Another week has come and gone, but not without its leaps for our business! A slower, steadier start to the week, our manufacturing team, affectionately labeled the “shop guys” continued on several bulk orders for wholesale customers. As that side of the business grows, we are constantly brainstorming new applications for our unique laminated steel patterns. If you or a company you know may be interested in incorporating these stunning materials into a consistent product offering, you can learn more about the wholesale side of Baker here.
With production off to a good start for the week, Shop Lead Jay offered a unique approach to the weekend drop. Rather than spending the time to produce a larger batch of a specific steel, as we normally do, we chose to highlight four steels available on the site at the same time. Not only are these specific offerings a dynamic example of our craftsmanship at Baker Forge, but they also serve as a perfect selection of the more diverse layouts we have created. Whether you like the nickel shim added to our CopperMai in a wavy pattern, or the stark contrasts of the DarkMai with a damascus shim, there is something for everyone in this week’s highlight! You can check out what’s left of these four layouts here.
A cap to the week’s accomplishments, the crew both lowered in the timber and later the anvil for our new Chambersberg hammer. Although the timbers went in without a hitch, the MASSIVE anvil for this beast required a more delicate approach. On Thursday morning, we had a Ram 350 Dually Tow Truck visit the shop to lift and eventually set the anvil in place. We would have gone with a proper sized tele-handler or larger boom truck, but based on the planned location of the foundation, a larger option would not have been able to navigate the corners of the shop. Although we got the task done with the truck on hand, it didn’t come without its excitement, as we watched the weight of the anvil lift the front wheels of the tow truck off the shop floor. Big machines sometimes require other big machines, and this was a fun reminder of how huge a tool our production requires! We’re dropping a reel of all the excitement from Thursday today on socials, be sure to check it out.
To round out what is shaping up to be a classic week at the Baker HQ, Coy jumped back
into a soon-to-be-announced collaborative project that we are stoked about, quietly returning to the innovative roots that built our company. Although we can’t share much more, his creativity for the day was a great way to cap off such a productive week!
Inside the Media
Each Monday Waylon and I work together to pick a question for the Baker Forge social media audience. Although the bulk number of responses to that question are an indicator of the video’s success, we aim to pose a question that truly invites opinion and discussion. Rather than something strictly personal, this week we asked viewers what their preferred handle material for knifemaking was. A baffling 150+ comments flowed in for the beginning of the week within which a great deal of insight could be pulled. A startling reminder that although we love to hear your “Shop Theme Song”, we hope aspiring Makers will utilize comments sections like Monday’s for analysis on popular material options, pros and cons from experts, and the approach or opinion of their favorite industry leaders. We want to encourage you to treat these questions as not only a chance to toss your opinion into the mix, but truly give some wisdom to the next generation of Makers!
Showcasing some of the more interesting details of our week around the Baker HQ is a top priority when we develop the week’s media, and sometimes that means letting things develop as they naturally occur. This was the case with the unplanned Baker-Brother task of drilling, cutting and fastening together the timbers that will act as a base for our power-hammer’s anvil. The resulting reel was a great highlight of their flawless teamwork built over years of kinship, no doubt. But also spurred a conversation about the merits of various chainsaw brands. We want to take this time to disavow any connection to Baker teammate, Greyson Weltyk of Grey Blades and his appreciation of Husqvarna, as clearly stated in the video’s comments. Although we respect everyone’s right to an opinion, Greyson is clearly wrong regarding the best chainsaw brands available and we were rightly shocked to see him throw his support behind such an off-the-wall brand…. All jokes aside, something about those chainsaw shots and Jay drilling out some massive timbers that said “HARD WORK” and if there was one message that should most-easily translate from our media, it’s that phrase.
Stay tuned for this weekend’s “Steel Showdown” competition as we enter the semi-finals. This bracket-style comp has been a blast to produce, and as we teased at the beginning, we hope to use it as a metric for your appreciation of each of our layouts, and may even drop the final “Winner” to celebrate completion of the annual event. Make sure to make your voice heard and cast a vote on Saturday’s reel!
Sneak Peek 👀
4 Classic Baker Layouts Available
Choose between four dynamic layout options now on our website and Baker App:
Coppermai Ni-Shim - Wavy
Gomai Cu-Shim - Ripple
Elite CopperMai - Chevron
DarkMai CopperMascus-Shim
Each billet brings a unique style to your projects. Limited stock & sizes - get yours before they're gone!
"Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power."
-Clint Eastwood
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