this post was submitted on 20 Feb 2026
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I'm trying to make sense of this.
I'm presuming there's a crankshaft below them that's driving a grindwheel at each of their workstations that they use to sharpen the blades they're working on. The motor that drives all of it is probably somewhere off screen.
I guess it beats using your feet to constantly crank the grindwheel.
From the 1300s to about 1950 the power was provided by the Durolle River.
Here's an article with more pictures from different angles.
https://www.amusingplanet.com/2025/07/the-knife-makers-of-thiers.html?m=1
This looks so dangerous. Laying on top of a fast turning stone wheel with that loose piece of clothing hanging right next to it.
If an exploding wheel didn't get you, you could definitely lose a limb. And if not, you died of silicosis.
Well yeah. Lots of jobs were like that compared to modern safety standards. Probably something to do with Unions and people just generally being happy keeping all their limbs and digits... and lives.
This article suggests a few reasons!
The video in that article is fantastic.
Agreed, I just wish the voiceover wasn't AI
Oh, I wondered about the weird cadence, but dismissed it as a recording/editing issue. Thank you for ooint8ng that out.