Knife Making and being Disabled

outstanding cart. and it covers my two big est concerns. forging and ruff grinding. very good ideas thanks for sharing. your father is a very wise man.
 
Thanks the cart has been well worth the work I have put into it!

Thanks for the comment about my father. You know back when he told me that I was about 14yrs. of age. We were about to run out work in the construction business in our little town. I had just heard an add on the radio ( AM radio) :what!: from some of our competition and I asked him why he didn't advertise, and that was his response! My father when he took a job finished it.
Most of the competition would start a job and work long enough to get a draw on the job and then go start another one. Sometimes they would have four or five jobs or more going at the same time. I know that sounds strange in today's world but the town I grew up in had a population of 480 and the next town 270 people and the biggest close town had a population of about 2000. So everyone knew everyone and when you did business as most of the competition did they got a bad reputation real quick.
I don't know how many jobs we got because the folks were tired of waiting months to get a small job done. Something that should have taken a month to complete took months because once they got a draw on the job their was no incentive for them to come back to the job.
One job I still remember well. The contractor that had the job refused to give the farmer back his prints for a huge grain elevator that was being built for them when the farmer fired the contractor for not coming back the job.
My father figured out where and how things were supposed to go on the fly on the job, without a set of prints. Needless to say we were considered dirt by that contractor because we came in and finished the job he would not! But that is what my father meant by what he said about doing a good job!

However, I have always felt there was a deeper meaning to what my father was trying to say! I have always tried not only to do business by those words but, to live my life by those words and have tried too pass that bit of wisdom on to my children.
 
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Gary Miller said:
sorry about the cornball story (it really is true) i hadn't slept in a couple days so i got kind of weird. i am interrested in any of the ways you have your shop to fit there needs. hope to hear some ideas

Gary
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Gary,
Set up your 2 x 72 belt grinder so you can sit down and grind. I spend more time here knife making than any other. This doese put your face, ears etc near the belt and action so once again, A face mask, respirator, ear plugs and heavy leather apron along with a ball cap are all very necessary.

Its a bit differnt than standing and grinding but you will adapt.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
thanks laurence . i do have a question, i have been making knives for a very long time be for i was disabled . and i know that my problem are far less than most of you all. and redoing my new shop is really a no brainier. cut to the chase. have any of y'all had more trouble getting past the mental or physical challenges of your new lives. i really need some feedback on this question. if you don't want to post your answer please p.m.me as you have probably figured out mine is the mental block. thanks Gary miller
 
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Gary, you have to accept your problems and work around them. There's nothing you can do about them if they are permanent conditions. I've never had any problems with either of the conditions you mentioned, just go make some knives. You can do it and don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something. Hang in there.
 
Gary Miller said:
thanks laurence . i do have a question, i have been making knives for a very long time be for i was disabled . and i know that my problem are far less than most of you all. and redoing my new shop is really a no brainier. cut to the chase. have any of y'all had more trouble getting past the mental or physical challenges of your new lives. i really need some feedback on this question. if you don't want to post your answer please p.m.me as you have probably figured out mine is the mental block. thanks Gary miller
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Gary,
One thing I learned in my 20's " That was a while ago LOL," Was from a martial arts instructor that told me to make my weakness into my strenght! Since I limped when I walked a bit even back then I always would make it look like it was worse than it was so I could sucker a opponent into going for that side of me so then I knew what he was going to go for and could take advantage of the opening he would create in himself.

When it comes to Knife making, First I completely accept my limitations in my mobility and then look for ways to modify.
You don't know how many times when I started I read and heard that I have to stand or I won't be able to control the knife at the grinder and Blah Blah Blah.

Years later I saw a video of a famous maker "Gil Hibbens" sitting down and grinding! my knives don't have perfect mirror finish on them.
But after I made and used them for a while I discovered that a brush satin finish looks and is best for a working knife anyway! Besides. Nothing looks worse than a mirror finish with scratches in it!

I hope this inspires you to look at the glass being half full instead of half empty?

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
Gary Miller said:
thanks laurence . i do have a question, i have been making knives for a very long time be for i was disabled . and i know that my problem are far less than most of you all. and redoing my new shop is really a no brainier. cut to the chase. have any of y'all had more trouble getting past the mental or physical challenges of your new lives. i really need some feedback on this question. if you don't want to post your answer please p.m.me as you have probably figured out mine is the mental block. thanks Gary miller
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Gary,
I can only speak for myself, and I do know what you mean by "Mental Block", it's just as bad as a physical problem, where it seems like there is NOTHING you can do, or at least do correctly. The only advice I can offer is the same as when anyone begins making knives, "Never quit", never give up!" Whatever the task you're attempting to do, the one that's giving you problems, stop working on anything specific and focus only on getting whatever the skill that's giving you trouble. That is what I've had to do, no matter what it is, that has worked for me. Once I get that figured out I go back to what I was working on, when I hit another problem, I do the same thing.

Now on Mental Blocks, are you referring to creativity, or just getting out the door? When I am referring to mental blocks, I'm talking about creativity, or the ability to get going once I get into the shop. Generally once i get into the shop I'll start by ''piddling", whether it be by sweeping, cleaning up or organizing the shop, then I will find something I was working on, and I usually end up getting to work on it. My biggest "BLOCKS" now come from intense pain! Getting past them is never something I can predict, I might get out to the shop and be there for 5 minutes, then again, if I can get my head in the right place, I can block the pain out..., sorta. It's hard to explain and sounds like bunk to me when I say it, but that is how I do it. It works more often than not, and I will say that it doesn't always work, it just all depends on if I can get my mind to that "place". I guess you could say it is my, "happy place", that being the shop! Just walking through the doors, I feel different, being able to stay is another story and once I realize that I have to leave is a sick feeling all by itself.

Sometimes all it takes is getting to the shop, sometimes that may not be enough either. Every situation is different as the person dealing with it. I know having a strong mind is very important, something I learned when I was in the Marines! The best way I can explain that is by having the ability to put your mind somewhere else, a better happier place than what you are currently experiencing. For me, that is getting the knife I'm working on, finished! Concentrating on the steps I need to take to get it finished is one way I do it. Everyone is different and I am in no way implying that this is the only way, the best way is the way that works for you! That is always the case! Hope this helps even just a little bit, do know you may have to force it, drudge on through it, just to see if you can get it going, that may be another way to get passed whatever problem you're having.

I know how much that sucks, whatever you have to do to get to the place where the passion can take over! That is what realy makes a difference, the passion we all share that makes us go through all the trouble we go through to do this! Rex
 
thanks everyone for putting up with my whining, lots of good solid advice again i thank you all.when ican get back to my work bench and forge i will feel alot better. i turned 57 yesterday new year, clean slate. gary
 
Happy Birthday Gary. I'm still kind of hobbling around with my leg, but nothing like it was. I've been doing a lot of light work in my shop, but I'm ready to start doing what I want. I have to go back to my doctor tomorrow, so I know how you feel. Just hang in there.
 
thanks. glad your doing better, but you still need to get it checked out. i am doing better to a new year a new start. keep us posted about you leg. thanks Gary
 
I got my leg checked out and it's doing a whole lot better. It's very close to being back to normal. I'm heading to the shop and do some grinding tomorrow!!
 
I spent the day out there and got a lot done. It felt good and I'm going back tomorrow too. A friend has a 13 year old grandson whose really shy and kind of withdrawn who likes knives. I cut one out and ground it today, heat treated it and tempered it. I'll clean it up good tomorrow and put him to work finishing it up next week before he goes back to school, then we'll let him chose what he want's for handle material. Maybe we'll have a new knifemaker in the wings.
 
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