Frank Hunter
Well-Known Member
Finally getting into this long, seasoned thread. Good reading, you all...here's my experience with it. When I was fitting up a lot of weld-stud concrete imbeds for a different industry jigs could be worth a lot...200 of the same unit with the same six studs on them, same location, that sort of thing. For even my batches of 5-10 knives though, I find I might as well just do them by hand versus setting up a jig and figuring out it's quirks. I definitely agree on the potential speed issue, and I guess my only real contribution is my definition of "Authorship".
If you make the knife, even if you're running a crank drawing the jig over the wheel, you made it. There's a point to be had with full disclosure of your investment in the piece, I certainly credit the damascus I use occasionally to the actual source instead of allowing the customer to assume I made it myself. Deception, even when it's omission, is a nasty thing. I think when it's a series of fourteen guys, a CNC machine hollow grinding farmed-out waterjet blanks, on to CNC cut scales and a stamp-die leather cutting machine for all the sheath parts, that you've entered "factory" status and there no longer is any individual authorship. Running equipment, even complex tooling, solo, with hand assembly? Definitely not a curse there.
If you make the knife, even if you're running a crank drawing the jig over the wheel, you made it. There's a point to be had with full disclosure of your investment in the piece, I certainly credit the damascus I use occasionally to the actual source instead of allowing the customer to assume I made it myself. Deception, even when it's omission, is a nasty thing. I think when it's a series of fourteen guys, a CNC machine hollow grinding farmed-out waterjet blanks, on to CNC cut scales and a stamp-die leather cutting machine for all the sheath parts, that you've entered "factory" status and there no longer is any individual authorship. Running equipment, even complex tooling, solo, with hand assembly? Definitely not a curse there.