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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Gdpolk on May 02, 2022, 09:06:44 PM
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I’ve been asked a few times as to why I became a custom knife maker so here it is…
I have from a very early age had a desire to create. I’ve drawn/sketched and sold several pieces of art over the years. When in high school I became a published author. I wanted to shoot rimfire silhouette and couldn’t afford the equipment so I made my own gun to compete with in high school and actually qualified for nationals with it. I’ve made furniture. I’ve done building construction and maintenance. I’ve made bows and custom arrows. Now I make knives.
What got me into knives is another story all together. I am and always have been an outdoorsman. As an outdoorsman I began looking for performance in a couple select knives for my adventures that was hard to buy on a shelf. This pushed me into the handmade knife market as a consumer. Fast forward a few years and I meet up with a local knife maker to buy my second handmade from him. I was debating between two similar models and wanted to feel them in hand before committing. We got to talking about design and he asked if I was a knife maker. I found the question odd since I was buying his work instead of just making what I wanted but when I replied “no” he offered for me to try my hand at knife making.
At this point in time I was in an apartment with a one car garage for workspace. I was acquiring hand tools to allow me to do traditional woodworking without power tools because of space limitations. Dan was making knives in a large portable outbuilding/shed behind his house professionally. I thought what the heck, I’ll give it a whirl.
As I fell down the rabbit hole I began to realize it was a craft that satisfied my hunger to learn new things as well as create new things. In addition to this it’s a craft that has limitless opportunities for advancing your skill set and breadth of knowledge AND it was one that could be done in small spaces. So with the help of Dan and dozens of other mentors I began down the journey of learning to make handmade knives.
My focus is and always has been on personal growth as a craftsman and quality of my products. The more I make the higher my standards become. My designs are intended for field and kitchen use because those are the areas that I most often use a knife myself. Below are a few examples of some of my recent work and I look forward to sharing one of my passions with you in the future. If you haven’t looked at it check out the Hunting Knives and Crafters forum. There are a lot of talented knife makers on there. Thanks for letting me share my work with you...
(https://www.gpolkknives.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/IMG-3567-scaled.jpg)
(https://www.gpolkknives.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/SWAU6536.jpg)
(https://www.gpolkknives.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Large-Chef-Combo.jpg)
(https://www.gpolkknives.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/img_6354-scaled.jpg)
(https://www.gpolkknives.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/img_4874-scaled.jpg)
(https://www.gpolkknives.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Mini-Woodlore-with-Lignum-Vitae-Scales.jpg)
(https://www.gpolkknives.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Leathercraft-Knives-Wood.jpg)
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When I have brought the knives out you made me everyone has been impressed !!!!! :thumbsup:
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Nice write up. I get you with the rabbit hole. I kind of did the same after admiring Dave Ricke and his knife making skill. I was glad he agreed to teach me the ropes. Your blades are really nice. I am hoping to go live after retiring (soon?) and just full time it.
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Very nice work!!!!!
Bisch
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Nice Garrett!!! Great story and greater knives.... ah,.... that filet knife! :help:
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Those are awesome !! You do very good work !!
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Absolutely beautiful knives. I've made one through a class of a knife maker and had no idea of the knowledge and work involved.
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Love #1.
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Very ,very nice Garrett! I really like that first one.
I started down the rabbit hole, but life got in the way. I have an anvil, a gas forge, custom hammer, a supply of steel and 5 gallons of oil in storage. Along with one of my daughters and SIL, We bought a cabin on a lake and there is a two car garage that I am planning on doing some forging in.
Short term plans are to build a knife for each of my grandkids, all nine of them.
By the way who made your arrows?
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Nice write-up and beautiful work. Love the chefs knife pictured above, but agree with Terry that the fillet knife is fantastic too
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Very ,very nice Garrett! I really like that first one.
I started down the rabbit hole, but life got in the way. I have an anvil, a gas forge, custom hammer, a supply of steel and 5 gallons of oil in storage. Along with one of my daughters and SIL, We bought a cabin on a lake and there is a two car garage that I am planning on doing some forging in.
Short term plans are to build a knife for each of my grandkids, all nine of them.
By the way who made your arrows?
Those arrows were made either by D&M Custom Arrows or myself. Honestly I can't remember which one of us made them. I know that I have done all of my own and my wife had one batch made by Gary and one batch made by me. I'll say this, if I were to have anyone make arrows for me the only person that I'd go to is Gary. You can find a link to his business through he sponsors drop down menu up top on the PowWow.
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Thanks, they are beauties. I have a supply of nice ones from David Lawson, but he is out of the business now.
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Wow, very nice Garrett!!!
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#5 with the hand is a good looking knife.
:campfire: :coffee: :archer2:
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#5 with the hand is a good looking knife.
:campfire: :coffee: :archer2:
Thanks! That one went to a professional hunting guide in Australia. He wanted a simple, cost effective, performance driven build so he got a nice thin grind, Micarta handles over a skeletonized and tapered tang, and a simple leather sheath. The last I heard from him it retired a few of his other old time standbys and he had a couple of buddies asking for one too.
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i love the one i got from you , and i got to break it in last year on a big old doe. Now i'm trying to resist your "kitchen" knives. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Congrats for your knives, I have seen your improvement over the past years.
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Congrats for your knives, I have seen your improvement over the past years.
Thanks. Hopefully the growth will never end!