- Joined
- Jan 2, 2015
- Messages
- 242
Hello! My name is Daniel Lee. I have been making knives for 2 years in my spare time. In the past year I have lurked on this website soaking it all in. What a wonderful resource! The makers that post on this website are class acts that hold nothing back. I cannot express this enough. I believe these makers are definitely the best the world has to offer.
A little history pertaining the subject on me and knives. Growing up, I have always seen knives as tools. I was blessed to have a father that always shared the outdoors with me. Together, me and Dad have hunted and fished for many years. At one point when I was younger, my father hunted for food to feed our family. In this way, knives were important to us in the backwoods of North Carolina. They were always kept sharp and handy. I began a collection and soon started perfecting my sharpening techniques. Tinkering soon followed. And then one day it happened! My beloved uncle gave me my first custom! This is the first time in my life I saw a knife as an object of functional art. Being a craftsman and artist, I knew I had to make my own knives. Art + Knives + Design + Creativity + Creation + Power Tools = WOW! How has knife making eluded me thus far?
In the beginning I did not know what to expect. I just knew that I would make the knives to the best of my abilities and see how they would turn out. I have acquired the patience to perform tedious tasks to near perfection working with my hands for 15 years so my chances were looking good. Finally my first knife was done! I was happy with my efforts and proud that my knife looked and performed well. People close to me wanted to see what I was up to so I showed them. I was very surprised that people didn’t believe that I had made that knife. It was always, “So you just put the handle on it?” I took it to church and showed a friend that was a collector and went to knife shows. He told me I need to get serious and make more knives. I did not see that coming. Before then I had only laid eyes on the one custom I owned and that was my benchmark. WHAM! The bug had then bitten me. The best part of it all was the support of my wife and family that encouraged my addiction. I then began to sell knives locally.
I am old fashioned. My time on computers and the internet previously have been very limited. Up until last year my cell phone was a flip phone that was never on. Heck, it’s hard to keep me indoors! So with the encouragement of my wife, I took to the internet. That’s where I found you guys. Before this post I have had no one to share knife making with. I have been missing that in my life. So I come here with open arms and a tear in my eye! I want to share my experiences with you guys and also try to distribute my craft to the most deserving knife lovers on the planet. I hope it works out for us all.
The name of my shop is Screech Owl Knives. My wife and I chose this name because I would stay up late after work to make my knives. Also, there was always owls screaming and hooting around the shop most nights. My oldest son would lay in bed and listen to the owls, and in the morning that’s all he could talk about. The “owls at night”.
I make stock removal blades for the outdoors mostly. I love using exotic wood for handles. My designs are practical, but artistic and have sex appeal. Much like Rembrandt’s etchings. I would like for them to be considered heirloom grade tools.
Sorry for the long ramble but this introduction is very important to me and I do not take my first post lightly. You guys are rock stars in my eyes and I really feel I belong here. Thank you for the opportunity. I will be glad to respond to any questions. Please any tips on setting up my account will be greatly appreciated!
Daniel Lee
A little history pertaining the subject on me and knives. Growing up, I have always seen knives as tools. I was blessed to have a father that always shared the outdoors with me. Together, me and Dad have hunted and fished for many years. At one point when I was younger, my father hunted for food to feed our family. In this way, knives were important to us in the backwoods of North Carolina. They were always kept sharp and handy. I began a collection and soon started perfecting my sharpening techniques. Tinkering soon followed. And then one day it happened! My beloved uncle gave me my first custom! This is the first time in my life I saw a knife as an object of functional art. Being a craftsman and artist, I knew I had to make my own knives. Art + Knives + Design + Creativity + Creation + Power Tools = WOW! How has knife making eluded me thus far?
In the beginning I did not know what to expect. I just knew that I would make the knives to the best of my abilities and see how they would turn out. I have acquired the patience to perform tedious tasks to near perfection working with my hands for 15 years so my chances were looking good. Finally my first knife was done! I was happy with my efforts and proud that my knife looked and performed well. People close to me wanted to see what I was up to so I showed them. I was very surprised that people didn’t believe that I had made that knife. It was always, “So you just put the handle on it?” I took it to church and showed a friend that was a collector and went to knife shows. He told me I need to get serious and make more knives. I did not see that coming. Before then I had only laid eyes on the one custom I owned and that was my benchmark. WHAM! The bug had then bitten me. The best part of it all was the support of my wife and family that encouraged my addiction. I then began to sell knives locally.
I am old fashioned. My time on computers and the internet previously have been very limited. Up until last year my cell phone was a flip phone that was never on. Heck, it’s hard to keep me indoors! So with the encouragement of my wife, I took to the internet. That’s where I found you guys. Before this post I have had no one to share knife making with. I have been missing that in my life. So I come here with open arms and a tear in my eye! I want to share my experiences with you guys and also try to distribute my craft to the most deserving knife lovers on the planet. I hope it works out for us all.
The name of my shop is Screech Owl Knives. My wife and I chose this name because I would stay up late after work to make my knives. Also, there was always owls screaming and hooting around the shop most nights. My oldest son would lay in bed and listen to the owls, and in the morning that’s all he could talk about. The “owls at night”.
I make stock removal blades for the outdoors mostly. I love using exotic wood for handles. My designs are practical, but artistic and have sex appeal. Much like Rembrandt’s etchings. I would like for them to be considered heirloom grade tools.
Sorry for the long ramble but this introduction is very important to me and I do not take my first post lightly. You guys are rock stars in my eyes and I really feel I belong here. Thank you for the opportunity. I will be glad to respond to any questions. Please any tips on setting up my account will be greatly appreciated!
Daniel Lee
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