oven. If I had 1" steel, I used it all. If I had 1 1/4, I used it all. Consequently, alot of my early knives are fairly straight. I'd add some curve here and there, but overall, I didn't like "wasting" too much of the steel. Also, my oven at the time would only hold a 7 3/4 or 8" knife. Consequently, many of my early designs are small.
Several turning points in my evolution to this point...
One, moving from a 2x42 Craftsman to a 2x72 NWG. My flat grinds instantly got flatter. Tapered tangs became the norm rather than the exception.
Two, getting a small wheel. Finger grooves were suddenly more round and better polished. I added them to knife designs where they should have been all along.
Three, about a year after I built the NWG, I scrounged up the money to go variable speed. Oh. My. Goodness. The equipment change alone accounted for another substantial jump in fit and finish.
Somewhere along in there I traded for a larger oven. This opened up my design possibilities to knives up to 13 or 14 inches. Fortunately, I guess, I was capable of making a good knife by this point, and was able to avoid building some of the huge, rough monstrosities that new makers often turn out early on.
Also, just before the variable speed change, I joined the Guild and was allowed in as a probationary member. The "pressure" of intentionally trying to improve and rise to the occasion has pushed me forward nicely. I'm turning out stuff now that never would have crossed my mind as even possible 18 months ago. I'm sure I'll look back five more years from now and wonder how I turned out such clunky knives in 2014
