19 ms·

The Knife Maker

315 points by rglover 15y ago

snikolic 15y ago
This series really got me thinking about the programmer as a craftsman or an artist. I know pg has written about this before, but I felt the connection for the first time as I watched these videos. I really empathized with these guys: the obsession, the passion to perfect some skill, wanting to create utility for others, the risk of failing or looking crazy, the excitement of using something you've built, chasing perfection. It all clicked for me. I think we've all caught the same bug, in some way. Check out the other video in this series about a distiller: http://thisismadebyhand.com/film/the_distiller http://thisismadebyhand.com/film/the_distiller All in all, this series is really beautiful and really well done. I'm looking forward to what's to come.
- 3pt14159 15y ago
  Great site. Even the HTML looks like it was made by hand, except the weird obfusticated javascript at the bottom. Edit: it looks like he is using expression engine for the site.
  - there 15y ago
    i noticed that too. it builds the contact link, so the obfuscation is to hide the email address from spammers.
- joelhooks 15y ago
  Last year I went to a Software Craftsmanship gathering in Chicago. It was a great experience. http://scna.softwarecraftsmanship.org/ http://scna.softwarecraftsmanship.org/
- trafficlight 15y ago
  I didn't like The Distiller as compared to the Knife Maker. The guy in the Distiller doesn't seem to have the same passion as the knife maker. I got the impression that he wanted to do something and thought he could make money as a gin distiller because they didn't exist anymore in his area. The knife maker, on the other hand, obviously enjoys his craft. I think he will be making knives forever, even if they don't sell as well as they do now.
kitcar 15y ago
I don't totally get the thought that handmade is always better. Specifically, reminds me of a skit from Portlandia (IFC) about hand made light bulbs - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P85vZpYF3Yg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P85vZpYF3Yg .
- gaustin 15y ago
  It's not that handmade is always, better. It's that handmade is often better when it comes to specific uses. It's similar to the choice you make when you write code when you could have taken something off the shelf to use. Sometimes you need the edge that built to purpose gives. This is definitely the case for high performance knives. The choice of steel and the geometry of the edge, bevels and belly can be easily customized to fit the specific purpose of the knife. The first couple of knives I have made don't look that great, but since I nailed the heat treat and grind they are the best cutting implements I've ever owned.
- husted 15y ago
  Handmade doesn't automatically means better. I wear mechanical watches. Some of them are handmade and you can see the imperfections due to a slightly unsteady hand in the polishing and decorations. This, in my book, adds character and just make my watch so much more special. Yes a mass produced watch (Rolex/Omega/etc) are "better" in the sense that there's no imperfections. And more expensive watches (PP/Lange/etc) than I can afford are also handmade but have no imperfections. At all. They are also massively expensive. I love handmade stuff and the fact that it's not perfect. You know that there's a human being that with hard work and a lot of talent has produced a work of art. Now s/watches/knives/ but I don't collect knives.
- subpixel 15y ago
  Making and selling handmade products does not guarantee happiness or success (see http://nyti.ms/srgRtu http://nyti.ms/srgRtu). I think in the vast majority of cases, 'doing it by hand' is probably not the answer. What's inspiring about this guy is that he's succeeding by serving a vibrant professional market. The chefs who drop a grand on a couple of his knives are using them in the kitchen to make money. They want the best tools for the job, and everyone wins. It's product/market fit. So kudos to him. But don't get so inspired you drop everything to build the most beautiful product in the world believing people will buy it _because_ of how hard you worked on it or how awesome it is.
efsavage 15y ago
A small part of me wishes that I didn't enjoy coding so much, or that I wasn't good at it, or that it didn't pay so much better than woodworking, which I find just as enjoyable.
codeslush 15y ago
The part that struck me was when he said something along the lines of: It takes 10,000 (or 15,000) hours just to get the necessary knowledge. Then, you are at step one. You may or may not be good, but don't know until you've put in the required time. Also, the immediate authenticity I felt by this man and this story is something amazing. Great way to start my day.
- marisela_arias 15y ago
  "10,000 hours of training, according to Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers. Gladwell based this assertion on the work of Anders Ericsson, who studied classical violinists and found that, in every case, it had taken a regimen of 2-3 hours a day for 10 years to develop their abilities. Later research by Ericsson and others confirmed similar results in other fields." http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/on-luck-success-and-10000-hours.html http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/on-luck-success-a...
  - jeira 15y ago
    I don't think it is as straightforward as that. Imagine you're learning chess and you have a chess master as your teacher, you are going to annihilate someone who has putted the same amount of time, even more, but who doesn't have such a good teacher.
    - bricestacey 15y ago
      Yeah, the original states that the practice must be deliberate. Of course, generally better practice would prevail.
      - pegasus 15y ago
        And that little side-note unravels the whole argument: how much better can practice be? Can it be so focused that one reaches mastery in 5k hours? 1k? To what degree is being a fast learner in a field a talent? http://www.sportsscientists.com/2011/08/training-talent-10000-hours-and-genes.html http://www.sportsscientists.com/2011/08/training-talent-1000...
wmat 15y ago
Just watched both available videos in the series and can't help but be inspired. The point that the "art is in the details" of a hand made item really resonates with me with respect to handmade guitars. Factory made guitars, from the big manufacturers such as Fender, Gibson, Martin, etc. are excellent guitars, but there's something about the attention to detail in a hand made guitar that makes it special, makes it art. I really hope they plan a film focusing on an small, independent luthier.
e_g 15y ago
Reminded me of this post http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2646501 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2646501 about a guy who created a knife from scratch, starting with the construction of this own smelter.
mapleoin 15y ago
This is the most inspirational/life-changing video I've seen all year. I really think that there is a huge amount of stuff that we could start building or making locally, individually with skill, craft and dedication. I would love to be able to work with my hands in a workshop, learning to make unique and masterful things from a master craftsmanship instead of sitting for 8 hours a day in the office dealing with things so abstract that they disappear when you switch off the electricity.
- jerf 15y ago
  So do it.
  - pavel_lishin 15y ago
    I imagine that he can't afford to lose income for the time it would take to train.
    - mapleoin 15y ago
      Also, I live in Eastern Europe. I don't know anyone who currently does anything like this and would accept trainees. I do have a long-term plan of starting a small workshop of some kind though.
    - timwiseman 15y ago
      And worse,there is a good chance his income would be much lower than currently even after he finished his training. With that said, I used to go to some of the SCA meetings while I was in college. I met more than one excellent craftsmen that did their crafting on the weekend while maintaining a "normal" job during the week. Some made a decent second income off it. You can do both.
      - einhverfr 15y ago
        Here's a shameless plug for a friend of mine. Of course he is more interested in art than functionality, but I am commissioning at least one piece from him: http://www.jloose.com/ http://www.jloose.com/
holdenc 15y ago
This video reminds me of why I loved living in New York. And, it epitomizes what is great about that city -- many people who believe that great art is worth the sacrifice.
powertower 15y ago
The other video is here: http://vimeo.com/28408829 http://vimeo.com/28408829 I can't view it through their website in IE8.
brador 15y ago
Aside: What is with the proliferation of vimeo usage? I've found it more likely to crash my laptop, making me reluctant to click. Never had a crash from youtube.
- blehn 15y ago
  That's easy. Better video quality. More attractive controls/player. A community that enjoys this type of thing. Note: Youtube has been improving with respect to the first two. Also, does it really lock up your whole system?
  - brador 15y ago
    Not the whole system, just crashes firefox. I also don't like that I can't reduce the resolution as finely as I can with youtube.
pcestrada 15y ago
I found this fascinating. I love seeing people develop and demonstrate their craft in a authentic, passionate way. There is a physical component to his work where you use all your senses, such as when he feels the edge of the sharpened knife with his thumb, that you just don't have with programming. To produce a physical artifact that has the right balance, heft, lines, and finish requires the integration of a lot of different skills that when done properly, is deeply satisfying.
- puredanger 15y ago
  I have rarely gone wrong in being a consumer of someone passionate about what they are doing or in doing something I feel passionate about.
apechai 15y ago
Beautiful knives. I hope the handmade movement really takes off. Maybe people could consume less but unique artifacts that have a real story behind them rather than accumulating mountains of mass produced, generic stuff that ends up in a trash heap a couple of years later.
- sk5t 15y ago
  Handmade / custom knives are quite popular among collectors and enthusiasts. They're expensive, you can't chuck them in the kitchen sink until the next morning or the carbon steel will start to rust, but they are just awesome to use, and I expect they'll be appreciated for generations to come. Just for a reality check, let's say a top-quality, handmade, 8" chef's knife runs about $500. Most people consider an $80 mass-produced piece from Henckel or Wusthof to be rather extravagant...
- z0r 15y ago
  I think it is not mass production that is the issue, but the short lifespan of the things we use. If every tool, every building, every mechanism - electronic or otherwise - lasted forever, or even just ten times as long, our economy and society would undergo radical changes as have never been seen before. (Sorry for what is both an obvious observation and a complete departure from the OP, but I have had this thought stuck in my mind for a while)
  - apechai 15y ago
    You're right - I wasn't referring to all mass produced things. But I do like it when someone buys (or makes) a gift that's unique, but cheap, rather than something generic but expensive. For example, take toys. There's this store that sells hand made toys around the block from me: http://playing-mantis.com/wooden.htm http://playing-mantis.com/wooden.htm. Does it make sense for a kid to have 3 plastic toys they'll use for a couple of months and throw away or to buy a handcrafted toy they could keep for life (and even pass on)? When I talked to the store clerk at Playing Mantis, she said most of their toys don't come from the US but from Germany, Austria and Japan because the craftsmanship is good there. It's not a pipe dream that this could change - companies like kickstarter and etsy are enabling this move towards story-driven, experiential consumption.
jjanzer 15y ago
The parallels between Joel Bukiewicz's passion and many startups are striking. Some people understand that extreme amounts of money isn't what makes them happy, rather being able to completely explore their own medium in the ways they choose is where the love is. Amazing film, very well done.
tonyedgecombe 15y ago
In a similar vain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGMj7o6AwnM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGMj7o6AwnM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM0VnL30rDc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM0VnL30rDc
mml 15y ago
The thing that struck me about this film, is that he's not wearing safety goggles. Stupid move.
patio11 15y ago
I'm torn between "This guy clearly enjoys his work, bully for him." and "The handmade movement is an extravagantly wasteful alternative to a factory in China to give rich white people an opportunity to demonstrate their social superiority over people who use functionally equivalent objects produced in an efficient fashion." (c.f. organic food, fair trade coffee, etc etc. This topic makes me positively Marxist. There was a time when only wealthy folks could afford goods. Capitalism happened and now everyone can afford goods. This really discomfits some people, so they get very creative at inventing reasons why the goods they are using today are the right goods and the goods they were using ten years ago are now the wrong goods since poor people now have access to them.)
- mapleoin 15y ago
  So you're saying that fair trade coffee benefits "the white man" rather than the producers in the third-world country? That's exactly the opposite of what fair trade means. Also, hand-made isn't fighting against capitalism, it's fighting against mass-production, sweat-shops and machine-people jobs like the ones portrayed on Chaplin's City Lights or even Discovery Channel's How It's Made.
  - klbarry 15y ago
    Factory jobs pay more than double the average wage in all developing countries. They are demanded by workers and much anguish is caused when they are lost.
    - dereg 15y ago
      This should be mentioned more often. Furthermore, people criticize companies like Foxconn for things like employee suicides, when the suicide rate at Foxconn is actually lower than the suicide rate of China as a whole.
      - CognitiveLens 15y ago
        Do you have a source for this? I remember looking into it a while ago and the only consistent statement was that suicide rates at Foxconn were lower than those of OECD countries, not China itself. I ask because saying that the suicide rate is lower at Foxconn than in China as a whole is a much more convincing argument and I would like to be able to use it confidently in the future!
willyt 15y ago
These are nice knives, but is this not also a really slick piece of lifestyle marketing? Also, these knives are quite expensive. I'm not so sure if they are really up there with the handmade japanese knives[1], seems like theres a bit more to it than just sharpening a piece of hardened stainless?[2] Please correct me if I'm wrong. [1]http://www.japaneseknifecompany.com/KNIVES/LAMINATEDSTEEL/JKC63LAYERDAMASCUS/SANTOKU160MM.aspx http://www.japaneseknifecompany.com/KNIVES/LAMINATEDSTEEL/JK... [2]http://www.japaneseknifecompany.com/VIDEOS/KnifeMakingProcess.aspx http://www.japaneseknifecompany.com/VIDEOS/KnifeMakingProces...
- PonyGumbo 15y ago
  He's doing stock removal rather than forging (buys steel stock, cuts, shapes, and sharpens it).
  - willyt 15y ago
    Yes, that's what I guessed from watching the video. I understood that you need at least 3 layers forged together to make a high quality knife; two relatively soft and ductile stainless alloys sandwiching a fairly brittle but hard stainless alloy. From memory, my understanding was that the japanese knife makers fold together multiple layers like this because it's a traditional technique which hardens the alloy in the centre of the sandwich, the layers towards the centre get progressively harder, more brittle and thinner and therefore easier to keep sharp. The more layers, the better the knife, up to a point. Also, the more layers you have the more beautiful the swirly patterns look :-)
  - rdl 15y ago
    The only interesting part of these knives, IMO, are the pins (which he sources from someone else). In addition to merely being stock removal, it's pretty lame steel. I far prefer Global (http://www.global-knife.com/ http://www.global-knife.com/) for mass-produced knives, and Kramer (http://kramerknives.com/ http://kramerknives.com/) for custom kitchen knives.
    - willyt 15y ago
xbryanx 15y ago
It's important to remember that he's not entirely making these tools by hand. He's use mass produced drill presses, sand paper, lumber, and metal alloys. I think what he's doing is nice and pretty, but let's not wrap it too much of a handmade ethos.
- evlapix 15y ago
  Most crafts require tools. Where do you draw the line? Even with bushcraft you start with a knife and axe which are likely manufactured, not handmade.
  - bch 15y ago
    I'm reminded of Dick Proenneke http://bit.ly/s2VFdu http://bit.ly/s2VFdu. Here's a start to "Alone In the Wilderness": http://bit.ly/uAcBsD http://bit.ly/uAcBsD , documenting his work and time spent building a life in Alaska, very much "handmade".
marcamillion 15y ago
Where can I see the price and/or link to buy a set?
- sjm 15y ago
  http://cutbrooklyn.com/home.html http://cutbrooklyn.com/home.html
davidjhall 15y ago
If anyone finds this interesting, I recommend trying a blacksmithing/bladesmithing course in your area. I took a weekend course in knife-making and, while nowhere near the quality in these videos, it was a lot of fun to create a knife to my specs from a thin scrap of steel. In the US, take a look at ABANA.org. Shameless plug: I've tried to start a new stack exchange on blacksmithing here: http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/36172/blacksmithing/ http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/36172/blacksmithin...
evlapix 15y ago
Making something from nothing has always given me the greatest high. This video reminded me that it is that high that got me into software development. When I was young (and had no money): - Made origami - Learned sailors knots - 3d sculptures of science fiction aircraft from index cards - Bow and arrows from q-tips and underwear rubber - Sailboats from 2x4's, coat hangers, plastic garbage bags, and fishing line - Skateboard ramps (usually bigger than I was capable of using and with none of the right tools) - A workbench - Peg board (hand drilled from scrap wood) - Dozens of hand drawn replicas of video game/anime art - Repaired the broken fin of a surfboard purchased at a garage sale (never used) In high school I exploited my auto shop classes: - Replaced the rear differential on a 80's Mustang - Removed a motor from an early 90's Camaro - Built and installed a roll cage in an early 90's Camaro - Taped and sprayed flames on a fiberglass replica 32 Ford hood as a demonstration of a new paint line for local body shops - Completely dismantled the engine of 87 honda civic - Resurrected an 80's Volvo with 300k miles on it - Made a functioning 6" cowl induction hood for my 89 SR5 Toyota Corolla From there I got a job at a hot-rod shop: - Teardown of a 52 Chevy Bel Air - Teardown, body work, and assembly of a split-window Corvette - And countless others In college majoring in Mechanical Engineering (what a joke): - Built a marshmallow launcher - Convinced a big angry muscle man with a knife to my throat not to hurt me, and steal a keg from a party instead Once admitted to college, I was given a computer: - Pirated software - Converted drawings to vector graphics - Made techno songs - Made 3d models - Designed album covers - Frankenstein'd countless scrap computers After I dropped out of college I became a restaurant server: - Documented everything I could about HTML/CSS - Created custom MySpace themes (and never made a dollar for it) - Built my profile in Flash to overcome MySpace's limitations - Hid all of the generated MySpace content (minus comments) and built my profile from scratch From there I became a developer. Software has been an incredible way for me to create and learn. Sadly, the projects my employers provide aren't always challenging enough. Additionally, the complimentary benefits of working with my hands versus sitting at a computer have drawn me to other projects: - Built an engine lift - Restored a 1987 19' Galaxy boat that I bought for $200 on CL (engine had collapsed into the floor) - Bootstrapped a prototype analytics app for the last year (not launched) - Insulated, ran electrical, and drywalled my garage - Built a workshop (bench, storage, etc) in the garage of my new house - Buy/restore/sell furniture on CL Currently I'm restoring a pool table I bought for $100 on CL: - Built strong/true cabinet from cheap construction grade lumber - Carved, antiqued, and stained the cabinet to make it not look like cheap construction grade lumber - Built a slate sled for moving the 1" thick slate pieces up to the 3rd floor
pkamb 15y ago
Hope you didn't have anything to do today: http://fuckyeahmadeinusa.tumblr.com/ http://fuckyeahmadeinusa.tumblr.com/
js2 15y ago
In the same vein, but I found http://devour.com/video/moroccan-woodturner/ http://devour.com/video/moroccan-woodturner/ a lot more satisfying to watch.
keiferski 15y ago
There's a lot of similar material on http://www.coolhunting.com/video http://www.coolhunting.com/video There's actually one about this same guy from 2008: http://www.coolhunting.com/tech/cut-brooklyn-kn.php http://www.coolhunting.com/tech/cut-brooklyn-kn.php
ambertch 15y ago
These comments are so fascinating because they illustrate with a fair degree of uniformity, the personality profile of the HN crowd. Two kinds of people we're all aware of: logical/rational vs. emotional/creative. That whole left vs. right brain stuff. Remember, you need to think with both points of view to tackle the big consumer tech problems (where a looooot of the $$$ is) in the coming years... so
chrislloyd 15y ago
There's another great interview with Joel as part of the Chow.com Obsessives series (all of which are worth a look for themselves): http://www.chow.com/videos#!/show/obsessives/55121/obsessives-knifemaker http://www.chow.com/videos#!/show/obsessives/55121/obsessive...
Causification 15y ago
Handmade knives are for people with more money than sense. If you actually USE knives in the field, then you know that the best knives are made by people who came up with brilliant designs and techniques and used them to start small companies that combine the best of both worlds, like Busse and RAT. A knife from a small, semi-automated company will cost half of what this guy charges and last ten times as long because it's built on genius and not an irrational attachment to handmade items. You can watch Joel whinge on about his life story and then pay five hundred dollars for a kitchen knife, or can spend half the money on a Scrap Yard Scrapper you could literally pound through three of these knives stacked together, assuming you had a sledgehammer.
rkalla 15y ago
Did anybody else get absolutely electrified when he described working in that warehouse of shops with other creators and how the creative energy was amplifying itself? That sounds intoxicating. I would love a dev environment like that with a small team. I have experienced this one time professionally in its truest rawest sense... A small team hacking on fun problems. It was phenomenal, literally hopping out of bed in the morning just to get to the office. Anyone else experience this before? (not necessarily with dev if you have a good story)
webnrrd2k 15y ago
I'm a hobby blacksmith, as well as a professional programmer, and I love making physical things, too. This film strikes me in a very personal way. I see a lot of intellectual discussion on this which, while interesting, I think misses the point. This guy found a trade that he really loves, and is making sacrifices for. He's making a living, but he's certainly not getting rich off of it. I do a lot of different things with blacksmithing, but I've been really getting into kitchen knives, as well as spoons, ladle, forks, cleavers, etc... I like combining copper work with blacksmithing. I can't tell you how much I enjoy it. Mostly because I like making functional and unique things. There is a great sense of satisfaction that I just don't get from writing code. Also, blacksmithing uses a wonderful combination of technical ability and visual/artistic skills. Also, it's hard to find good friends and a good community that you feel comfortable in. That film did a good job of expressing the emotional side of making stuff. It really is just a huge amount of fun. Thanks for posting that.
trigger 15y ago
Reminds me of the Irish TV series Hands, http://www.irelandstraditionalcrafts.com/ http://www.irelandstraditionalcrafts.com/ . These programs were shot during the seventies and eighties and record traditional craftsmen at work. It was perfect timing because they were probably the last generation who lived off their trade.

315 points by rglover 15y ago

This series really got me thinking about the programmer as a craftsman or an artist. I know pg has written about this before, but I felt the connection for the first time as I watched these videos. I really empathized with these guys: the obsession, the passion to perfect some skill, wanting to create utility for others, the risk of failing or looking crazy, the excitement of using something you've built, chasing perfection. It all clicked for me. I think we've all caught the same bug, in some way. Check out the other video in this series about a distiller: http://thisismadebyhand.com/film/the_distiller http://thisismadebyhand.com/film/the_distiller All in all, this series is really beautiful and really well done. I'm looking forward to what's to come.

3pt14159 15y ago
Great site. Even the HTML looks like it was made by hand, except the weird obfusticated javascript at the bottom. Edit: it looks like he is using expression engine for the site.
- there 15y ago
  i noticed that too. it builds the contact link, so the obfuscation is to hide the email address from spammers.
joelhooks 15y ago
Last year I went to a Software Craftsmanship gathering in Chicago. It was a great experience. http://scna.softwarecraftsmanship.org/ http://scna.softwarecraftsmanship.org/
trafficlight 15y ago
I didn't like The Distiller as compared to the Knife Maker. The guy in the Distiller doesn't seem to have the same passion as the knife maker. I got the impression that he wanted to do something and thought he could make money as a gin distiller because they didn't exist anymore in his area. The knife maker, on the other hand, obviously enjoys his craft. I think he will be making knives forever, even if they don't sell as well as they do now.

kitcar 15y ago

I don't totally get the thought that handmade is always better. Specifically, reminds me of a skit from Portlandia (IFC) about hand made light bulbs - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P85vZpYF3Yg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P85vZpYF3Yg .

gaustin 15y ago
It's not that handmade is always, better. It's that handmade is often better when it comes to specific uses. It's similar to the choice you make when you write code when you could have taken something off the shelf to use. Sometimes you need the edge that built to purpose gives. This is definitely the case for high performance knives. The choice of steel and the geometry of the edge, bevels and belly can be easily customized to fit the specific purpose of the knife. The first couple of knives I have made don't look that great, but since I nailed the heat treat and grind they are the best cutting implements I've ever owned.
husted 15y ago
Handmade doesn't automatically means better. I wear mechanical watches. Some of them are handmade and you can see the imperfections due to a slightly unsteady hand in the polishing and decorations. This, in my book, adds character and just make my watch so much more special. Yes a mass produced watch (Rolex/Omega/etc) are "better" in the sense that there's no imperfections. And more expensive watches (PP/Lange/etc) than I can afford are also handmade but have no imperfections. At all. They are also massively expensive. I love handmade stuff and the fact that it's not perfect. You know that there's a human being that with hard work and a lot of talent has produced a work of art. Now s/watches/knives/ but I don't collect knives.
subpixel 15y ago
Making and selling handmade products does not guarantee happiness or success (see http://nyti.ms/srgRtu http://nyti.ms/srgRtu). I think in the vast majority of cases, 'doing it by hand' is probably not the answer. What's inspiring about this guy is that he's succeeding by serving a vibrant professional market. The chefs who drop a grand on a couple of his knives are using them in the kitchen to make money. They want the best tools for the job, and everyone wins. It's product/market fit. So kudos to him. But don't get so inspired you drop everything to build the most beautiful product in the world believing people will buy it _because_ of how hard you worked on it or how awesome it is.

efsavage 15y ago

A small part of me wishes that I didn't enjoy coding so much, or that I wasn't good at it, or that it didn't pay so much better than woodworking, which I find just as enjoyable.

codeslush 15y ago

The part that struck me was when he said something along the lines of: It takes 10,000 (or 15,000) hours just to get the necessary knowledge. Then, you are at step one. You may or may not be good, but don't know until you've put in the required time. Also, the immediate authenticity I felt by this man and this story is something amazing. Great way to start my day.

marisela_arias 15y ago
"10,000 hours of training, according to Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers. Gladwell based this assertion on the work of Anders Ericsson, who studied classical violinists and found that, in every case, it had taken a regimen of 2-3 hours a day for 10 years to develop their abilities. Later research by Ericsson and others confirmed similar results in other fields." http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/on-luck-success-and-10000-hours.html http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/on-luck-success-a...
- jeira 15y ago
  I don't think it is as straightforward as that. Imagine you're learning chess and you have a chess master as your teacher, you are going to annihilate someone who has putted the same amount of time, even more, but who doesn't have such a good teacher.
  - bricestacey 15y ago
    Yeah, the original states that the practice must be deliberate. Of course, generally better practice would prevail.
    - pegasus 15y ago
      And that little side-note unravels the whole argument: how much better can practice be? Can it be so focused that one reaches mastery in 5k hours? 1k? To what degree is being a fast learner in a field a talent? http://www.sportsscientists.com/2011/08/training-talent-10000-hours-and-genes.html http://www.sportsscientists.com/2011/08/training-talent-1000...

wmat 15y ago

Just watched both available videos in the series and can't help but be inspired. The point that the "art is in the details" of a hand made item really resonates with me with respect to handmade guitars. Factory made guitars, from the big manufacturers such as Fender, Gibson, Martin, etc. are excellent guitars, but there's something about the attention to detail in a hand made guitar that makes it special, makes it art. I really hope they plan a film focusing on an small, independent luthier.

e_g 15y ago

Reminded me of this post http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2646501 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2646501 about a guy who created a knife from scratch, starting with the construction of this own smelter.

mapleoin 15y ago

This is the most inspirational/life-changing video I've seen all year. I really think that there is a huge amount of stuff that we could start building or making locally, individually with skill, craft and dedication. I would love to be able to work with my hands in a workshop, learning to make unique and masterful things from a master craftsmanship instead of sitting for 8 hours a day in the office dealing with things so abstract that they disappear when you switch off the electricity.

jerf 15y ago
So do it.
- pavel_lishin 15y ago
  I imagine that he can't afford to lose income for the time it would take to train.
  - mapleoin 15y ago
    Also, I live in Eastern Europe. I don't know anyone who currently does anything like this and would accept trainees. I do have a long-term plan of starting a small workshop of some kind though.
  - timwiseman 15y ago
    And worse,there is a good chance his income would be much lower than currently even after he finished his training. With that said, I used to go to some of the SCA meetings while I was in college. I met more than one excellent craftsmen that did their crafting on the weekend while maintaining a "normal" job during the week. Some made a decent second income off it. You can do both.
    - einhverfr 15y ago
      Here's a shameless plug for a friend of mine. Of course he is more interested in art than functionality, but I am commissioning at least one piece from him: http://www.jloose.com/ http://www.jloose.com/

holdenc 15y ago

This video reminds me of why I loved living in New York. And, it epitomizes what is great about that city -- many people who believe that great art is worth the sacrifice.

powertower 15y ago

The other video is here: http://vimeo.com/28408829 http://vimeo.com/28408829 I can't view it through their website in IE8.

brador 15y ago

Aside: What is with the proliferation of vimeo usage? I've found it more likely to crash my laptop, making me reluctant to click. Never had a crash from youtube.

blehn 15y ago
That's easy. Better video quality. More attractive controls/player. A community that enjoys this type of thing. Note: Youtube has been improving with respect to the first two. Also, does it really lock up your whole system?
- brador 15y ago
  Not the whole system, just crashes firefox. I also don't like that I can't reduce the resolution as finely as I can with youtube.

pcestrada 15y ago

I found this fascinating. I love seeing people develop and demonstrate their craft in a authentic, passionate way. There is a physical component to his work where you use all your senses, such as when he feels the edge of the sharpened knife with his thumb, that you just don't have with programming. To produce a physical artifact that has the right balance, heft, lines, and finish requires the integration of a lot of different skills that when done properly, is deeply satisfying.

puredanger 15y ago
I have rarely gone wrong in being a consumer of someone passionate about what they are doing or in doing something I feel passionate about.

apechai 15y ago

Beautiful knives. I hope the handmade movement really takes off. Maybe people could consume less but unique artifacts that have a real story behind them rather than accumulating mountains of mass produced, generic stuff that ends up in a trash heap a couple of years later.

sk5t 15y ago
Handmade / custom knives are quite popular among collectors and enthusiasts. They're expensive, you can't chuck them in the kitchen sink until the next morning or the carbon steel will start to rust, but they are just awesome to use, and I expect they'll be appreciated for generations to come. Just for a reality check, let's say a top-quality, handmade, 8" chef's knife runs about $500. Most people consider an $80 mass-produced piece from Henckel or Wusthof to be rather extravagant...
z0r 15y ago
I think it is not mass production that is the issue, but the short lifespan of the things we use. If every tool, every building, every mechanism - electronic or otherwise - lasted forever, or even just ten times as long, our economy and society would undergo radical changes as have never been seen before. (Sorry for what is both an obvious observation and a complete departure from the OP, but I have had this thought stuck in my mind for a while)
- apechai 15y ago
  You're right - I wasn't referring to all mass produced things. But I do like it when someone buys (or makes) a gift that's unique, but cheap, rather than something generic but expensive. For example, take toys. There's this store that sells hand made toys around the block from me: http://playing-mantis.com/wooden.htm http://playing-mantis.com/wooden.htm. Does it make sense for a kid to have 3 plastic toys they'll use for a couple of months and throw away or to buy a handcrafted toy they could keep for life (and even pass on)? When I talked to the store clerk at Playing Mantis, she said most of their toys don't come from the US but from Germany, Austria and Japan because the craftsmanship is good there. It's not a pipe dream that this could change - companies like kickstarter and etsy are enabling this move towards story-driven, experiential consumption.

jjanzer 15y ago

The parallels between Joel Bukiewicz's passion and many startups are striking. Some people understand that extreme amounts of money isn't what makes them happy, rather being able to completely explore their own medium in the ways they choose is where the love is. Amazing film, very well done.

tonyedgecombe 15y ago

In a similar vain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGMj7o6AwnM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGMj7o6AwnM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM0VnL30rDc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM0VnL30rDc

mml 15y ago

The thing that struck me about this film, is that he's not wearing safety goggles. Stupid move.

patio11 15y ago

I'm torn between "This guy clearly enjoys his work, bully for him." and "The handmade movement is an extravagantly wasteful alternative to a factory in China to give rich white people an opportunity to demonstrate their social superiority over people who use functionally equivalent objects produced in an efficient fashion." (c.f. organic food, fair trade coffee, etc etc. This topic makes me positively Marxist. There was a time when only wealthy folks could afford goods. Capitalism happened and now everyone can afford goods. This really discomfits some people, so they get very creative at inventing reasons why the goods they are using today are the right goods and the goods they were using ten years ago are now the wrong goods since poor people now have access to them.)

mapleoin 15y ago
So you're saying that fair trade coffee benefits "the white man" rather than the producers in the third-world country? That's exactly the opposite of what fair trade means. Also, hand-made isn't fighting against capitalism, it's fighting against mass-production, sweat-shops and machine-people jobs like the ones portrayed on Chaplin's City Lights or even Discovery Channel's How It's Made.
- klbarry 15y ago
  Factory jobs pay more than double the average wage in all developing countries. They are demanded by workers and much anguish is caused when they are lost.
  - dereg 15y ago
    This should be mentioned more often. Furthermore, people criticize companies like Foxconn for things like employee suicides, when the suicide rate at Foxconn is actually lower than the suicide rate of China as a whole.
    - CognitiveLens 15y ago
      Do you have a source for this? I remember looking into it a while ago and the only consistent statement was that suicide rates at Foxconn were lower than those of OECD countries, not China itself. I ask because saying that the suicide rate is lower at Foxconn than in China as a whole is a much more convincing argument and I would like to be able to use it confidently in the future!

willyt 15y ago

These are nice knives, but is this not also a really slick piece of lifestyle marketing? Also, these knives are quite expensive. I'm not so sure if they are really up there with the handmade japanese knives[1], seems like theres a bit more to it than just sharpening a piece of hardened stainless?[2] Please correct me if I'm wrong. [1]http://www.japaneseknifecompany.com/KNIVES/LAMINATEDSTEEL/JKC63LAYERDAMASCUS/SANTOKU160MM.aspx http://www.japaneseknifecompany.com/KNIVES/LAMINATEDSTEEL/JK... [2]http://www.japaneseknifecompany.com/VIDEOS/KnifeMakingProcess.aspx http://www.japaneseknifecompany.com/VIDEOS/KnifeMakingProces...

PonyGumbo 15y ago
He's doing stock removal rather than forging (buys steel stock, cuts, shapes, and sharpens it).
- willyt 15y ago
  Yes, that's what I guessed from watching the video. I understood that you need at least 3 layers forged together to make a high quality knife; two relatively soft and ductile stainless alloys sandwiching a fairly brittle but hard stainless alloy. From memory, my understanding was that the japanese knife makers fold together multiple layers like this because it's a traditional technique which hardens the alloy in the centre of the sandwich, the layers towards the centre get progressively harder, more brittle and thinner and therefore easier to keep sharp. The more layers, the better the knife, up to a point. Also, the more layers you have the more beautiful the swirly patterns look :-)
- rdl 15y ago
  The only interesting part of these knives, IMO, are the pins (which he sources from someone else). In addition to merely being stock removal, it's pretty lame steel. I far prefer Global (http://www.global-knife.com/ http://www.global-knife.com/) for mass-produced knives, and Kramer (http://kramerknives.com/ http://kramerknives.com/) for custom kitchen knives.
  - willyt 15y ago

xbryanx 15y ago

It's important to remember that he's not entirely making these tools by hand. He's use mass produced drill presses, sand paper, lumber, and metal alloys. I think what he's doing is nice and pretty, but let's not wrap it too much of a handmade ethos.

evlapix 15y ago
Most crafts require tools. Where do you draw the line? Even with bushcraft you start with a knife and axe which are likely manufactured, not handmade.
- bch 15y ago
  I'm reminded of Dick Proenneke http://bit.ly/s2VFdu http://bit.ly/s2VFdu. Here's a start to "Alone In the Wilderness": http://bit.ly/uAcBsD http://bit.ly/uAcBsD , documenting his work and time spent building a life in Alaska, very much "handmade".

marcamillion 15y ago

Where can I see the price and/or link to buy a set?

sjm 15y ago
http://cutbrooklyn.com/home.html http://cutbrooklyn.com/home.html

davidjhall 15y ago

If anyone finds this interesting, I recommend trying a blacksmithing/bladesmithing course in your area. I took a weekend course in knife-making and, while nowhere near the quality in these videos, it was a lot of fun to create a knife to my specs from a thin scrap of steel. In the US, take a look at ABANA.org. Shameless plug: I've tried to start a new stack exchange on blacksmithing here: http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/36172/blacksmithing/ http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/36172/blacksmithin...

evlapix 15y ago

Making something from nothing has always given me the greatest high. This video reminded me that it is that high that got me into software development. When I was young (and had no money): - Made origami - Learned sailors knots - 3d sculptures of science fiction aircraft from index cards - Bow and arrows from q-tips and underwear rubber - Sailboats from 2x4's, coat hangers, plastic garbage bags, and fishing line - Skateboard ramps (usually bigger than I was capable of using and with none of the right tools) - A workbench - Peg board (hand drilled from scrap wood) - Dozens of hand drawn replicas of video game/anime art - Repaired the broken fin of a surfboard purchased at a garage sale (never used) In high school I exploited my auto shop classes: - Replaced the rear differential on a 80's Mustang - Removed a motor from an early 90's Camaro - Built and installed a roll cage in an early 90's Camaro - Taped and sprayed flames on a fiberglass replica 32 Ford hood as a demonstration of a new paint line for local body shops - Completely dismantled the engine of 87 honda civic - Resurrected an 80's Volvo with 300k miles on it - Made a functioning 6" cowl induction hood for my 89 SR5 Toyota Corolla From there I got a job at a hot-rod shop: - Teardown of a 52 Chevy Bel Air - Teardown, body work, and assembly of a split-window Corvette - And countless others In college majoring in Mechanical Engineering (what a joke): - Built a marshmallow launcher - Convinced a big angry muscle man with a knife to my throat not to hurt me, and steal a keg from a party instead Once admitted to college, I was given a computer: - Pirated software - Converted drawings to vector graphics - Made techno songs - Made 3d models - Designed album covers - Frankenstein'd countless scrap computers After I dropped out of college I became a restaurant server: - Documented everything I could about HTML/CSS - Created custom MySpace themes (and never made a dollar for it) - Built my profile in Flash to overcome MySpace's limitations - Hid all of the generated MySpace content (minus comments) and built my profile from scratch From there I became a developer. Software has been an incredible way for me to create and learn. Sadly, the projects my employers provide aren't always challenging enough. Additionally, the complimentary benefits of working with my hands versus sitting at a computer have drawn me to other projects: - Built an engine lift - Restored a 1987 19' Galaxy boat that I bought for $200 on CL (engine had collapsed into the floor) - Bootstrapped a prototype analytics app for the last year (not launched) - Insulated, ran electrical, and drywalled my garage - Built a workshop (bench, storage, etc) in the garage of my new house - Buy/restore/sell furniture on CL Currently I'm restoring a pool table I bought for $100 on CL: - Built strong/true cabinet from cheap construction grade lumber - Carved, antiqued, and stained the cabinet to make it not look like cheap construction grade lumber - Built a slate sled for moving the 1" thick slate pieces up to the 3rd floor

pkamb 15y ago

Hope you didn't have anything to do today: http://fuckyeahmadeinusa.tumblr.com/ http://fuckyeahmadeinusa.tumblr.com/

js2 15y ago

In the same vein, but I found http://devour.com/video/moroccan-woodturner/ http://devour.com/video/moroccan-woodturner/ a lot more satisfying to watch.

keiferski 15y ago

There's a lot of similar material on http://www.coolhunting.com/video http://www.coolhunting.com/video There's actually one about this same guy from 2008: http://www.coolhunting.com/tech/cut-brooklyn-kn.php http://www.coolhunting.com/tech/cut-brooklyn-kn.php

ambertch 15y ago

These comments are so fascinating because they illustrate with a fair degree of uniformity, the personality profile of the HN crowd. Two kinds of people we're all aware of: logical/rational vs. emotional/creative. That whole left vs. right brain stuff. Remember, you need to think with both points of view to tackle the big consumer tech problems (where a looooot of the $$$ is) in the coming years... so

chrislloyd 15y ago

There's another great interview with Joel as part of the Chow.com Obsessives series (all of which are worth a look for themselves): http://www.chow.com/videos#!/show/obsessives/55121/obsessives-knifemaker http://www.chow.com/videos#!/show/obsessives/55121/obsessive...

Causification 15y ago

Handmade knives are for people with more money than sense. If you actually USE knives in the field, then you know that the best knives are made by people who came up with brilliant designs and techniques and used them to start small companies that combine the best of both worlds, like Busse and RAT. A knife from a small, semi-automated company will cost half of what this guy charges and last ten times as long because it's built on genius and not an irrational attachment to handmade items. You can watch Joel whinge on about his life story and then pay five hundred dollars for a kitchen knife, or can spend half the money on a Scrap Yard Scrapper you could literally pound through three of these knives stacked together, assuming you had a sledgehammer.

rkalla 15y ago

Did anybody else get absolutely electrified when he described working in that warehouse of shops with other creators and how the creative energy was amplifying itself? That sounds intoxicating. I would love a dev environment like that with a small team. I have experienced this one time professionally in its truest rawest sense... A small team hacking on fun problems. It was phenomenal, literally hopping out of bed in the morning just to get to the office. Anyone else experience this before? (not necessarily with dev if you have a good story)

webnrrd2k 15y ago

I'm a hobby blacksmith, as well as a professional programmer, and I love making physical things, too. This film strikes me in a very personal way. I see a lot of intellectual discussion on this which, while interesting, I think misses the point. This guy found a trade that he really loves, and is making sacrifices for. He's making a living, but he's certainly not getting rich off of it. I do a lot of different things with blacksmithing, but I've been really getting into kitchen knives, as well as spoons, ladle, forks, cleavers, etc... I like combining copper work with blacksmithing. I can't tell you how much I enjoy it. Mostly because I like making functional and unique things. There is a great sense of satisfaction that I just don't get from writing code. Also, blacksmithing uses a wonderful combination of technical ability and visual/artistic skills. Also, it's hard to find good friends and a good community that you feel comfortable in. That film did a good job of expressing the emotional side of making stuff. It really is just a huge amount of fun. Thanks for posting that.

trigger 15y ago

Reminds me of the Irish TV series Hands, http://www.irelandstraditionalcrafts.com/ http://www.irelandstraditionalcrafts.com/ . These programs were shot during the seventies and eighties and record traditional craftsmen at work. It was perfect timing because they were probably the last generation who lived off their trade.