"One Perfect Part at a Time"

The Cutting Edge

I viewed a series of videos called Knifemaking Tuesday’s sponsored by Tormach. The hyperlink in the previous line will take you to the video location in the Tormach website.

The video series is a non professional production but it is an engaging story about a couple of Canadian knife makers, John Grimsmo and his brother Eric Grimsmo. It picks up their story when they first start using the Tormach machine.

John and Eric are a couple of entrepreneurs starting a production knife making business in I assume John’s garage. (I haven’t seen the videos from before Tormach sponsoring.)

The investment they made for all their recent upgrades indicates they must have deep pockets somewhere or the previous knives they sold before using the Tormach tools must have been VERY expensive and profitable. There is a lot of talk about what they are spending on development of the new production system and design run but zilch about profits, then perhaps that is not our business… so to speak. 🙂

Tormach sponsors this YouTube “Channel TV” program because it showcases the Tormach PCNC 1100 machine and a lot of their accessories, except the ATC (Automatic Tool Changer).

This is definitely more an amateur reality TV garage workshop sit-comedy of errors than a typical Tormach training series. There is way too much goofing around and trial and error mistakes for calling it training, but I did learn a bunch about amateurs trying to become serious professional knife makers. I also gathered a bunch of new information about using CNC for knife making. The knife products do look good by the week 26 video.

The video work, even with as low a production effort as seen here, takes a lot of time and effort from the actual work of knife making. However, the effort to make the program is justified as it is a great way for the boys to become known and market their work. The Tormach sponsor can’t hurt.

I liked the way they show the Tormach PCNC 1100 in actual operation. I got more of a real experience of how  a hobbyist would likely use the machine than can be obtained by any of the other videos on the Tormach website. The strongest message is the mistakes and problems are 100% user error in CAD, fixtures layout, planning and in feeds and speeds. Not the machine itself.

I rate it well worth my time watching even though I don’t think I will become a regular fanboy for the boys.

I identify with the many struggles and broken tool bits. I’ve been there and done that too. Buying the machine tool to suit the product being made is something I have been saying since I started The Hobbyist Machine Shop web site.

I can admit that justifying a Tormach personal CNC mill is one of my long term goals, but I need a reason and a product to make that justifies ownership. Like these boys, it has to be an investment with a return.

I hope John and Eric make and sell a lot of very sharp knives!

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