Had a great time at the guild show. Saw some old friends and hopefully made some new ones. Things were a little slower for me than I had hoped for but all in all a good show.The business meeting was way to long and really nothing was accomplished. The dilemma is still here regarding the standards of the guild and what constitutes a guild knife. C-N-C machinery is still un solved. One good thing that did come out of this years meeting!!!!!!!! STEVE JOHNSON WAS THE JOINT RECIPIENT OF THE RED WATSON AWARD ALONG WITH MICHAEL WALKER. CONGRATULATIONS TO BOTH OF YOU. THIS IS A VERY PRESTIGIOUS AWARD AND THE ONLY AWARD GIVEN TO A KNIFEMAKER BY THE GUILD AND IS VOTED ON BY THE VOTING MEMBERS. OFFICERS AND BOARD MEMBERS REMAINED THE SAME

So, if I understand correctly, another year has passed and the Guild has made no decision as to whether or not CNC machines, Laser/Water cutting, apprentices, heat treating, etc., etc. should be allowed or whether or not the Guild member has to let the buying public know if they use any of the above mentioned items. Correct?

And if this is correct, why is the Guild not taking any strides into hammering out this situation? I understand that these things take time, but if the Guild is supposed to be the "Elite" organization, why not get organized and do something about it?

Welcome to the CKD Jack!
Pleasure to have you ...

The direct answer is no! The only thing I heard that seemed to offer any light on the interpretation was that someone got an agreement from the board that the name "Knifemaker's Guild" in no way stated or reflected the method used to construct a knife, but only defined the act of making a knife. That was the most obvious and profound thing I heard all evening. The cheers that went up sounded like a vote set forth to "oppose" the use of high-technology, in the right conditions, would likely fail to pass as miserably as a "crack smoker on a chemistry final". :)

Alex

The guild now has a certificate on every table. If you want to buy a knife ask the maker how it was made. That should eliminate any confusion.

That confuses me. What kind of certificate? And most makers are more than glad to tell you how their knife is made. Does the certificate force or guarantee maker will tell the truth??

The Knifemakers Guild has not made a ruling on, if it is O.K. or not O.K. to use C.N.C. machines, water jet cutting, E.D.M. or lasers to make parts for knives. What they have done is to require each maker to disclose the facts if they do use these process or any other process that is not done from raw materials in the makers shop. This certificate is called a "CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN" basically it is a disclosure statement letting the buying public know what processes this maker uses in the construction of his or her knives. At present you can use the above process but you must disclose this to the buyer in the form of this certificate of origin that must be displayed on your table during the Guild show. This is the first step in setting standards for all Guild members to follow and hopefully a set of rules that all members can live with. Contrary to what some people would have you to believe, the Guild is strong and getting stronger. It has some really good members and can solve any minor problems that may arise. The membership is growing at a rate of 30 to 50 new members a year. I think when I joined they were only 30 to 40 members and now it is approaching 500. Hope this answers your question and sheds some light on the status of the Guild-------Rade Hawkins, voting member--1976