Showerthought: an old farrier told me "the anvil is the quietest tool in the shop"

I was helping him trim a draft horse last spring when he said that, then he tapped the anvil with his hammer and said "listen - it only speaks when you make it." Has anyone else had a mentor drop a line like that that totally reframed how you work?

3 comments

3 Comments

olivermason3d ago

Man, that's deep. I guess that makes me the loudest tool in my shop judging by how much I yell at my clippers. Guess we could all learn something from a piece of iron that knows when to shut up.

ramirez.vera3d ago

Actually clippers are steel not iron, but I get what you're saying lol. Steel is just iron with a little carbon mixed in, makes it way harder and holds an edge better. Your point still stands though, that piece of metal knows when to stay quiet better than most people do haha. Funny how we can learn patience from an inanimate object that can't even talk.

the_sean3d ago

Walk into any hardware store and you'll see it everywhere - the quietest tools are usually the ones that work the best, while the noisiest ones are either broken or about to be. I've got this old pruning saw that's been sitting in my garage for years, never says a word, and it'll cut through anything. Then my neighbor's got this fancy electric trimmer that screams bloody murder every time he touches it and it jams up twice a job. Always figured if people acted more like that steel clipper - just doing the work without making a fuss about it - we'd all get along a lot better.