A customer asked me to build a smart hammer last month

I was finishing up a simple gate hinge when this fellow comes into the shop, holding his phone out like a microphone. He starts talking about integrating force sensors and an app to track swing efficiency. I honestly thought he was joking at first, but he had sketches on his tablet. He said his fitness tracker gave him the idea, and he wanted to upgrade his blacksmith hobby. I told him the forge heat and hammer blows would destroy any tiny electronics in minutes. He nodded but then asked if I could make it waterproof too, for some reason. It struck me how often people now want to add tech to old crafts, missing the point of the skill itself. We had a good laugh after I showed him how to feel the right strike by hand. Now I keep waiting for someone to request a self-cleaning forge.

3 comments

3 Comments

danielt401mo ago

I used to draw plans for smart tools in my garage. Your hammer story made me drop that nonsense.

the_tyler1mo ago

My hammer saga just proves I'll overcomplicate anything to avoid actual work. Drawing plans for smart tools sounds fun until you need to, you know, build them. @danielt40, ditching that dream was probably the smartest move you made.

loganw8519d ago

Honestly, the planning phase is the actual fun part though!