Meet the Maker
I am a machinist by trade and currently work in a tool and die shop repairing and making stamping dies. My knives are starting to look halfway decent and I am constantly striving to make each blade just a little better than the last. I hail from rural Southern Indiana and grew up in a little farm outside of town where nearly every waking moment other than work or school was spent outdoors enjoying life in some capacity or another. I would say my appreciation for cutting tools stems from my personal enjoyment of hunting, fishing, and camping and the need for a quality blade in everything I do outdoors. My first attempt at a blade came about when I found a piece of scrap steel in the woods and decided to try to make a knife on dads old hard wheel grinder. My desire grew from there and when I decided I’d had enough of all the cheap, China made knives that were always dulling or breaking way to easily, I started researching how to make my own. My grandpa always told me that I couldn’t be a real man unless I carried a pocket knife and a ball point pen because a man needed both every day. Well, I’ve always got the knife and most of the time the pen. I hope that at least classifies me to be half a “real” man in Papaw's eyes!
Growing up in rural Southern Indiana, I've always been fascinated with things that cut. In my formative years, I was always reading about the men and women that lived in the West long before our time. Farmers, cowboys, outlaws, ranchers, sheep-herders, miners, clerks at the local hotel, and as a result, I had this desire to recreate some parts of their way of life and found enjoyment in primitive skills and traditional skills. People have always told me I was, "born in the wrong century". I learned that good cutting tools were the hardest tools to recreate in a wilderness setting. I also learned that the cheap, China made knives I was using were mostly junk and decided that since I couldn’t afford a better knife, I would make my own. Well, that first one was absolutely terrible and definitely not a knife worth speaking of. However, it got the wheels turning and I started doing lots of research, study and hands on time to get me started. I still have a long way to go and while I do not believe I’ll ever make the “perfect” knife, I strive to make each blade better than the last and continue to grow my business by making the best product I can and making incredibly happy customers. While I still only currently do stock removal knife making, I am beginning to learn blacksmithing and bladesmithing and look forward to learning more skills to create great and beautiful custom blades.
Growing up in rural Southern Indiana, I've always been fascinated with things that cut. In my formative years, I was always reading about the men and women that lived in the West long before our time. Farmers, cowboys, outlaws, ranchers, sheep-herders, miners, clerks at the local hotel, and as a result, I had this desire to recreate some parts of their way of life and found enjoyment in primitive skills and traditional skills. People have always told me I was, "born in the wrong century". I learned that good cutting tools were the hardest tools to recreate in a wilderness setting. I also learned that the cheap, China made knives I was using were mostly junk and decided that since I couldn’t afford a better knife, I would make my own. Well, that first one was absolutely terrible and definitely not a knife worth speaking of. However, it got the wheels turning and I started doing lots of research, study and hands on time to get me started. I still have a long way to go and while I do not believe I’ll ever make the “perfect” knife, I strive to make each blade better than the last and continue to grow my business by making the best product I can and making incredibly happy customers. While I still only currently do stock removal knife making, I am beginning to learn blacksmithing and bladesmithing and look forward to learning more skills to create great and beautiful custom blades.