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KNIFE MAKER QUESTION
#6436629
09/03/16 09:52 AM
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,409
Huntmaster
OP
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OP
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,409 |
I'm just wondering. How do you really know a knife is so called "hand made" and worth hundreds to thousands of dollars? With the latest, greatest, CNC machines the tolerances are well into the thousandths and many are capable of higher degrees than man can produce; how do you know a person could just dial a machine to cut all the intricate detail into the blade or have it outsourced at a specialty shop to his specifications and tell you he spent 600 hours on it--and it really took an hour and a half. You could even set the machine a few thousandths from final polish--and hand complete the rest. I was just wondering.
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Re: KNIFE MAKER QUESTION
[Re: Huntmaster]
#6439265
09/05/16 09:30 PM
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 317
Bama2
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 317 |
You could always ask for build pictures I do them for customers from time to time. Most fixed blade's are hand made . Some of the tactical folders are cnc made but they still bring in the $1000's. Price some of Todd Begg's knives they use a lot of cnc machines. But most knifemakers on here are to poor for a $100,000 cnc machine at least I am lol
stovallcustomknives @facebook
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Re: KNIFE MAKER QUESTION
[Re: Bama2]
#6439386
09/05/16 11:20 PM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 17,117
MikeC
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 17,117 |
You could always ask for build pictures I do them for customers from time to time. Most fixed blade's are hand made . Some of the tactical folders are cnc made but they still bring in the $1000's. Price some of Todd Begg's knives they use a lot of cnc machines. But most knifemakers on here are to poor for a $100,000 cnc machine at least I am lol ^^^ Me too ^^^^
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Re: KNIFE MAKER QUESTION
[Re: Huntmaster]
#6442390
09/07/16 08:12 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,652
Jason Fry
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,652 |
Several ways to tell, but it comes down to the integrity of the maker. A machine produced knife may have better symmetry, cleaner grinds, than an amateur hand made knife. A hand made knife may have some minor variations or points of error. If it looks too clean, and google doesn't tell you anything about the maker, then it's likely a blank or a machine produced knife.
FWIW I call a "blank" any knife that you can buy from a supplier with the bevels having been already ground and polished.
My personal opinion, as the president of the Texas Knifemakers' Guild and a voting member of the national Knifemakers' Guild, is that the most important thing is full disclosure. If I say I "made" a knife, then I at least ground the bevels and installed the handle. If I put a handle on a blank, it is dishonest to say I "made" it. On the other hand, if I put a handle on a blank, tell you it's a blank, and price it like it's a blank, then there's no problem. If I CNC a knife, which as Mike said, most of us can't afford to do even if we wanted to, I may or may not say I "made" the knife, but I can't say it's hand made. If I have a company with CNC machines contracted out to make knives after my design, I can't say I "made" it or that it's hand made, but I can sell them with good conscience if folks will buy them knowing I didn't make them. In the end, for me, it's all about full disclosure. Don't misrepresent your work. Price your work in a way that's commensurate with the amount of time, effort, and skill that went into it, and let the free market sort it out.
Last edited by Jason Fry; 09/07/16 08:15 PM.
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Re: KNIFE MAKER QUESTION
[Re: Huntmaster]
#6442461
09/07/16 08:50 PM
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,409
Huntmaster
OP
Veteran Tracker
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OP
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Joined: May 2005
Posts: 2,409 |
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Re: KNIFE MAKER QUESTION
[Re: Jason Fry]
#6443278
09/08/16 11:46 AM
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 3,615
billybob
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 3,615 |
Several ways to tell, but it comes down to the integrity of the maker. A machine produced knife may have better symmetry, cleaner grinds, than an amateur hand made knife. A hand made knife may have some minor variations or points of error. If it looks too clean, and google doesn't tell you anything about the maker, then it's likely a blank or a machine produced knife.
FWIW I call a "blank" any knife that you can buy from a supplier with the bevels having been already ground and polished.
My personal opinion, as the president of the Texas Knifemakers' Guild and a voting member of the national Knifemakers' Guild, is that the most important thing is full disclosure. If I say I "made" a knife, then I at least ground the bevels and installed the handle. If I put a handle on a blank, it is dishonest to say I "made" it. On the other hand, if I put a handle on a blank, tell you it's a blank, and price it like it's a blank, then there's no problem. If I CNC a knife, which as Mike said, most of us can't afford to do even if we wanted to, I may or may not say I "made" the knife, but I can't say it's hand made. If I have a company with CNC machines contracted out to make knives after my design, I can't say I "made" it or that it's hand made, but I can sell them with good conscience if folks will buy them knowing I didn't make them. In the end, for me, it's all about full disclosure. Don't misrepresent your work. Price your work in a way that's commensurate with the amount of time, effort, and skill that went into it, and let the free market sort it out. Totally agree....I sold many knives on this forum at prices usually under $100. They were CNC production blades and came with heat treat certifications. The customer could select handle material or furnish his own. The business got so hectic that I couldn't keep up with it. I would hope that I never mislead anyone to think I made the blade. In fact I have stated many times that I did not make the the blade. I started out years ago making my own blades and found out quickly that unless you are randall it is hard to sell a knife at $200 + so I aimed my efforts at lower price high quality. Some grinding and all handle installs. I still hand make a knife occasionally but it is rare. Maybe 10 per year.
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