Todd Davison - Sway Back Slip Joint Knife

[Knifecrazy2]

I have made and sold six hundred an seventeen of these now, the last few have done really well.

I made these from scratch - wondering how many other slip joint knife makers do it that way???
I don't use any patterns making my knives each and everyone is made from drilling a hole in a piece of steel and build the knife from there.
Do you guys know of any other makers that do this????????????????????


Thanks for the looks -

Folder - #617

Black Canvas Micarta
ATS34 - steel
Closed - 3 3/4''


Have a good evening.

Todd


~~~The knives are sold~~~

Folder - #616

Iron Wood

Closed - 3 1/2''

.

[Ray Rogers]

Very nice knives! Never heard of anyone who works exactly as you do. I probably come as close as any to using that method although I make liner locks. I use a pattern but only for the general shape of the handle and blade, the holes, bolsters, stop pins, liner cut, etc are all done free hand as in your case.

The most amazing part of your story , to me at least, is 617 of these! I haven't kept an exact count but I can only approach that number if I count every knife I've made in all styles and types combined. Very impressive.....

[Knifecrazy2]

Originally Posted by Ray Rogers

Very nice knives! Never heard of anyone who works exactly as you do. I probably come as close as any to using that method although I make liner locks. I use a pattern but only for the general shape of the handle and blade, the holes, bolsters, stop pins, liner cut, etc are all done free hand as in your case.

The most amazing part of your story , to me at least, is 617 of these! I haven't kept an exact count but I can only approach that number if I count every knife I've made in all styles and types combined. Very impressive.....

Thanks Ray,

Even on the tang - pivot - I could make the size of it one foot by one foot?
You know it has to be equal all the way around? But you would wind up with a really big knife..........

Another thing is if you look at my knives - I can get the tip of the blade ( even in person) were it looks like it will hit the spring when closing.
Building them from scratch you can pack all the blade in there you can get....

Be cool to know if others & who does it this way???

Take care,

Todd

[pipecrafter]

Todd,

I have to say it again, your knives are incredibly inspiring. I started making slipjoints *because* of the inspiration I've got by looking at your work.

And yes, when I make a folding knife, it's all done from a raw bar of steel and by hand. I draw the rough dimensions on it and roughly cut it out on a bandsaw, but beyond that each knife is completely unique because of the fact that each one is created independently of all the others. I work this way when I make pipes, since no block of wood is going to be like any other, so you have to fine tune each shape to match what you have. Granted a bar of steel is pretty much going to be a bar of steel all day long, but I'm most comfortable working that way and seem to work quickest when I do that.

[Knifecrazy2]

Thanks Kurt,

I know what your saying - I don't know if I could make one from a pattern??

I appreciate that I have inspired you - hope to see your knives some time?

A guy ask on another forum, when did start making these? I started fall of 2005.

Take care,

Todd

[Kirby Bletcher]

I think your method makes some of the best knives there is, at lest when talking about aesthetics and originality. My approach is similar with one exception being I start with a piece off paper. If the knife turns out well I then make a hard pattern so I can quickly repeat the proses for future orders. I have never used someone's pattern or tore apart a factory knife to copy it, except in a few cases where customers have asked me to make or copy a knife similar to another. In those cases I always do more of an altered or inspired version of the knife. I have got a few patterns from Don that I would love to make but theirs so many ideas bouncing around in my head I never seem to fit them in.

No matter what pattern me or anyone else comes up with, if you dig hard enough you could probably say its been done or it was inspired by so and so's knives.

I think there was a book written a long time ago that said something like "there's nothing new under the sun". As knifemakers we continue to do are best to make things new and exciting and Todd you do a fine job of it.

As always well done!

Kirby

[Knifecrazy2]

Thanks Kirby,

You are right - nothing new here....... When I remake say one of my knives - I just look at the photo.
And to get ideas for new ones - I just look in the OLD knife books - and make it...
I do appreciate these replies - very helpful to me and others?
Cause I think A lot of guys looking really do noy understand just how different each maker can be?
Which is a good thing like you guys say - each has his own way - as long as it works for you.
Some thing else is I made thousands of fix blades before even started slip joints.
And I thought I had all my scills down????? Grinding - Buffing - Pinning - File Work - finishing? And they still gave me a pretty good ride to figure them out???

Thanks again,

Todd

Todd

[hf.p]

I love the second one !!

[CWKnifeman]

I have to say that I do both, I use patterns and I also make them from scratch. I have been doing them this way for 15 years now, and have even taught some other how to make slip-joints as well as other folders as well.
Nice knife as well.
Curtis

[jdgunner]

Very good post, it would be cool to see one of you that make slipjoints without patterns do a WIP.

[Don Robinson]

Your work is admirable, Todd.

You've got it all. Skills, imagination, and drive.

I'm glad you're posting here on this forum.

[DaveL]

I learned the hard way and sincerely appreciate the skill and desire to make a really nice knife the way you do. My most sincere congratulations!

[Frank Niro]

Hey Don. I told Todd a while back that while I had only seen his folders in pictures I thought they were super special !!! He told me I could look at any and all the pictures of his knives I wanted to. Todd, these are two super ones as well. For a while I was thinking of trying to make a slip joint but I think I will stay just with the liner locks, which by the way I draw on paper and copy to two pieces of arborite that become the hard pattern for me. Frank

[Rasmusiii]

Thanks for posting!!
Pure pleasure to look at.

regards
Rasmus