Training sons to be knifemakers

golok

golok

Joined
Oct 20, 2000
Messages
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With an excess of 4,000 knifemakers in America, I was wondering how many of them are training their sons, maybe even daughters, to be future knifemakers.

Can you imagine a Tiger Woods of knives? Start them young, say about seven years old. You never know what you can achieve.

By the time, the boy is 18, he will be a wizard around the workshop.

I was thinking if parents can start training their children for other kinds of sports and profession, knifemaking shouldn't be an exception.
 
Interesting stuff point and there are some notable folks who have followed in their father's footsteps.

Pat and Wes Crawford.
Tony and Reese Bose.
John and Chris Smith.
Kit C. and Mike O. (if son-in-laws count too).

If I am not mistaken Bailey Bradshaw's dad also was a forger.

I am betting there are others that I have forgotten or do not know about.
 
I think Greg Mete is about ready to 'prentice one of his son's out to Ed Fowler ;)
 
I have 2 boys, Tyler, age 9 and Matthew, age 7. Tyler is already a top notch "cutoff man", and will likely make his first knife within a year. It's exciting and rewarding to have children who want to follow in the footsteps of a parent.

RJ Martin
 
John W. Smith and I both have sons and son in laws that make knives:P

I might as well do a shameless plug while I'm here:)

My son, Jody, is more into the technical side..he does the CAD and CNC prototyping of the factory knives we are involved in.

My daughter, Kristi, is just starting to learn engraving, and has mentored with one of the great schrimshaw artists, Gary Williams.

Most of you have seen Mike O's work.

Makes a tired, old knifemaker proud.
 
Great thread!!!!

My son Brett is 8 and will be cutting his share of blade blanks in the near future :) He's already quite handy working with wood and has made several "letter openers" as well as some other projects, nothing in steel yet!! We are both into RC cars so he's become quite good with a Dremmel, drill press, soldering iron and hand tools. He ran the entire first run of Credit Card Knives in my milling machine after I set it up for him :) That made me proud and saved me quite a lot of time too!!!!!!!!

Brittnee, 10, is my shop cleaner upper. She shows little interrest in working with tools or machines but doesn't mind earning a few bucks cleaning up the shop for me. I bought her a respirator just for any dust she might raise while vacuuming!! Although she shows little interrest in making knives she does enjoy collecting them and going to shows. She's looking forward to seeing Delanna again this year at the Guild Show. She has a few Case Knives and MT's, her favorite is a NICE SpeedTech Syngergy. Here favorite handle material is abalone, I'm sure a custom will be next.


Neil
 
Please do not forget MEL PARDUE & JOE PARDUE.

It is a pleasure to do business with these 2 gentlemen.

Neil
 
Sure wish I had a son or nephew in the shop with me. It's amazing what you can learn while teaching others and it must be so satisfying to watch someone grow in the craft.
 
It is great when the kids wander out into the shop and want to help out. My son was enthusiastic about his first knife for about the 1st hour of work. Then when he made his first booboo, he got mad at himself and quit. Recently, my daughter decided she wanted to make a knife. She got it cut out and then got busy with other things and I finished most of it. She did do some great filework on it though. Just today my son came back into the shop and sat down at the bandsaw and started cuttin again. Both of my kids are teenagers, daughter 17 and son 16. Both are lacking in patients, but that usually comes with age. I enjoy it when they find a few hours to spend with me in the shop, but I also realize that not everybody shares my enthusiasm for knifemakin.
 
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