A moment of nostalgia while watching the bandsaw slice through beef ribs

Today, I watched an apprentice use the bandsaw on some beef ribs, and it took me back. In my early days, we relied on hand saws for every cut, feeling each bone give way. The rhythm was slower, but you learned the animal's structure intimately. Now, the bandsaw makes quick work, but it feels impersonal. I recall my mentor emphasizing clean, manual cuts for better presentation. While efficiency has its place, I worry that speed is overshadowing skill. How do you balance modern tools with traditional techniques in your work?

4 comments

4 Comments

adamwebb1mo ago

Man... but is faster actually better for the craft?

jamie_webb671mo ago

Honestly we never talk about how speed kills weird ideas. Like if you're rushing a song, you cut that odd bridge that could've been the best part. Same with coding, blitzing through means you never try the dumb solution that accidentally works better. Faster just gets you to the safe finish line, not the interesting one.

mary_hunt671mo ago

Doesn't rushing just strip away the chance for happy accidents? I've seen it in my projects too, where the first, fast idea is never the most creative. Like when you force a design to fit a quick timeline, you lose the weird layers that make it memorable. Taking time lets you play with those odd bits that might turn into something special.

gavin2288d agoMost Upvoted

Wait, you cut the odd bridge in a song? That's the part people hum later. Saw a band ditch a weird synth line to finish an album fast, and the whole track went flat. Rushing code just means you rewrite it next month when the quick fix breaks. Speed doesn't polish the craft, it just sweeps the cool dust under the rug.