You KNOW your a knifemaker when...

[Ed Caffrey]

You get off the phone with Enco, and realize you just spent a $100 bill on nothing but drill bits!

Thank goodness for that free shipping code they emailed me this morning....that at least saved me $15 in shipping.

I guess sometimes a guy just has to do, what a guy has to do....even if it is with Enco

[Bob Hartman]

Ha! Aint that the truth, and when it shows up the box is only 2" X 6".
Almost as bad as getting off the phone with TruGrit.

[Horsewright]

You know you are a knifemaker when..... you walk into work and everyone laughs because of all the bandaids on your hands. You know you are a knifemaker when.......?

[Dana Hackney]

the kitchen knife drawer and the only knives that are there are all the "mistake" knives you booboo'd on, and your every day carry is also one that should be in the recycle bin

Dana

[Eli Jensen]

. . . When your wife (not happily) asks you what that $30 on the bank statement is from and you say

"I needed more glue I needed more glue!"

or

"I just needed ONE more thing"

[jdale]

You know you are a knifemaker when..... you realize you are scrutinizing the fit and finish of the knives on the table at the steak house you are dining at.

[kcorn]

You know your a knifemaker when you have no feeling in your thumbs from being burned on the grinder one too many times!

Keep it up! These are great!

[Julie Coffey]

Your spouse points out something "new" and you reply "What that old thing?" And quickly change the subject...

And I know you guys have done that at least once in your life!

[timekeeper]

.......you have 4 knives on your dresser.......that all need sharpened and your mark put on....

[Horsewright]

...... when you're on a 3 hour drive and you're checking all the trees along the way for burls.

[tomwatson]

Heck, I can spend $100 on one carbide end mill. A small one at that.

[AUBE]

Originally Posted by Horsewright

...... when you're on a 3 hour drive and you're checking all the trees along the way for burls.

All these are good but this one really made me laugh. I keep seeing big amboyna burls, several the size of watermelons, one almost the size of my desk. I've been drooling over them for years almost every time I pass by them.

You know you're a knifemaker when.....you have bald patches all over your arms and legs from testing the edge.(or your significant other wonders why pages from the telephone book look like ribbons)


What kind of bits are you buying Ed? You still sharpening them yourself? I keep thinking of getting a bit sharpener for my shop. I have probably 50 cobalt drills that need the angles reset.

[Ed Caffrey]

Nearly everything I buy these days is cobalt or better when it comes to drill bits......most of those I mentioned in this thread are the smaller bits I use for folders.

I would be a LOT deeper in debt if it weren't for my Drill Doctor! I'm one of those folks who has a "bit sharpening disability" when it comes to free hand sharpening drill bits...the Drill Doctor has literally saved me thousands of dollars over the past 10+ years in drill bits.

For me, anything less than 1/8" is considered a "throw away" when it gets dull....the Drill Doctor just doesn't handle anything less than 1/8" very well.

This might not set right with some who claim to be able to "free hand" sharpen dill bits, but even if I thought I could free hand sharpen bits, I would still use the Drill Doctor.....I've seen too many free hand sharpened bits that either don't cut nice round holes, or any host of other issues that to me, cause grief.
For those who free hand sharpen bits and are pleased with the results, my hat's off to ya....I simply can't make it work....at least not to my satisfaction.

[Julie Coffey]

Originally Posted by Ed Caffrey

I would be a LOT deeper in debt if it weren't for my Drill Doctor!

Ed, you mean I can actually buy something you don't tease me about?

J

[AUBE]

Aha, thanks for the info. I really need to get a sharpener.

I can free hand sharpen medium sized bits a few times and they work "ok" but after a few times the angles get off and I run into problems like the bit starting off center, starting hard, etc. Then they end up sitting on a shelf waiting for me to buy something like a Drill Doctor. I'm ok at sharpening the small bits..down to #71 (I used to drill lots of tiny holes for a previous business) but once I get to around 1/8" I just can't keep angles that work right.

I really wish it did 1" holes... nowadays the majority of the bits I use are in the 1/8"-3/8" size but then I have one 1" drill I use on a regular basis and I can't sharpen it worth a darn. I've been having a local machine shop do it for me.

And yup I agree, cobalt or better is the way to go. When I first switched from hss to cobalt/carbide it was like the heavens parting and hearing angels singing.