I began liking knives and cutting instruments at an
early age. I had a collection of low quality pieces while I was
young. Once I had a chance to start learning how to make knives,
I jumped at it. My first stab at making knives was using a coal
forge. I have the first knife I ever forged hanging on my shop
wall to remind myself (and show others) that even if they don't look
very nice in the beginning, they can and will get better.
When I went off to college, I was able to start attending hammerins, but my ability to setup a shop was still limited, so I mainly did stock removal during this time. While at college, I also added jewelrymaking and chain mail to my list of skills.
Once I had a place with a garage, I setup shop. Since then, my vehicles have never seen the inside of any of my garages. I added anvils, grinders, and what ever other tools I needed. I build a treadle hammer, but disassembled it to build a rolling mill. My shop at the time was small enough to only fit one of them.
I made a lot of damascus and made many different styles. I started merchanting in the SCA, and sold knives along with stoneware feast gear.
In recent years, I haven't had as much of the bug to make knives, but I've been working on other things, such as bowmaking, my gardens and property, and many other projects around the home.
While in the SCA, I had started to make dies to punch out a few styles of lamellar plates. Before I could finish, I left that job and started a job programming and running an industrial cutting laser. I started laser cutting lamellar plates. For my SCA customers, I eventually added a coat of plates kit, a helm kit, and a gauntlet kit.
For knifemakers and metalworkers, I started on a grinder kit. It was in the early stages of development when another kit came on the market. I like it better, so I stopped working on mine. Things didn't work out, and another gentleman drew up similar cad files(the EERF grinder). We emailled back and forth quite a few times. I cut one out and gave feedback. There were changes made to the design, in fact, there are a number of my design changes in the final version of the EERF grinder. I continued to modify then and it eventually became the Grinder in a Box.
It is a framework for a grinder that can ship in a flat rate box through the USPS. The next change came with the revision of the GIB to 2.0 and the addition of new kits in three different styles.
When I went off to college, I was able to start attending hammerins, but my ability to setup a shop was still limited, so I mainly did stock removal during this time. While at college, I also added jewelrymaking and chain mail to my list of skills.
Once I had a place with a garage, I setup shop. Since then, my vehicles have never seen the inside of any of my garages. I added anvils, grinders, and what ever other tools I needed. I build a treadle hammer, but disassembled it to build a rolling mill. My shop at the time was small enough to only fit one of them.
I made a lot of damascus and made many different styles. I started merchanting in the SCA, and sold knives along with stoneware feast gear.
In recent years, I haven't had as much of the bug to make knives, but I've been working on other things, such as bowmaking, my gardens and property, and many other projects around the home.
While in the SCA, I had started to make dies to punch out a few styles of lamellar plates. Before I could finish, I left that job and started a job programming and running an industrial cutting laser. I started laser cutting lamellar plates. For my SCA customers, I eventually added a coat of plates kit, a helm kit, and a gauntlet kit.
For knifemakers and metalworkers, I started on a grinder kit. It was in the early stages of development when another kit came on the market. I like it better, so I stopped working on mine. Things didn't work out, and another gentleman drew up similar cad files(the EERF grinder). We emailled back and forth quite a few times. I cut one out and gave feedback. There were changes made to the design, in fact, there are a number of my design changes in the final version of the EERF grinder. I continued to modify then and it eventually became the Grinder in a Box.
It is a framework for a grinder that can ship in a flat rate box through the USPS. The next change came with the revision of the GIB to 2.0 and the addition of new kits in three different styles.