[The Saucepan Man]

It seems to me that the enmity between the Dwarves and the Elves, such as it is, is grounded in the Dwarves' theft of Thingol's Silmaril and the bloodletting which surrounded that, which Finwe has so eloquently described.

The intial distrust between Legolas and Gimli is also grounded in this, but exascerbated by the events relayed in the Hobbit. After all, Legolas' father imprisoned Gimli's father and the two peoples would have ended up fighting, but for the timely intervention of a Goblin army.

There is a cultural difference in the way the two races viewed natural resources. Not so much between the Dwarves and the Noldor, who shared a love of crafting the treasures of the earth. But the other Elven houses did not share the Noldor's interest in this regard and were more appreciative of the beauty displayed by nature above the earth. This is emphasised in LotR in the contrast between Gimli's fascination with Aglarond and the wonder shown by Legolas (A Sylvan Elf of Sindarin descent) at the ancient beauty of Fangorn Forest. Touchingly, in LotR, Legolas and Gimli are able to overcome these historical and cultural differences through shared experience and comradeship.