Hit 1000 railroad spikes forged this week and I still cant believe it

I was just cleaning up my shop yesterday and decided to count up all the railroad spikes Ive made into knives and hooks over the last 3 years. Turns out I hit 1000 about a month ago and didnt even realize it. Thats a lot of spikes for a guy who works out of a backyard shed in Phoenix. I started doing this just to save money on gifts for friends and family. Now I sell a few at the local flea market and it pays for my propane and coal. It really surprised me how fast the numbers add up when you just keep at it a little bit every weekend. Has anyone else here ever actually counted up what they make in a year?

2 comments

2 Comments

joseph_torres16d ago

Hang on, I gotta push back on this a little. I mean, congrats on the milestone and all, but counting up your output like that can be a trap. In my experience, once you start tracking numbers, it stops being about the craft and turns into a production race. I've seen guys get so focused on hitting a certain count that their quality drops off a cliff. They end up with a pile of functional but sloppy work, and worse, they burn out because they're treating a hobby like a factory job. Your mileage may vary, but I'd rather make 50 good pieces I'm proud of than 1000 just to say I did it.

finleyh8916d ago

Ha, 50 not 1000? That math ain't mathing, my friend.