Knifemakers , what knives have you made for personal use?

russianpolander

russianpolander

Societal contrarian
Joined
May 23, 2011
Messages
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First, I am not a knifemaker. I have have made knives and only for myself and family. I often wondered though, what a knifemaker would produce for their own personal use. Someone that makes some form of income at it. I thought it would be interesting if not enlightening to see what some of you have done just for you.

If a thread like this has been done before, I am blind to it. Otherwise, have at it. I hope this is in the right place.

RP
 
Well, my work is in a different catagory than most on this board. I do a little re-enacting of an 18th c. hunter/scout, but even when not, these are my carry knives. 9 1/2" blade belt knife and a 4" friction folder is in my shooting bag. The belt knife is 01 steel with distal and tang tapered blade, bone grips. Kinda large, but light in weight. The folder is a Nicholson file blade in antler. I have carried these for about the last 7 or 8 years. The folder for maybe 15 years.

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I love that friction folder! Everything about it especially the split tail and file work. Maybe this will be a super thread someday.

Awesome.
 
I have a folder that I carry daily, and several kitchen knives I use often. I often think of making a large set of Japanese kitchen knives, with one for every specific task....but then I would still need the old dull western style every day knives for my wife to use :)
 
First off, I can't keep count of the blades I agonize over keeping... I got into this craft to outfit myself and have been lucky enough to find folks with similar good taste! Ha!:p

These are the blades that have managed to stay with me for "testing"(that is what craftsman say to their wives, when they wanna keep stuff).

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Rick Marchand said:
First off, I can't keep count of the blades I agonize over keeping... I got into this craft to outfit myself and have been lucky enough to find folks with similar good taste! Ha!:p

These are the blades that have managed to stay with me for "testing"(that is what craftsman say to their wives, when they wanna keep stuff).

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Click to expand...

Any chance of a closer shot of this knife? :)
 
Phillip made this hawk a long time ago and kept it..Forged from a nichlson rasp if Im not mistaken..Its been absolutly abused and beat to death but it still in overall fine shape..Here he was using it gather pitch pine as its called around here..Most of you know it as fat wood..
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The only one I've manage to keep for myself is a 4" paring knife that's a bit too ugly to pass on but works great.
 
ChapmanPreferred said:
Any chance of a closer shot of this knife? :)
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Doug... you picked the ugliest knife of the bunch! I needed a necker for a trip and whipped one off in half a day... I'll take some shot for you right now... but don't expect to be impressed:p
 
I EDC a fixed blade I made one year prior to the passing of my father for about 18 years now, I feel that there is a little bit of him in that knife. I keep several old knives in the kitchen that I regularly use that had too many blemmishes to be sold.
 
Well, I don't exactly set out to make things for myself anymore. The ones I keep are either prototypes for testing or "rejects" with enough cosmetic blems that I don't feel comfortable selling. I keep what I need and donate others to deploying military dudes.

This one has been my EDC for a few months now and is becoming nicely weathered:

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That was one of the first kwaiken style knives I made, and was initially worried about not having a guard. Turns out I've cut myself with this much, much less than some other knives :)
 
I've kept two:

Maritime Machete was the first "real" knife I managed to build.
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And, a Thuya burl-handled utility:

Sorry, only photos I have
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-Peter
 
I'm kind of like Uncle Joe... I keep the rejects. If I can make it sellable, I'll sell it. If I can't, I'll keep it. I come from a Schrade-carrying family. I can hardly make myself keep a $200 knife instead of sell it, as no one I know would every carry a knife that cost that much. Fortunately I have alot of customers who will carry a knife that costs that much :)
 
Like the cobbler with no shoes, it's my response when someone ask to use the knife I'm carrying.
I've sold the knife off my hip several times, why is that?

I made this one late last year and I made it to keep from the start. Got tired of saying " I don't have one on me".


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I have kept a couple of duds that are packed away in various camping or fishing equipment. A Bunch of kitchen knives too. You actually get to use them. I keep one bushcrafting style knife in the car now to show to folks who just can't fathom what a knifemaker does. Generates a cash sale every so often. I used to try to keep prototypes, because the 2nd and 3rd iteration of a design are so much better. But nowadays, I just keep one if it really turns my head. I like breaking the duds to see the grain these days, so I don't pack them for edge testing much anymore.
 
I made myself a fillet knife about 7 yrs ago and I made my wife a paring knife for Christmas of 2011. Other than that I have sold every other one.
 
I like to keep knives for long term testing and occasionally for personal use.

Ones I have kept - Kiridashi, Friction folder, Titanium Backpacker, Keychain Tool, Liner Lock, Big Chopper, My first Knife (tanto). It is a well rounded collection so I can do whatever I need to.


I would say that my most used knife might be my kiridashi. I open a lot of boxes and use it for all of my kydex work.
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