- Joined
- May 4, 2015
- Messages
- 56
I just read most of the Chris Williams thread from a few years ago and am now thoroughly confused.
Let me explain; I have "made" knives since I was about 8 years old, the first one was a butter knife I swiped from my Grandmothers flatware drawer and ground into what I thought was a knife. (got my butt busted for that one) and over the years I "made" them from almost anything I could find that I could grind with the bench grinder in the barn.
I once lived in Kansas City and found a shop that supplied the slaughter industry and asked for a tour one afternoon. While touring I saw a HUGE box of what appeared to be broken blades and I asked if I could buy a few. He wouldn't sell them but he gave me 10 or 12 broken blades with no cost. With the broken blades in hand and a bench grinder mounted to a piece of plywood I set about making my first set of kitchen knives. I used Oak from the local home improvement store (we know how that worked out don't we??) and in a couple of weeks I had my first, "handmade knife set". At least that's what I called them.
Fast forward 40 years (and God only knows how many horrible attempts) and I discovered places like Jantz and Texas Knife Makers where I could buy a blade that actually looked like a knife. Over the years I have used anything I could find for handle material, chair legs, scrap wood and LOTS of epoxy because I didn't know about pins and rivets. But I now had so many different materials at my disposal it was over whelming!! The first thing I did was re-do the kitchen knives mentioned above using dymondwood or whatever it was called in their catalog. BTW, they are still in use today.
Since then I have used blades from several suppliers and various handle materials to make knives for friends and have actually sold a few to others for what I considered a fair price for the materials and labor. I have made maybe <50 total and never charged over 75 to 90.00. I never claimed that I made the steel but gave them the spec's from the catalog when asked about the grade of steel.
Let's fast forward another 15 years to today. I still make a few knives using a blade blank and various handle material since I don't have the time, equipment or skill to grind my own blades. I never attempt to pass them off as "custom" just "handmade by me". I make sure everyone knows I didn't make, grind or shape the blade. I may touch one up occasionally by regrinding the handle shape but never the blade shape itself. I sell maybe 8 to 10 a year and usually for less that 100.00.
With all of that said, what kind of "maker" does that make me????
Let me explain; I have "made" knives since I was about 8 years old, the first one was a butter knife I swiped from my Grandmothers flatware drawer and ground into what I thought was a knife. (got my butt busted for that one) and over the years I "made" them from almost anything I could find that I could grind with the bench grinder in the barn.
I once lived in Kansas City and found a shop that supplied the slaughter industry and asked for a tour one afternoon. While touring I saw a HUGE box of what appeared to be broken blades and I asked if I could buy a few. He wouldn't sell them but he gave me 10 or 12 broken blades with no cost. With the broken blades in hand and a bench grinder mounted to a piece of plywood I set about making my first set of kitchen knives. I used Oak from the local home improvement store (we know how that worked out don't we??) and in a couple of weeks I had my first, "handmade knife set". At least that's what I called them.
Fast forward 40 years (and God only knows how many horrible attempts) and I discovered places like Jantz and Texas Knife Makers where I could buy a blade that actually looked like a knife. Over the years I have used anything I could find for handle material, chair legs, scrap wood and LOTS of epoxy because I didn't know about pins and rivets. But I now had so many different materials at my disposal it was over whelming!! The first thing I did was re-do the kitchen knives mentioned above using dymondwood or whatever it was called in their catalog. BTW, they are still in use today.
Since then I have used blades from several suppliers and various handle materials to make knives for friends and have actually sold a few to others for what I considered a fair price for the materials and labor. I have made maybe <50 total and never charged over 75 to 90.00. I never claimed that I made the steel but gave them the spec's from the catalog when asked about the grade of steel.
Let's fast forward another 15 years to today. I still make a few knives using a blade blank and various handle material since I don't have the time, equipment or skill to grind my own blades. I never attempt to pass them off as "custom" just "handmade by me". I make sure everyone knows I didn't make, grind or shape the blade. I may touch one up occasionally by regrinding the handle shape but never the blade shape itself. I sell maybe 8 to 10 a year and usually for less that 100.00.
With all of that said, what kind of "maker" does that make me????
