What do you consider to be a 'handmade' knife?

[Jack Black]

For me, a ‘handmade’ knife is only that if the blade has been ground by hand. The blade doesn’t have to be forged, stock removal is fine, but the knife should be constructed by hand, rather than simply being assembled at the bench. Even if the blades are machine-ground, but the knife is otherwise put together by hand, I don’t consider it a handmade knife, benchmade perhaps or hand-assembled, but not handmade. Certainly in Sheffield, some makers are selling so-called ‘handmade’ knives, which have blades which are machine-ground en masse elsewhere, and elsewhere in England factory-made blades are fitted with handles and sold as ‘handmade’. Nor do I think this is something that is unique to the UK.

I’m just interested to know what you folk think about this, and how you yourself define ‘handmade’. For me it’s important that what I regard as the traditional meaning of ‘handmade’ is retained if the work of cutlers who adhere to this interpretation is not to be de-valued by what amounts to me to be an act of linguistic laissez-faire, or even of fraud.

 

[mike Berkovitch]

My opinion is like yours, the knife should be make completely by the maker, not just assembling parts.
Mike

 

[Tony Bose]

I think the blade should be held in your hands and ground. Anyone can learn the mechanics of a knife but not so with freehand grinding. It has to be learned over time and practice to be able to belly up to that grinder and predict what you are going to do then be able to do it again. I've seen some very smart men step up and try it without sucess. You can't out smart that grinder. The more hand work you put into a knife the more of a handmade knife it is. They can do whatever else they want but for me they have to grind the blade.

 

[Bumppo]

A handmade knife has been completely crafted with simple tools. If an electric grinder was used, I think that is a bit fuzzy in interpretation as would be if treadle tools were employed. Heat treating is where I would really question how it was done.

 

[kc custom]

I'm pretty much in agreement with the first 3 posts, and the idea that the more of the knife the
maker makes the more handmade. Custom = Grind, Fit, Finish.
Ken.

 

[Jack Black]

Thanks for your esteemed opinions gentlemen, I think Mr Bose put it very well. Machine-grinding is just having the right tools learning the set-up from what I know, not even that if the blades are bought in. Hand-grinding, on the other hand, is a skill akin to an art form, and the term 'Handmade' should, in my opinion, be reserved for those who practice this art.

 

[CoffeeCat2112]

You can't out smart that grinder.

Man, you can apply that to so many aspects of life. I need to have that tattooed on the back of my hand so I see it before I start a project.

 

[Jack Black]

I need to have that tattooed on the back of my hand so I see it before I start a project.

How about an adapted grim-reaper design?!

 

[sierra11b]

I've seen some very smart men step up and try it without sucess. You can't out smart that grinder.

Isn't this the truth! Although maybe I didn't give myself a fair enough shot, once taught by a respected slipjoint maker, I came to the realization that I'm not as mechanically inclined or patient as originally thought! I did make a couple knives on my own but the learning curve was far greater than most, especially those makers with machining backgrounds that seem to pick it up like second nature. Maybe once I'm retired I'll set up shop again and give it another try?

 

[richstag]

For custom makers I put hand forged knives as the highest level of handmade. Next down hand ground. Next down hand ground with jigs.

For a company I consider GEC to be hand made enough.

 

[buckthorn]

As a full time craftsperson for more than three decades I have wrestled with the concept of "handmade" a in my own work but, more so, in the processes of other people working in wood, metal and clay. I was fortunate, early in my career, to be made aware of David Pye's THE NATURE AND ART OF WORKMANSHIP http://www.woodcentral.com/books/pye.shtml (This is NOT the same as Pye's The Nature of Design.) Pye, a highly skilled part time woodworker himself, addresses "handmade" from a completely different direction that I have found extremely helpful when contemplating the subject. I highly recommend a reading of the book.

 

[knowtracks]

For me it was this knife, my 1st real attempt at making a fixed blade. Been a long time ago now, and it certainly does not come even close to what is being made today. But I made it to be passed down and even though it went through heat treat it is really only good for a wall hanger. But it is a pretty good chopper!






Dave

 

[Jack Black]

What about Case knives, how are they actually made?

 

[richstag]

[video=youtube;LyTKaVE8olc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyTKaVE8olc[/video]

Maybe this helps, Jack.

 

[richstag]

I have been told for the true TB yearly collaborations they have a different set of machinery for at least part of the construction. Don't etch that in stone, but maybe Mr. Bose could verify for sure. I trust my info, but I don't remember the specifics.

 

[MT Damascus]

I know the Case/Bose collaborations are cut on a EDM wire cut machine, which is extremely expensive.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_discharge_machining

I have been told for the true TB yearly collaborations they have a different set of machinery for at least part of the construction. Don't etch that in stone, but maybe Mr. Bose could verify for sure. I trust my info, but I don't remember the specifics.

 

[Jack Black]

[video=youtube;LyTKaVE8olc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyTKaVE8olc[/video]

Maybe this helps, Jack.

Hey thanks a lot Kevin, I really appreciate it. Unfortunately, I get "The uploader has not made this video available in your country."

 

[richstag]

Kris, thank you for that!

Jack, sorry bud, but it mainly shows blades being punched out of rolled steel, mostly automated processes, it shows general heat treat, annealing of the tangs etc. Lots of robots, blade grinds, nail nicks, stamps, rivets/pins spun. I wish you could see, machine jigged shin bones, batch dyed in hot dye. The most hands on seemed to be drilling the holes in the handle covers on a press and gluing in the shield. They sharpen it on a belt grinder at the end. They are hand assembled. None of the pins are hand peened. Somewhat hand finished IMO.

Sorry if my notes of the video are jumbled and lacking.

Kevin

 

[ptradeco]

There has been much heated debate about this subject in the Tactical knife world. It has cost some makers their reputations and customer followings. As Tony Bose stated above it seems that for the most part this issue has been settled with the maker having personally hand ground the blades. 100% Sole Authorship would be very difficult if not impossible to find. Sole Authorship vs. Custom vs. Handmade vs. Mid-Tech vs. Production vs. Mass Production etc. is indeed a sticky wicket if you get carried away with definitions.

 

[kamagong]

I'd want to include heat treatment in that definition. As we all know, the heat treatment is just as important as the steel used. Without a good HT, even a perfectly symmetrical, awesomely swedged blade is no better than fancy letter opener.

The problem is that farming out blades to be HT'd is a commonly accepted practice. I'd like to point though out that the masters (Bill Bagwell, Tony Bose, Don Fogg, et al.) HT their blades themselves.

- Christian