A visit to Scott Cook Knives

[lunde]

I paid Scott Cook a visit on Monday, August 18th, given that I was in his area for a couple of days. He was gracious enough to show me his shop, and some details about how he crafts his superb knives. I am hoping that this thread will help to provide more information about the man behind Scott Cook Knives.

First, for those who have not met Scott Cook, he is very pleasant and personable. Here he is, holding one of his favorite knives:

Here is a close up of the knife he is holding:

What you see in the background is a machine that is working on several Lochsa handles:

Speaking of the Lochsa, here is a box of Lochsa handle blanks, with the holes drilled:

The next two photos show one of my Lochsas (one is my EDC) next to four handle blanks, showing all four sides:

People must wonder where the handles come from. They begin their life from a half-inch thick sheet of titanium, shown below with one of my Lochsas for scale:

The handles are water-cut from the sheet, and this is what it looks like afterwards:

For those who are not aware, Scott also makes excellent fixed knives, specifically the small and large Owyhee Hunter. Here are some of them that are in production:

 

[lunde]

Here is a small Owyhee Hunter, with blasted Black Linen Micarta handles, that is being prepared to be shipped to its new owner:

The blasted treatment gives it a slightly rougher texture, and at first I thought it was Canvas Micarta.

What I like about Scott's fixed knives is that the precision that is necessary to execute the Lochsa folder is clearly evident in them. The seams have no flaws, and the handles, and bolsters for those with them, fit perfectly.

In speaking with Scott, he showed me some other knives. Apparently, this one served as early inspiration in his knife-making career:

When he was in Alaska, this was the first knife he made, and it was done using only hand tools:

When he had access to machinery, he created this knife:

In any case, it was a pleasure and honor to meet Scott in person. When you have a chance, visit his web site: http://www.scottcookknives.com/

 

[trinydex]

what do the red x on the blades mean? didn't pass quality control?

 

[AKMI]

Awesome post! The short intro and the 'Bio' very cool:thumbup: Had to check out the link to the site.

 

[avidknifeusersf]

Did you manage to pick up some folders while you were there...?

I'll pay top dollar for them!

He needs negative publicity! So more knives are available...

 

[Broos]

Thanks for sharing your visit with us!

 

[SharpByCoop]

Nice. A visit behind the wizard's screen... :thumbup:

I like seeing his little clever things, like the milled sides of the block to capture it from the side with clamps. That is one special process he has developed!

Thanks for the visit.

Hey Scott: Nice work!

Coop

 

[braillediver]

Amazing. I can’t even begin to grasp how he turns the blanks into a finished knife.

It must have been like meeting Santa Claus himself and getting into his workshop to see where the miracles happen.


So did he mention when he would start taking orders again???


Thanks Ken for the Great pictures and Scott for taking the time to share some insight into your Fantastic work.

I’ve had a Lochsa grace my pocket since January and feel naked without it.

Mitch

 

[ADD]

Outstanding!

Nice to put a face to quality and my unanswered e-mails.


Great craftsmanship that is near the top of what he does... :thumbup:

 

[antonanton]

Nice photosss Thanks!!!

 

[nate3993]

cool...one of these days I gotta go to some maker's shop...according to BLADE it's one of the 40 things that every knife enthusiasts should do before they die, and I agree

 

[T.K.C.]

Thanks for the great pix & tour!!

 

[Nathan S]

Great pics. Now I want a Lochsa even more ....

 

[Professor]

This is one of the cooler things I've seen around the forums in a while, of course I'm partial to his work, and CRK stuff for that matter. Thank you for taking the time to share this!

Professor.

 

[Tim Galyean]

1. That is one HELL of an expensive sheet of Titanium!!!!

2. Did you get a chance to see Scott grind a blade? He is a animal at the grinder for sure.

 

[Le Seb]

WOW ! That's a serious report. Thank you guys for sharing pictures and informations.
I've seen some thing I've alwans wanted to know about the Lochsa's making process.
I'm the happy owner of some S.Cook's knives and find them absolutely stunning !
Scott did an amazing job of design and engineering with his knives.

Sebastien

 

[swe]

Great post! I have always wondered how he makes the Lochsa. Did you ask how he bends the lock?

 

[xaman]

Great info here, thanks for the pics Ken!

 

[Practical Use]

Most excellent post - thanks!!

 

[lunde]

swe, you wrote:

I have always wondered how he makes the Lochsa. Did you ask how he bends the lock?

Why yes, I did ask, and he showed me how it is done. Although I didn't take a photo, Scott showed me how he uses a special clamp to bend the framelock. He also uses a thin spacer to prevent it from contacting the opposite side of the inside of the frame. The magic happens when he heat-treats the spot that flexes, which serves to reset its 'memory'.