I've cancelled my subsription

[Jacob]

I can't see a live sharpening thread on the forum at the moment. Is must be we all finally agree that sandpaper stuck to glass with a Draper honing guide is the best way to go?

Happy to kick one off if people are getting bored!

 

[Shan]

As for getting the house in order, if you think moderating a large discussion forum with an international membership is easy or fun, I will gladly step aside and let you have a crack at it. I am a member, a volunteer Moderator, and do have a life and hobbies aside from the UKW.

Mike, I can only assume how much time is spent reading, checking & moderating the entries on the site/forum. Certainly not a task that I would want to do myself and therefore thank you and the team for sorting this out. I don't even have the time to read all the threads each day so God knows how much time is allocated for moderating the site but I'm sure you could free up time for doing other things and that you do it on a volunteer basis is commendable. Well done! 🖒🖒🖒

 

[TRITON]

and get excited about exotic sharpening methods.......................

Understatement of the year.

 

[accipiter]

I was in two minds about contributing to this thread but, obviously, decided to for two reasons.

1/ very recently (a day ago) had a DM from a member of Admin for the Forum asking for me to help... *make a contribution* - even if only "a couple of bucks" (forum appears to need my help...) but I'm a UK resident and *bucks* don't come my way. Now wondering how many others had the same DM?

This is the third DM I've received since joining the Forum - a short time ago - on this subject and my other two replies were to *politely decline*. Why? I'm a UK state pensioner... and, sadly, that doesn't stretch as far as I'd wish it to so being able to join those Contribution Members able to.
(Why my other two responses would appear to not have been read by a third admin I don't know... but it's by the by)

2/ like others above... I'll continue to be one of the "freeloaders" mentioned above *until my circumstances change* and I feel able to contribute a "couple of quid". As I'm mainly reading (and sometimes responding) to the posts in the Daily Digest posts from the day before... doubt things will change.

 

[akirk]

I think the term freeloader is just a tad insulting

A forum like this has a natural tension between the owner, who is allowed to make certain choices around how it is run, and the membership who ultimately provide the content and value to the forum - it is rare for such a forum to work commercially as only paid membership, so most have free membership and then some have options to contribute financially - but there should be no belief that one is better than another...

Quite simply put - a forum of this size is not expensive to run (I own / run a similar one and run web hosting as a part of my business), and the value only exists in the contributions made by all members - so, paying member or not, all are equally valuable...

 

[Daniel2]

As has been wisely, gently, and amicably, pointed out to me, by another kind
member, I had allowed a troll to get through to me, and I reacted. I most
certainly don't apologise for that, and the person in question got what they
rightly deserved.
I do apologise, however, for using the term "freeloader", at the beginning of
this thread. It was an ill chosen term and compltely unjust towards other
innocent members of this forum.
I can't really go back and edit it now, as it would throw many subsequent
posts out of context. But, I do apologise for any offence. It wasn't my
intention.
Sometimes some people manage to get too far under one's skin, and are
quite expert at pushing all the wrong buttons.

 

[Spectric]

most of the members here have been here far longer than you and have never paid any subs to be here. Many have in the past offered direct financial support the originator of the site over the years out of their own generosity which Charely always refused.

I think the issue is not so much financial but as has been said the ethos of the site is

The point of this site is to spread our knowledge and experiences within the world of our hobbies/vocations carried out in workshops in the UK

To this end we should all be nice to each other and appreciate any help or advice given, there is no room for anyone to be antagonistic or confrontational and this is what gets post deleted, but we are all allowed to have opinions. The OP being newish probably did not realise that all that was required was a PM to say mikek and this would not have occured, many of us have had post sniped so lets cut him some slack and move on.

 

[Daniel2]

I deleted your post as part of a bulk deletion. Normally, as in most of the time, I do include a reason for the deletion, move, or edit. However, this time I didn't and the omission was accidental. For the few cases where I intentionally don't include a reason, I assume the member is smart enough to know why I moderated the post or thread.

As for getting the house in order, if you think moderating a large discussion forum with an international membership is easy or fun, I will gladly step aside and let you have a crack at it. I am a member, a volunteer Moderator, and do have a life and hobbies aside from the UKW.

If you are upset because your post was deleted and you don't know why, then don't hesitate to contact us and ask. We are human, mostly, and do make mistakes. If the deletion was a mistake, it is one mouse click to restore the post or thread. If the deletion was not a mistake, I am very happy to discuss this privately. Deleting your post was not a mistake.

Thanks @MikeK , for your response.
I know why my post was deleted, and I accept that it contravened forum rules.
But, I'm still glad I said it, it needed saying.
Keep up the good work.

 

[Fergie 307]

As has been wisely, gently, and amicably, pointed out to me, by another kind
member, I had allowed a troll to get through to me, and I reacted. I most
certainly don't apologise for that, and the person in question got what they
rightly deserved.
I do apologise, however, for using the term "freeloader", at the beginning of
this thread. It was an ill chosen term and compltely unjust towards other
innocent members of this forum.
I can't really go back and edit it now, as it would throw many subsequent
posts out of context. But, I do apologise for any offence. It wasn't my
intention.
Sometimes some people manage to get too far under one's skin, and are
quite expert at pushing all the wrong buttons.

Well said sir

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I pay, quite simply because I said many years ago that I did not object to paying a modest amount for something I use so much - it has saved me a lot of money in purchases and information, way more than 40p a week. If the site is kept up to date and someone makes money out of it, good luck to them. I understand why some people took off in a huff, and that's their prerogative.

 

[Fergie 307]

I can't see a live sharpening thread on the forum at the moment. Is must be we all finally agree that sandpaper stuck to glass with a Draper honing guide is the best way to go?

You are a very naughty man. I'm off to the bunker now before it all kicks off

 

[Fergie 307]

Mike, I can only assume how much time is spent reading, checking & moderating the entries on the site/forum. Certainly not a task that I would want to do myself and therefore thank you and the team for sorting this out. I don't even have the time to read all the threads each day so God knows how much time is allocated for moderating the site but I'm sure you could free up time for doing other things and that you do it on a volunteer basis is commendable. Well done! 🖒🖒🖒

I will certainly second that. Thank you.

 

[Adam W.]

@MikeK

I've paid for 2 years so far, but I've stopped my subscription too. I thought it was a fair gesture to contribute in the beginning, but I'm not so happy about being repeatedly insulted along with other more talented members and having our work criticised by a returning member and paying for the privilege.

I'm sure that the member in question will resume his old ways once the embarrassment of complaining about the lack of people on the forum doing fine work, stomping off in a virtual huff and then popping up again recently has worn off.

 

[spanner48]

I can't see a live sharpening thread on the forum at the moment. Is must be we all finally agree that sandpaper stuck to glass with a Draper honing guide is the best way to go?

How about starting one, then?

 

[Jonm]

How about starting one, then?

I find this site generally very good for getting advice but this does not really apply to sharpening. I would very much appreciate advice on sharpening but find the posts on here so conflicting and confusing. Perhaps one day I will ask a specific question and see how it goes.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

No! The more specific, the more conflicting and confusing the answers will be.

All you need is an old hollow Norton oilstone.

 

[Jacob]

No! The more specific, the more conflicting and confusing the answers will be.

All you need is an old hollow Norton oilstone.

Doesn't have to be hollow but it's nothing to worry about if it is a bit.

 

[rogxwhit]

The more hollow the better. Straight lines are boring.

 

[Jacob]

I find this site generally very good for getting advice but this does not really apply to sharpening. I would very much appreciate advice on sharpening but find the posts on here so conflicting and confusing. Perhaps one day I will ask a specific question and see how it goes.

The problem is that it used to be simple, cheap, easy and everybody did it more or less the same way. But has been largely reinvented in recent years with ever increasing alternative expensive methods, materials, gadgets, theories, terminology.
It's a wasteland really and I went back to basics with great relief!

 

[rogxwhit]

I think that using abrasive paper for sharpening when other methods are available is an avoidable contribution to the throwaway culture that some of us are trying to resist.