Handmade Knives to Order

Fred was born and raised in Opelousas, Louisiana, the oldest of 10 children. He began making knives in 1986 and for years made knives part-time while earning a living as an auto and truck mechanic. In 1998, he gave up his "other job" and began to work full-time as a knifemaker. It was at about this time that he came to Springdale, Arkansas to visit Bob Dozier a fellow Louisiana knifemaker and spent some time visiting with us. We very quickly began to offer his folders in The Cutting Edge®.

Fred makes mostly folders on which he prefers to use ivory, pearl and other exotic handle materials and exquisite Damascus for both blades and bolsters. These three models are wonders to behold. Any one of the three will make your eyes water when you have your own in your hands. All three are Walker Style locking folders with blades of Fred’s own high carbon ladder damascus at about 59 Rc. with fileworked backs. The bolsters are Robert Eggerling high carbon Mosaic Damascus which Fred heat colors himself. The back spacer is fileworked and the blue textured titanium liners feature filework along the edges on the bottom of the knife.

Handmade Knives to Order (We will not stock these knives. Delivery will take 3 to 4 months.)

Having lived and worked on his parents’ Arizona cattle ranch, Randy Lee grew up knowing the value of a good hunting knife. He and his father were avid hunters and used knives not only for skinning deer and elk, but also for tools in the ranching business as well.

Randy was always looking for a knife that held a better edge, which led him to experiment with making his own from used saw blades and other steels. He became serious about his craft by 1979, learning his skills from local Arizona knife makers such as Bob Lofgreen and Ken McFall. In 1980, he attended his first knife show and since then knife making has become more than a hobby. Today his knives are highly regarded by the avid hunter as well as the international knife collector. Randy’s wife Sonja complements his knives with custom tooled sheaths that are hand-fitted to each knife.

Using quality materials, Randy produces one-of-a-kind knives that have won numerous awards over the past 30 years. His knives have been featured in various knife publications (including A. G. Russell™ catalogs) and can be admired in knife shops and collections around the country. He currently attends only four knife events per year including the Las Vegas Classic Knife Show in January, the Santa Barbara Knife Show every other April, the A. G. Russell Knife Event each July and the Arizona Knife Collectors Association show in Phoenix each Fall.

I have known Ken for the past 25 years, both as a knifemaker and as a supplier of materials for knifemakers. Ken loves the wilderness in the White Mountains of Arizona and has his home and business in that area. “Knife and Gun Finishing Supplies” in Lakeside, AZ, which he built over the past decades, is a Mecca for makers who want exotic handle materials that have been stabilized, as well as all the other materials needed by knifemakers. He is one of those people in the knife community who shares information freely (as his time permits) and is one of the people I go to when I need information about handle material or a specific wood.

Ken forges his own Damascus and makes his own sheaths, the only work he out sources is engraving and scrimshaw and occasionally a special sheath like the one provided with the sub-hilted fighter available here. While he prefers to use Damascus, he also uses both stainless and carbon steels when called for. Ken is an outspoken customer for his company’s stabilized wood handle material, stating clearly that he believes stabilizing natural materials will add many years to the life of a knife.

We have one of each of the five knives shown on these two pages in stock as this catalog goes to press. We will not stock these knives. After the one of each is sold, we will take orders, which will deliver in 3 to 4 months.

Boyd Ashworth is a custom knifemaker from Powder Springs, Georgia is best known for his "Thomas C. Turtle" knives. His turtles have received a great deal of attention, particularly since 2008 when Columbia River Knife & Tool® introduced a production version of his design.

Boyd sold his first knife in 1993 and has finished the Journeysmith designation with the American Bladesmith Society. Althoug he began making standard hunters and folders, his artistic flair and love of nature began to influence his knifemaking resulting in his very own unique style. In the past his custom knives have included hunters, damascus blade folders, and pocket goblins. Boyd's "Thomas C. Turtle" knives have won multiple design awards at the BLADE Show and have been made with various Damascus blades as well as 154CM. The frames are typically titanium and the scales (or turle shell) have included abalone, black, white or gold lip pearl and ivory, some with scrimshawed images of different turtle species.

These five knives represent two new endeavors for Boyd, he has begun to do his own scrimshaw and he is introducing a new knife shape, the penguin. All five knives have blades of 154CM, anodized titanium frames and an ivory onlay on both the obverse and reverse side. An image of the penguin or turtle is scrimshawed by the maker on the obverse side only. All lock securely in the open position using a liner style lock. All knives are available by special order in any of the three anodized titanium colors.

Like so many of us, Enrique began making knives as a child, using old files and home made equipment. He continued for a while and then drifted away from making knives until he was grown and had started a family. In 2006, when he was 28 years old, he found that his friend Armando Flores was making knives and with his help made a slipjoint folder. With this project, he again became hooked on making knives. Enrique had the good fortune to impress Bill Ruple and then Rusty Preston, two of the World’s top traditional knifemakers, with his work. Bill and Rusty began working with him to improve and promote his work. In early 2010, both of these great makers of old fashioned slipjoint knives insisted that I look at the work of this very talented new maker.

Goldie and I are both really impressed with this young man’s remarkable knifemaking and want to share it with you. Enrique has provided us with five variations on the Remington Bullet Knives. His two sizes of the Remington Bullet Trapper are meticulous in all respects. He has made the Remington Banana Jack and Banana Trapper in his own 4-1/4" handle length instead of the original 5-1/4" size. These are beautifully made in all respects and will be treasured after all of us are long gone.

The blades are CPM154 at 59-61 Rc. The bolsters, liners and bullet inlays are all stainless steel. The scales are jigged bone. Each knife ships in a soft leather zippered pouch of a size to accommodate the knife.

These five knives are available for immediate shipment. Enrique has enough of this bone to make another five or six knives. He will make those five or six knives as we receive orders and will deliver them to us within 3 to 4 months from the time we get your order.

Dan Chinnock began what he calls his "adventure' into custom knives in 2003 when he started hunting with his father-in-law and his friends. Not satisfied with the performance of the hunting knives he was using, Dan began a search for a better tool. He says that in that search, he came across the A. G. Russell catalog and was amazed at all the custom and semi_custom knives that were available. Once he had bought and used one of those handmade knives, Dan found himself building a collection of handmade knives. This exposure led Dan to want to make his own knife and while he'd had an extensive wood shop for 20 years, he did not have experience with steel. "It started to become an obsession and I read every knife book I could find. During several conversations with his brother who who had been a machinist and Tool & Die maker for over 25 years, he started getting an idea of how to begin. With those conversations, Dan found he had no more excuses to keep him from trying his hand at building his own knives.

Once started, he was very quickly hooked. But by 2005, he found that he was not satisfied with his progress so he applied for membership in the Knifemakers Guild. He focuses on folders with Damascus, Mammoth Ivory, Mother-of-Pearl and other natural materials. In order to "keep things fresh', Dan says he tries to introduce one or two new designs each year. The three models chosen for this profile are Chinnock originals that have been popular with his customers.

Mike Tyre was born in Indiana, joined the Army in 1968, served three tours with the 101st Airborne Division and returned home a disabled veteran. He attended the University of Wisconsin where he majored in art. Mike says he had always had an interest in knives, both as a tool and as an art object. At the first knife show he attended, he met D’Holder. This chance meeting led to advice and help from some of the great makers including D’, Johnny Stout and Bill Ruple.

Mike has been selling his knives since 1999 and gives lots of credit to the many knifemakers who have helped him learn to make better and better knives. He is a member of the American Bladesmith Society and forges his own Damascus for both his fixed blade and folding knives.

We have at least one of each of the four knives on this page on our shelves. Once those have sold, they are all available with a 3 to 4 month delivery time.