I’m a custom knifemaker in Brantford Ontario, not too far from Toronto. What started out as a part-time hobby has turned into a growing business. I started making knives in 2016 . . . and no, not because of the reality TV show Forged in Fire. It was because of my wife.
I’d never thought about making knives before. One day my wife complained about a dull kitchen knife and asked me to sharpen it. As I was sharpening the blade I noticed the plastic handle was coming loose and starting to separate from the tang. I looked at the cheap knife coming apart in my hands, and thought that my cat could probably make a better one than this. And that got me to wondering how they were made in the first place.
Why custom made?
I knew nothing about making knives. I’d never heard of Forged in Fire and didn’t even know knife making was a thing until I started doing some research into it.
I made my first knife from an old lawn mower blade I got for free from a local repair shop. For a forge I used the fire pit in our backyard and my wife’s hairdryer for the forge blower. The anvil was a short chunk of rail road track. My first knife was as ugly as sin, but I kept at it.
For the first couple of years I gave my knives away to friends and family. And more piled up in our kitchen drawers. I didn’t know what to do with all of our knives, but I didn’t want to stop making them. They continued to pile up on our counters until my wife suggested I try selling them, and that led to the birth of this website.
Handcrafted in Ontario
Custom handmade knives hold up much better than mass-produced knives – most of which are cheaply made in China – for several reasons: the quality of the steel I use is far superior to anything you’d get in a mass produced knife. The heat treating applied to the blade is also superior. Along with the quality of the steel, proper heat treating is key to producing superior blades.
You will also get top quality materials and craftsmanship in the handles of my custom handmade knives. I use only the best micarta and hardwoods, resulting in handles that will last a life time. These handles feel much better in your hand than the lightweight, plastic handles typically used in mass produced knives.
I hope you will enjoy using my knives as much as I enjoy making them. I believe that the tools we use should also be beautiful pieces of functional art.
Feel free to drop me a line using the ‘Contacts’ page.
