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As I read the definitions the first thing I disagreed with exactly what Brett did. Reverse hand made and hand crafted. The items in a craft show are often made by hand with no power tools. Besides, by this definition, you and I and many others would be 'knifecrafters' not 'knifemakers'.
However, my concern with this effort doesn't end there.
Ray, I have enormous respect for you and the wealth of great advise and suggestions you've given me over the past two years, but to be honest, I'm not sure the 'chaos' is a bad thing. Let me explain...
I used to sell used cars for a living (I know... Iknow...). One day, I went up to my sales manager with what I was sure was a great idea. I suggested that we do what they do on the big new car lots--I proposed organizing the trucks in one area, the vans in another and then line the cars up according to price. This way, the customers could walk right up to what they said they wanted. Great idea, right? Wrong. The boss was quick to explain that if we did that, we would limit the customer's expose to our whole inventory. He continued by telling me about how many times a guy would come in looking for a sports car and leave with a pick-up that caught his eye instead. If the trucks had been on the other side of the lot, he would never have seen the truck. After a few years of selling cars, I could see that this philosophy holds water!
Now, I have never been to a 'knife' show, but I've been to plenty of gun shows. The last one I went to where I made a purchase was a couple of years ago. I went in with the idea of buying a Jericho 941 and nothing else. I left with a .44 Desert Eagle, a holster, and a bag of homemade beefjerky. Why do you think they put 'impulse' items at the register of WalMart. People 'think' they know what they want, but may find an interest in something else if they see it.
Putting signs over tables anouncing, in an agreed upon code-language, how a knife was made, might cancel the need for the friendly conversation that is now the means to make discoveries about how a knifemaker plies his trade. Some organization would be ok, but too much would cause cliques and isolation I think. I wouldn't want to de-humanize the art is I guess what I'm trying to say.
One day, when I have a table at a knife show, I want people to come up and say, "Nice knife! How is it made?" This allows me to share my art with them in a very personal way. The idea of people avoiding me altogether because I'm on the 'handcrafted row' instead of the holy ground that they seek... That just does not sound fun. And, what if I use multiple techniques to make my selection for that show? I do both forging and stock removal now.
This all reminds me of the thread Bob warner started a while back about a universal symbol or emblem for the... heck, I don't even know which word to use... 'custom' knife community. No one will ever fully agree I fear. Yet, there is a great deal of merit in the effort. I'm sorry I can't offer more.
Bless you for embracing this beast Ray! lol
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