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This is a great thread, I spent a lot of time in the 90s staring at pictures of Rod's work. Very cool to see some again! 
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Roderick "Caribou" Chappel
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Thanks for the additional info, Tonbo. One more quick question - what is the point of the combo edge? Better slicer in the middle and a stronger point or just appearance?
)
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Pawn Stars, Season 7, Episode 21, "On A Mission To Pawn". Second from right looks like it could be a Hunter's Bowie (9.5" blade) or Woodsman Bowie (8.25" blade) with yellow Micarta...or...it could be a Luckett. Can anyone confirm?
Hello
It looks like a Luckett. I apologize for the spelling. In the first scene when Rick pulls the one with the "lugged guard" from its sheath. I think you can see Luckett's etched name logo. About 18:30 ish if you watch it online. IMO the handle is the dead giveaway. Rod's are more contoured not as flat as seen. The blade is close, definitely a Rod influence. As for the other I'm pretty sure it's not a Rod either. Nice collection though. As for Rick just buying Randall and Lile he knows they should sell faster than the others. Just my opinion.
Just trying to help
Thank you
It looks like a Luckett. I apologize for the spelling. In the first scene when Rick pulls the one with the "lugged guard" from its sheath. I think you can see Luckett's etched name logo. About 18:30 ish if you watch it online. IMO the handle is the dead giveaway. Rod's are more contoured not as flat as seen. The blade is close, definitely a Rod influence. As for the other I'm pretty sure it's not a Rod either. Nice collection though. As for Rick just buying Randall and Lile he knows they should sell faster than the others. Just my opinion.
Just trying to help
Thank you
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That would be my guess. Flat handle and round choil. Wonder who made the good looking sheaths.
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Hello
Not sure if this is a good place for this?
My story started with...wait for it "wanting to make knives" when I was about 12. So I guess I did the same as many do. I looked for any information on how to make them.
I was able to find a book through my local library-How to Make Knives-. with Bob Loveless and others. It had an old style plastic ring binder. Not sure when it was made but the new ones are different. I went through it a few times until I had to return it. In the back index it listed knife makers and I noticed that one maker....wait for it...just had a drawing of a "Hunting Leopard" drawn like a stylized blue print...I didn't pay it much attention at the time. So I didn't know much but wanted to give it a try. I would find wood or plastic to work with. Using a file or an old wood belt sander. I would put it in a vise upside down and push the lock button to keep it on. Later when I was about 14 in 1989. I went to Seattle Center in Seattle WA for a school activity and noticed there was a cutlery shop Excalibur Cutlery and Gifts. I thought "well" they may know someone or at least help with some information. I talked to one of the associates. I asked if they could or knew someone that made knives and how to grind them. He said the manager could fix a broken tip. Not what I was looking for. Then the manager (David) came out from the back. I asked again and he said Rod Chappel. I asked if he was any good...LOL and where was he located. He smiled and pointed at a poster hanging on their wall. It is the one with all ivory handles. Later I found out those pieces were for the 1976 bicentennial show. I was of course excited to go to his shop in Mountlake Terrace WA. inside Continental Sportsmen indoor gun range. But wait, I couldn't even drive yet. I needed to have my Dad drive me. I was living in Lake Stevens at time. When I met Rod for the first time I wanted him to help with making a hunting style knife I designed. He looked at it and changed the blade shape slightly to be better. He told me where to buy steel and handle materials ect. I profiled the blade in metal shop class, and then gave the blank to Rod to finish the blade I was to make the handle. A few years later I kinda lost one of his knives I had ordered from him. In the parking lot of Continental Sportsmen... more on that later.
When Continental Sportsmen closed Rod was dealing with the passing of his mother. He was unavailable to remove his equipment. Some friends moved everything into a storage unit. He later setup shop in Royce Vallejo's garage, there he worked for awhile. Then Rod jr. died. I got the news from Rod himself. When Rod wasn't able to keep working out of the garage he then moved to Anacortes WA.
will edit when needed..
More to come..
Thank you.
Not sure if this is a good place for this?
My story started with...wait for it "wanting to make knives" when I was about 12. So I guess I did the same as many do. I looked for any information on how to make them.
I was able to find a book through my local library-How to Make Knives-. with Bob Loveless and others. It had an old style plastic ring binder. Not sure when it was made but the new ones are different. I went through it a few times until I had to return it. In the back index it listed knife makers and I noticed that one maker....wait for it...just had a drawing of a "Hunting Leopard" drawn like a stylized blue print...I didn't pay it much attention at the time. So I didn't know much but wanted to give it a try. I would find wood or plastic to work with. Using a file or an old wood belt sander. I would put it in a vise upside down and push the lock button to keep it on. Later when I was about 14 in 1989. I went to Seattle Center in Seattle WA for a school activity and noticed there was a cutlery shop Excalibur Cutlery and Gifts. I thought "well" they may know someone or at least help with some information. I talked to one of the associates. I asked if they could or knew someone that made knives and how to grind them. He said the manager could fix a broken tip. Not what I was looking for. Then the manager (David) came out from the back. I asked again and he said Rod Chappel. I asked if he was any good...LOL and where was he located. He smiled and pointed at a poster hanging on their wall. It is the one with all ivory handles. Later I found out those pieces were for the 1976 bicentennial show. I was of course excited to go to his shop in Mountlake Terrace WA. inside Continental Sportsmen indoor gun range. But wait, I couldn't even drive yet. I needed to have my Dad drive me. I was living in Lake Stevens at time. When I met Rod for the first time I wanted him to help with making a hunting style knife I designed. He looked at it and changed the blade shape slightly to be better. He told me where to buy steel and handle materials ect. I profiled the blade in metal shop class, and then gave the blank to Rod to finish the blade I was to make the handle. A few years later I kinda lost one of his knives I had ordered from him. In the parking lot of Continental Sportsmen... more on that later.
When Continental Sportsmen closed Rod was dealing with the passing of his mother. He was unavailable to remove his equipment. Some friends moved everything into a storage unit. He later setup shop in Royce Vallejo's garage, there he worked for awhile. Then Rod jr. died. I got the news from Rod himself. When Rod wasn't able to keep working out of the garage he then moved to Anacortes WA.
will edit when needed..
More to come..
Thank you.
Bobby Branton
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Keep going! I'm all ears. :thumbup:
Thanks Bobby. I didn't think it was a Luckett, but I wasn't sure if it was a very early piece before Bill established his style.
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Here in Indiana, we have experienced the worst January on record as far as snowfall and continuous sub-zero temperatures. In over 30 years, I have never had one of my ivory handles crack, however over the last few weeks, I have been concerned about cracking due to the severe cold and dryness.
Still in disbelief and denial, I am sad to report that my Lady Diana gave up the ship last night and developed a hairline crack all the way down the side of the handle from guard to pommel. My knife was made in 1984 and I've owned it for 21 years. I've always wondered how I would feel about an ivory crack and now I know - sick to my stomach. About a week ago, I came across this post written in 2003 by a South African scrimshander. It was so well written that I saved it incase I ever needed comforting.
I'm no expert on ivory, but after 18 years as a scrimshander, and 17 years as a member of the Knifemakers Guild of SA, I've probably seen more ivory handled knives than most. Ivory is a living material, regardless of how long it has been stored or cured. It is beautiful and possesses unique qualities. It has a warmth and lustre that cannot be matched with any other natural material. It is also fickle and fragile, yet also strong and durable. It has a mind of its own, and if it chooses to crack it will do so no matter how much love and attention is paid to it.
So, my questions are, do I need to worry about this crack getting bigger and does it need to be addressed somehow? Thanks.
Still in disbelief and denial, I am sad to report that my Lady Diana gave up the ship last night and developed a hairline crack all the way down the side of the handle from guard to pommel. My knife was made in 1984 and I've owned it for 21 years. I've always wondered how I would feel about an ivory crack and now I know - sick to my stomach. About a week ago, I came across this post written in 2003 by a South African scrimshander. It was so well written that I saved it incase I ever needed comforting.
I'm no expert on ivory, but after 18 years as a scrimshander, and 17 years as a member of the Knifemakers Guild of SA, I've probably seen more ivory handled knives than most. Ivory is a living material, regardless of how long it has been stored or cured. It is beautiful and possesses unique qualities. It has a warmth and lustre that cannot be matched with any other natural material. It is also fickle and fragile, yet also strong and durable. It has a mind of its own, and if it chooses to crack it will do so no matter how much love and attention is paid to it.
So, my questions are, do I need to worry about this crack getting bigger and does it need to be addressed somehow? Thanks.
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Well, I didn't mean to kill this thread with a downer post, but it was Chappel related. Pretty ironic that I started this thread and my ivory cracked all within a couple of weeks. Either bad karma or the walrus having his final revenge.
After speaking with Jim & Joyce Minnick (long-time custom knifemaking team), they recommended not filling the crack because if filled, the handle becomes solid again and might crack somewhere else. By doing nothing, the one natural crack acts as a breathing crack and from now on, will allow the ivory to expand and contract on its own.
Here's a photo and please carry on with any stories or discussions about Rod or his knives. :thumbup:
After speaking with Jim & Joyce Minnick (long-time custom knifemaking team), they recommended not filling the crack because if filled, the handle becomes solid again and might crack somewhere else. By doing nothing, the one natural crack acts as a breathing crack and from now on, will allow the ivory to expand and contract on its own.
Here's a photo and please carry on with any stories or discussions about Rod or his knives. :thumbup:
Howdy, as you can see this is my first post, although I’ve been lurking and learning here for awhile. Before I introduce myself let me say a big thank you to everyone involved with this site from the owner and moderators to the knife makers who are gracious and generous enough to share their hard won knowledge with everyone! Thank you!!!
My name is Darren, I winter in S. central Florida, but spend my summers in the bush of Alaska where I have been a fishing guide for the last 30 years. I am working on becoming a part time knife maker in the off season. My love of knives started like a lot of you I’m guessing, as a byproduct of an outdoor upbringing, hunting, fishing, trapping, shooting, and the like. Your probably wondering what this has to do with Rod Chappel, well in the early 70’s when I had just hit my teens my older brother received a book thru the Outdoor Life book club that opened my eyes to a whole new world, the world of benchmade knives. You guys (I use that term loosely ladies) know the book I’m referring to, Sid Latham’s Knives and Knifemakers. For those that are not familiar with this book a lot of the greats and or pioneer knife makers are in there. I highly recommended this book, you won’t be disappointed, hellava history lesson! Well suffice it to say I spent way too much time with my nose in that book when I was “supposed” too be studying, and just like this website I learned a lot. I spent many hours drawing and designing knives instead of doing my school work, none of which were ever made into knives…yet. Good experience though? There was one knife in this book however that caught my fancy more than all the rest... Rod Chappel’s beautiful drop point hunter ? (never could find what he called that model) which happens to be on the cover and is also a full color centerfold. As a kid I loved clip points whether it was a pocket knife or a bowie it didn’t matter, I suppose I thought they looked bad ass, then I saw the drop points in this book… let’s just say it was love at first sight especially Mr. Chappel’s with its deep hollow grind and graceful lines. The other thing about this knife that was new to me at the time was the Cocobolo handle. Growing up around guns, whittling, and woodworking gave me an appreciation of fine wood and that Cocobolo handle on his knife was a revelation as a kid, and is still one of my favorite woods to this day. Knives like any other art form are subjective, what I love you might hate… but for me, not counting the quality of the steel, the heat treat etc. which is after all the most important part, it’s all about the lines. Just like a boat. To me this knife I’m referring to has the lines. A lot of Mr. Chappels knives shown in this thread I respect as I’m sure those wicked curved grind lines are a bear to pull off, say nothing of mastering, which he obviously did. To me personally they are a little over the top…which I suppose is what they were meant to be! Relatively simple and clean is what appeals to me depending on what the knife is for a user or a safe queen. There was a post recently here on BF about the trend of the shrinking ricasso, to me this is an important part of the guard or handles relationship to the blade and one where I personally spend a fair amount of time thinking about and designing. For me the curve or angle of the guard or scales, is in direct relationship to the plunge and width of the blade, not to close (crowded) not to far…can’t explain it, it’s just a feeling or what’s astatically pleasing and even that is influenced by the size and use of the knife. Well blah, blah, blah, sorry I’m rambling…anyway I felt compelled to share this fine example of Mr. Rod Chapples work as I hadn’t seen it posted yet, with its incredibly contoured handle, nice hollow grind, and graceful lines it was my favorite knife as a kid and still is my favorite knife of all time. Mr. Lathams book has at least a half dozen more Chappel knives some of which haven’t been posted here if you’re a fan. Like I said at the beginning of this post thank you all so much for sharing your wisdom and experience on this fantastic website it is very much appreciated. Darren
My name is Darren, I winter in S. central Florida, but spend my summers in the bush of Alaska where I have been a fishing guide for the last 30 years. I am working on becoming a part time knife maker in the off season. My love of knives started like a lot of you I’m guessing, as a byproduct of an outdoor upbringing, hunting, fishing, trapping, shooting, and the like. Your probably wondering what this has to do with Rod Chappel, well in the early 70’s when I had just hit my teens my older brother received a book thru the Outdoor Life book club that opened my eyes to a whole new world, the world of benchmade knives. You guys (I use that term loosely ladies) know the book I’m referring to, Sid Latham’s Knives and Knifemakers. For those that are not familiar with this book a lot of the greats and or pioneer knife makers are in there. I highly recommended this book, you won’t be disappointed, hellava history lesson! Well suffice it to say I spent way too much time with my nose in that book when I was “supposed” too be studying, and just like this website I learned a lot. I spent many hours drawing and designing knives instead of doing my school work, none of which were ever made into knives…yet. Good experience though? There was one knife in this book however that caught my fancy more than all the rest... Rod Chappel’s beautiful drop point hunter ? (never could find what he called that model) which happens to be on the cover and is also a full color centerfold. As a kid I loved clip points whether it was a pocket knife or a bowie it didn’t matter, I suppose I thought they looked bad ass, then I saw the drop points in this book… let’s just say it was love at first sight especially Mr. Chappel’s with its deep hollow grind and graceful lines. The other thing about this knife that was new to me at the time was the Cocobolo handle. Growing up around guns, whittling, and woodworking gave me an appreciation of fine wood and that Cocobolo handle on his knife was a revelation as a kid, and is still one of my favorite woods to this day. Knives like any other art form are subjective, what I love you might hate… but for me, not counting the quality of the steel, the heat treat etc. which is after all the most important part, it’s all about the lines. Just like a boat. To me this knife I’m referring to has the lines. A lot of Mr. Chappels knives shown in this thread I respect as I’m sure those wicked curved grind lines are a bear to pull off, say nothing of mastering, which he obviously did. To me personally they are a little over the top…which I suppose is what they were meant to be! Relatively simple and clean is what appeals to me depending on what the knife is for a user or a safe queen. There was a post recently here on BF about the trend of the shrinking ricasso, to me this is an important part of the guard or handles relationship to the blade and one where I personally spend a fair amount of time thinking about and designing. For me the curve or angle of the guard or scales, is in direct relationship to the plunge and width of the blade, not to close (crowded) not to far…can’t explain it, it’s just a feeling or what’s astatically pleasing and even that is influenced by the size and use of the knife. Well blah, blah, blah, sorry I’m rambling…anyway I felt compelled to share this fine example of Mr. Rod Chapples work as I hadn’t seen it posted yet, with its incredibly contoured handle, nice hollow grind, and graceful lines it was my favorite knife as a kid and still is my favorite knife of all time. Mr. Lathams book has at least a half dozen more Chappel knives some of which haven’t been posted here if you’re a fan. Like I said at the beginning of this post thank you all so much for sharing your wisdom and experience on this fantastic website it is very much appreciated. Darren
Last edited:
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D Bell,
It's stories like yours that make this place so great. Thanks for taking the time to write and welcome to the forum. :thumbup:
Did you ever acquire that special Chappel knife? If not, here's your opportunity. Email me if you're having trouble hunting down the website.
I'll look into Sid Latham's book. Looks like a good one.
It's stories like yours that make this place so great. Thanks for taking the time to write and welcome to the forum. :thumbup:
Did you ever acquire that special Chappel knife? If not, here's your opportunity. Email me if you're having trouble hunting down the website.
I'll look into Sid Latham's book. Looks like a good one.
Tom & Darren,
Darren is right about " Knives & Knifemakers " I have had that book since 1975/1976. I always admired that Chappel Knife on the cover. In fact I sent off for Chappell's catalog & I believe the price
was about $ 175/200 for that model. I think I still have his catalog somewhere. Best of the best on books about the "Golden Age " of knifemakers.
Jim
Darren is right about " Knives & Knifemakers " I have had that book since 1975/1976. I always admired that Chappel Knife on the cover. In fact I sent off for Chappell's catalog & I believe the price
was about $ 175/200 for that model. I think I still have his catalog somewhere. Best of the best on books about the "Golden Age " of knifemakers.
Jim
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