I still think about an old timer I met at a clinic in Kentucky

It was maybe eight years ago at a clinic near Lexington, and I was struggling to get a good fit on a wide, flat foot. This guy, must have been in his seventies, just watched me for a minute from his truck. He finally walked over, didn't say a word, just picked up my rasp and a shoe I'd tossed aside. He held them up together and said, 'Kid, you're fighting the steel. Let the steel tell you where it wants to go.' He showed me how to read the wear pattern on my old rasp to see where I was pushing too hard. It wasn't about more force, it was about listening to the tools. I still hear that in my head on tough feet. Anyone else have a simple piece of advice that just clicked like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

mason_knight2mo ago

My grandpa told me to let the saw do the work.

julia_burns92mo ago

Read an article once about this exact thing. Said forcing a saw means you're fighting the tool. The teeth are made to pull material out. Pushing too hard just heats up the blade and wears you out. Makes total sense when you picture how it cuts. Your grandpa knew what was up.

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william_miller1mo ago

Let the steel tell you where it wants to go. That's gold. Reminds me of an old farrier I knew. He'd say "the horse already knows how to stand." Used to see him just stand there with a hoof in his lap until the horse settled. Never forced anything.