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Old 04-06-2007, 12:17 PM
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NJStricker NJStricker is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Central Ohio
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Yes, you are a knife maker. So is Gerber, Buck, Mike Stewart, and the guy that runs the factory in Pakistan.

Gerber, Buck, and the Pakistani fellow make mass-produced knives. They are cut, ground, and assembled using computer controlled machinery. All the knives are the same, unless they offer the customer the opportunity to choose the handle scales.

Mike Stewart has his blades plasma or laser cut, grinds them on CNC machinery, and then has a few people hand-fit knife handles and hardware, sometimes to the specifications of a particular customer. He refers to his knives as semi-production.

You make knives one at a time, using your mind and hands to control tools or machinery. Each knife will show some variation, even if you try to make them identical. The knifemaking community recognizes your work as custom.