The Knife is perhaps the single most useful tool made by Man. Whether a shard of bone, knapped flint or forged crucible steel, the knife is a tool exquisite beyond reason. I take tremendous pleasure in making all kinds of knives – I’ve forged custom blades for cooks, woodsmen, swordsmen and soldiers. Blades that are all very different, and all somehow the same.
Like any fine tool, a good knife becomes an extension of ourselves the instant we begin to use it. It feels familiar, something lost and unexpectedly found. It is not out of selfishness that people tend to guard their knives so carefully, lending them rarely if ever. A treasured knife is no longer a tool or even a companion, but an extension of yourself.
A superlative blade may be more expensive than its mass-produced cousin. Forging a superior knife requires a high degree of artistry and technical skill, which may be acquired only through years of study and experience. Skills that allow any person commissioning a custom knife to have it suit their purpose perfectly.
This is what I aim for with every knife I forge. Even the knives I create with no person in mind have a matching owner out there, one unique person who will fit this blade better than any other.
After all, every custom knife has a character of its own. Minor changes in a design, the material of the handle or even the way it is sharpened can change the “feel” of a knife beyond recognition. There are infinite subtleties of function and design: The size and profile of the handle, its relationship to the edge; the thickness, taper and shape of the blade itself – all these things and many more must be carefully balanced to give the desired result: A tool that will be useful for our lifetimes and beyond.
A knife that will – when cared for and subjected to only mild abuse – long outlast its original owner.