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Serrations might (?) be an advantage to have a slightly dull edge. An expensive custom steak knife could be used against high end china and the owner might not want scratches in the place settings. Smooth all the way, Craig

Gotta agree, what a morale killer to have someone toss over a war fighter approved vegetarian mre for lunch when you're in the middle of an eighteen month tour to one of the dust bowls. It's been a bit, but I can't believe chicken a la king was alright with hot sauce.

Proportions for everything on a knife including contours, curves, furniture, embellishing, lengths, thickness. Hitting the right balance for a given knife. That's what gets me to take a look. Doesn't matter what name says, lots of fancy stuff just don't look right. Second, but very important...

Mmmm, yummy! You know those are better topped with sliced rare steak. I think it's time to take one for the team and start into that green box with a smile, so your wife will let you host another hammer-in. I suppose you could pass a few out if you're really having a tough time getting...

I think Steve's got a little off season April fools going here. I've seen him plop down at the Roadhouse and order up a well done bean and corn double burger with a side of sprouts. He swore the only thing that could wash down that toasted cardboard was a tall ginseng and mango iced tea...

Hi Mike, I know there were a bunch of folks around, but it was my pleasure to meet you up at Steve's place a couple of months back. Take care, Craig

Great fixture and workmanship, but thanks for taking the time with the good picture sequence. Take care, Craig

Jigs just may be tools that the maker decides if, when, where and how to use them. There're lots of other jigs besides blade grinding ones. Many folder makers will time their locks and springs with jigs as well as precision dimension stock. The plenty of practice part makes a lot of sense. It...

Maybe mark the low spots with your felt tip and don't switch from your 40gr until you think it's flat and the low spots grind the same as the high spots. I thinks Ed's right, 1/2" is a really thick chunk and you're not sure if it'll behave like a knife steel. If you start with a bar that's the...

Though I'm reluctant myself, I believe you have to show your work to as many 'experts' as you can and seek constructive criticism, not attaboys. I'm amazed at the time and effort a 'master' will spend with someone who's honestly looking for the next level. Craig

If it's meant for use on a cutting board, make sure it has knuckle clearance. Functional it should be without saying, but a custom should really look the part. Just thoughts, Craig

Many folks have mentioned using a plug and socket to hook up the motor and just unplug one and plug in the other. Not too slow and it's reliable/simple. Check the drive on the disc and make sure it's big enough to run your future grinder motor. Good luck with it, Craig

Proportions, it's got to look right at a distance, to get a closer look. Fancy materials don't matter much to me on their own, they need to be done well.

Hi Rex, The pith, to me, is just that center 'vein' in a log. Drying cracks sometimes radiate from it and cross through the good stuff that you might have wanted. You may as well jump right on that picnic table project this weekend;). The honey do's never end, Craig

If you can pull the stump out of the ground, that can be a good place to find curly wood. I'd try to cut the pith out of any blocks you keep, and I wouldn't worry about maximum yield. Pick and choose just the best pieces and cut them generously oversized as you'll loose some to checking. Cherry...

I've run off my dryer outlet for a few years with a homemade extension cord and no issues. I'd agree that outlet picture looks like it's 220v. Shouldn't be too big a deal, as mentioned above, to see if it's hot and working right. I think I'd just pick up a new outlet anyway if the line is...

Great job Brian. Tons of interesting details. Craig

Happy birthday 'old' man. Have a truck load more without the getting old baggage. Take care, Craig

I believe Nelsonite is not designed to hard cure, but I'm familiar with some examples of folks that are satisfied with how it performs as a stabilizer. The insides always seem to be slightly uncured, but I'd consider just mounting up a few handles if I forked out for the stuff. I think the smell...

I think if you trust your damascus as a knife blade material, it'll be plenty good for woodworking chisels. You may want to play with the tempering and edge geometry, but why not? If you're forge welding, you can also 'half' sanmai a good carbon steel edge to the damascus like the Japanese tool...