Who is Tad Lynch?

[GRIM 62]

His work looks fantastic,to say the least!

 

[Lorien]

all I can say is, get your orders in while you can! His turnaround time is excellent, but I have a feeling that will change after Blade.

Judging by the looks of things, it will be up to Tad to decide when he wants to become a Mastersmith.

 

[Lorien]

So, what is the point of this thread, you ask?
It's not simply a 'kumbaya hey I found my new favourite knife maker' thread, (ok, maybe a little bit).

I've been coming up with all sorts of knife patterns lately, and although in a perfect world I would have the time and inclination to breathe life into the good ones myself, the reality is that I simply do not have the time, resources or inclination.

However, I came up with one design that I feel is quite excellent and worthy of the investment of commissioning the design. There are a few Mastersmiths who I thought would do a great job with it, but I couldn't afford their rates, and I was really concerned that the finished knife remain as true to my original design as possible. How else could I know if the design had merit?

When I had first seen a Tad Lynch chopper, I knew that I should get in touch with him. When I did, I was very pleased by his manner, the price he quoted me, the timeframe he laid out, and his desire to build the knife to my specifications as accurately as he was able.

I'm going to put the photos up here, a little at a time, to show you how this project has progressed. I do not yet have the knife in my possession, and I intend to draw this thread out until I can take some pictures of it myself, in use.

Giving credit where it is due, this knife design was inspired by the work of Lin Rhea and Dan Farr. Other influences include Tai Goo, Jason Knight, Burt Foster, Matt Lamey and Adam Desrosiers.

You might not see the influence, but my design was based on this knife by Tai Goo;

Without further ado, here is my design;

 

[Tad Lynch]

all I can say is, get your orders in while you can! His turnaround time is excellent, but I have a feeling that will change after Blade.

Judging by the looks of things, it will be up to Tad to decide when he wants to become a Mastersmith.

Thanks, Lorien. But those guys you mentioned that influenced the design are the Real Deal--I've got a LONG way to go.

Tad

 

[Lorien]

I remember that feeling when I first saw this picture.
I simply could not believe that Tad actually followed my pattern so closely.
As this point, I knew that we were on to something good!

 

[SBranson]

Really liking this one!

Looking forward to seeing yours completed too Lorien.

 

[Lorien]

Thanks, Lorien. But those guys you mentioned that influenced the design are the Real Deal--I've got a LONG way to go.

Tad

you might feel that you have a long way to go, Tad, but I wouldn't have asked you to build this knife if I thought you weren't the real deal

 

[Lorien]

It is really cool to see your knife getting built and in progress.

here it is next to another of Tad's knives-in-the-works;

 

[RogerP]

Very impressive how closely he was able to render your blade design. And I must say that I like your design very much. Looking forward to seeing it complete.

Roger

 

[JatMat]

I lifted these photos from Tad's website, just to give a little background as to why his work is so compelling to me.

Yeah, he says he likes natural handle materials, but c'mon, who can resist the allure of that Alien Goo colored G11? I love the look of that stuff.

Hey, I have never heard of my stuff being called Alien Goo. I resemble that remark.
Jim:grumpy:

 

[Lorien]

Roger, I told Thaddeus that he was welcome to reuse the design if he wanted. I'll be able to test it out first though, and see how well it works, so the design can be refined:thumbup:
Personally, I think it would look really good with palm wood or curly maple, maybe an n/s or bronze spacer, damascus or blued guard and maybe even a laminated or damascus blade. Although, it looks pretty kick ass to me as she stands:thumbup:

As for the Alien Goo G11Pat pend.,

 

[Allen Newberry]

Lorien and Roger, it looks like you both have some fine steel headed your way!

 

[Lorien]

Fine steel, indeed!

 

[ombrapelone]

Tad's hamon are simply amazing.

 

[Lorien]

Tad seems to have a handle on things;

 

[petah]

Wowz... I need to get a Tad lynch integral fighter.....

 

[Lorien]

'you keep me hangin o-on...'

 

[Matthew Gregory]

Man, I love work in progress threads.

Tad, your sense of design is inspiring. I've looked at photos of lots of your knives, and they're definitely something I strive for.

 

[Redsnake1997]

OK ... I REALLY love these pics and Tad's prices are at a level w/I can actually scrape together the funds to afford one... I think.

Love these posts and WIP pics... :thumbup:

 

[lwrhea]

Lorien,
It looks like Tad's work will do your drawing proud. We'll all be glad to see one of your designs come to be. I bet she'll be a cutter too. Lin