Had a chat with an old timer at the shop that really got me thinking...

I was breaking down a couple of primals Wednesday morning, pretty routine stuff, and this retired butcher who comes in for scraps sometimes just started watching me work. He didn't say much at first, just kind of nodded along. Then he pointed at how I was handling my boning knife and said, "You're fighting the muscle instead of following it." I laughed it off at first, but after he left I really paid attention to my next cut. Turns out I've been forcing the blade through seams for years when they basically open up if you just let the knife glide along the grain. Been at this for almost 5 years now and never stopped to think about how much extra effort I was putting in for no reason. Anyone else ever get a tip from someone outside your usual circle that totally changed your daily rhythm?

2 comments

2 Comments

kai_bennett16d ago

Had a similar thing happen with an old tile setter a few years back. I was cutting in some crown molding in a kitchen we were painting and he watched me fighting with the coping saw for like ten minutes. Finally just said "back cut it from the other side and let the blade do the work." Felt like a complete idiot when I tried it and the damn thing fell right into place. Funny how the guys who've been doing this stuff for forty years see right through all the extra muscle we throw at problems.

rodriguez.jordan16d ago

Honestly used to be one of those guys who thought I knew better than the old timers. Watched my grandpa cut a perfect miter joint with a beat up saw once and figured "whatever, I'll just muscle through it." Then I spent three hours fighting a stuck toilet flange bolt and this 65 year old plumber walked over, tapped it with a hammer once, and it came loose. Realized right then that experience is way different than just knowing how to do something.