Custom made knives.

[Dave Hoback]

I’ve had this batch of heat treated blanks for at least 2yrs now, and although I did a couple I had promised, I still haven’t finished a few projects designs I’ve been itching to do for several years.
https://i.ibb.co/JnFcFPC/E356-C11-D-E779-4316-9746-2-C8-AC5-D5-D242.jpg (https://ibb.co/JnFcFPC)

I have been making knives for about 12 years, seriously. Thing is, I’m not in business. I’ve sold some sure, but I’ve given away more than I’ve sold, LOL! And I have no plans of selling anymore. The next several years I’ll be making them as gifts. So, I’m not a Knifemaker as a Profession, but I absolutely make custom knives Professionally! When a person truly loves doing a hobby and has spent waking hours studying & perfecting a craft, the outcome is professional work, period! I’ve actually been accused of having others do all this work for me, because my Left Arm/Hand are completely paralyzed. And to that all I can say is please come to my home if you’d like and I’ll gladly give a demonstration to any Nay-Sayer of me actually doing the designing, grinding, machining, etc., start to finish, doing it all myself. And they can gladly inspect the outcome quality of the work I do. The only thing I don’t do is the heat treat. I have in the past, but it’s more cost effective to have a speciality shop with high dollar machinery do the heat treat/tempering & Cryogenic treatment.
*Edited for point of content.*

This is the one I’m most excited to finish. It’s a 5.5” blade length & an thinner than my other mid sized blades. About 3.5mm, as it’s designed as a combat blade. Even thinner, it’s still incredibly tough being made from my favorite CPM3V steel. It’s lighter & moves nicely. Will be a mean cutter.
https://i.ibb.co/KXbTXBM/0237-FD20-81-B6-4-C4-D-AB04-BD9-D8-E0-B8400.jpg (https://ibb.co/drj8rXd)

This one was interesting for me. It’s my take on a “Tactical” , or a more modern Puukko knife. Most knife enthusiasts likely know what a Puukko is. It’s going to have handle scales made from the 3K Twill Carbon Fiber that I laminate myself & Titanium hardware. It’s smaller, only a 4-1/8” blade because it’s meant more for Bushcrafting chores.
https://i.ibb.co/1q0w8K2/9-F6-A52-DE-5-DE6-4435-B670-B5-EB456-B5-B00.jpg (https://ibb.co/xj2RJG5)

This one became my most popular: The Small Hunter. I designed this based from what my good friend told me he wanted in his “perfect” hunting knife. Thin blade, no more than 4” & straight blade profile. I continued sketching the design and would change things as he would say yay or nay. Ultimately I came up with this. Approx 3.6” blade. .090” thick. CPM3V steel. And I’ve made it with all different handle scales & hardware. Lignum Vitae hardwood, G10, Carbon Fiber Scales, & Brass, Nickel, SS, Titanium hardware. It’s the most comfortable knife I’ve ever used. Every single hunter who has one from me has reported the same. I even had a couple skeptics who weren’t convinced. Until they used it. Several of them have sent me pictures of their game taken & processed with this knife. Several deer, various varmints & even my buddy who has processed 2 elk with the same blade. It feels honestly, like an extension of the hand. I’m quite proud of all my designs but of this one especially because of what it meant to a couple individuals. My good friend, and another being an acquaintance I met through my friend; a true, Arizona cowboy. Not a pretender who does rodeo on the weekends, LOL! No, this guy is the real deal! Guy is in his 70’s & still herding cattle in AZ. He got one of these knives I made, a gift from my friend to him, and he uses it almost daily & truly loves it. I met him several years after making it for him & he told me it was hands down the best blade he has ever owned. That really meant something to me, coming from a true-blue, land hardened Cowboy!
https://i.ibb.co/rsKFQGc/B9553-BE7-1-C40-4-AB8-A1-E8-DEBE47-E855-DD.jpg (https://imgbb.com/)
https://i.ibb.co/gMS088D/3-CC821-CA-E31-D-4214-A5-B8-4-E5722369201.jpg (https://imgbb.com/)
https://i.ibb.co/L0w1bKr/FC560491-AD05-4781-9-DD4-1-E30-C75-CA039.jpg (https://imgbb.com/)

A few of the blanks are leftovers of the first design I ever made. I also made this one for a friend I have in Canada. He has a channel on YouTube & did a nice video on this years ago. I let him name it, he wanted to call it The Raven. I was never truly happy with this design myself, although it was a fine knife. Quite a few people are still using one of these in their Bushcrafting hobbies.
https://i.ibb.co/18yTBXm/7-D95770-B-7-C7-C-42-AD-916-A-515625-D036-BC.webp (https://ibb.co/J56H8ps)This design I did simply for me & I’ve made quite a few of these for other people. It’s another 5.5” blade, but this one is very thick. About .190” at the spine. And being CPM3V, it’s virtually indestructible. One of the guys I made one for pounded the blade about 2” into a tree & stood on the handle. Then proceeded to “bounce” up and down on it intentionally trying to break it. He could not! LOL! It’s a really nice field, camping, hiking knife.
https://i.ibb.co/SrSGZHt/CAD7-E181-75-A8-4-AC7-B17-B-89077-D061-D28.jpg (https://ibb.co/bJtDGYs)

This is a one off design I made for a friend. It’s actually a remake in my minds eye, of the Boker Savanna. I also posted a pic of the Savanna. The Boker is much smaller than my remake design. And I might be a bit bias, but I do believe my design is quite a bit more attractive. As for performance, it’s not even a contest. My knife uses CPM3V super steel, Titanium hardware and is a handmade custom knife. It’s like comparing a Camaro to a Ferrari! LOL!
https://i.ibb.co/j5cPR9Y/FCF7-D943-728-A-4-C7-D-A961-C47585006-FBB.jpg (https://imgbb.com/)

Below is the Boker, not my design. My friend wanted this knife which is why I used it as design basis. Again, the above knife was a one off given as a gift.
https://i.ibb.co/9ZpvTns/0-B34-F91-E-0-D66-4-D38-A99-F-21659-F88-E4-E0.jpg (https://imgbb.com/)

[Myg30]

Morning Dave. You do very impressive work. Several years ago I wanted to make a few knives. I started with an old file, I got it down to a shape that looked ok and stoped to think about heat treating it and what type of scales I was going to put on it. NOW 4 years later, I’m typing this to say knife making is not for me. I guess all the grinding and mess stoped me to think to long and I’ve moved on.
I know I can buy blanks, make my own handles for them or purchase scales. Again, as much as I’d like another hobby, it’s not in the cards for me.
Looking at your work and perfection I can appreciate all the time and labor you put into them all. When a hobby becomes work then it looses its fun as a hobby and another JOB I don’t need and you probably agree.
I’m retired 3 years and I’ve been so busy as the weeks and months fly by, my time for my other hobby’s is limited.
Carry on my friend and your choice of steels is perfect. 1095 can get boring for some knifes.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Mike

[Txhillbilly]

Nice work Dave. I'm impressed!:tea:

[D. Sanders]

I'm a knifemaker too. I designed and built the prototype for the Spyderco Province. I also built the prototype for the Spyderco Waterway but I didn't design it. Nice fit and finish. I have a pattern very similar to your small hunter. Simple classic design. You say that 3V is your favorite. Have you tried 4V? I love it.

[Dave Hoback]

Morning Dave. You do very impressive work. Several years ago I wanted to make a few knives. I started with an old file, I got it down to a shape that looked ok and stoped to think about heat treating it and what type of scales I was going to put on it. NOW 4 years later, I’m typing this to say knife making is not for me. I guess all the grinding and mess stoped me to think to long and I’ve moved on.
I know I can buy blanks, make my own handles for them or purchase scales. Again, as much as I’d like another hobby, it’s not in the cards for me.
Looking at your work and perfection I can appreciate all the time and labor you put into them all. When a hobby becomes work then it looses its fun as a hobby and another JOB I don’t need and you probably agree.
I’m retired 3 years and I’ve been so busy as the weeks and months fly by, my time for my other hobby’s is limited.
Carry on my friend and your choice of steels is perfect. 1095 can get boring for some knifes.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Mike

I agree completely my friend. Big reason I’ve never tried to make it a “business”. And the same reason I do trigger jobs, & small gun repair jobs for free. (Besides the fact that I’m disabled & can’t put much time into anything.), but you hit the nail in the head. When a hobby becomes “work”, passion is usually lost. I get it man..

[charlie b]

Dave, your stuff looks great. And, yes, it is even more impressive knowing your disability.

I know it is irritating to have a group of people look down on your work/ability. The only way to overcome that is simply do what you want. You don't have to prove yourself to anyone but you.

There is a difference between having a hobby and being a professional. It is not the quality of the work, it is the fact that your income depends on your work and someone else (or many customers) is paying you for your work.

Just because you do something as a hobby does not mean the work is less quality than any of the professionals. Many hobbyists do better work than professionals in a wide variety of fields. I think part of that is the hobbyist does not have to factor in the cost of his materials and labor for a job. He can just make what he wants, when he wants, just for the love of the work.

[Dave Hoback]

Thanks Charlie. Yes, I agree. Also, I didn’t mean it like it’s happening far & wide by hundreds or even dozens of people. No, it’s only a few here & there. Not something plaguing guys like me. I just find it oddly intriguing or the few who have said something. That’s all.

Anyway, that’s not the point of me posting. I was simply posting for content. Showing what I’ve been & continuing to work on in around Firearms. I’ll actually edit so others don’t think that was the point.

[Dave Hoback]

I'm a knifemaker too. I designed and built the prototype for the Spyderco Province. I also built the prototype for the Spyderco Waterway but I didn't design it. Nice fit and finish. I have a pattern very similar to your small hunter. Simple classic design. You say that 3V is your favorite. Have you tried 4V? I love it.

Good to know another Knifemaker here partner. Yes, thank you.. I am quite familiar with CPM4V. As well as 10V, 15V & my favorite high Carbon Stainless, CPM20CV. Which is almost chemically identical to Böhler M390 Stainless, but made by Crucible Industries. I’m partial to Crucible steels. I have experience testing & using several other steels as well. In the beginning 1095 & O1 were what I started with. That was nearly 12 years ago. I started researching & studying steels in about 2008. Then when I started making knives, I continued an extensive study of Metallurgy. To me, it’s a big part of the hobby. 4V is good, but it doesn’t offer as high a Ratio of toughness/corrosion resistance/edge retention that 3V offers. The guy who does my heat treatment said something one time when we were chatting years ago. He said “if I was going to Mars & could take only one knife, it would be made of CPM3V, and heat treated by ME!” I fervently agreed with him.

[charlie b]

Dave, sorry I didn't take that as the point either, nor did I expect it have come from many.

Kinda like when my wife and I ran our home business. It only took a few customers to really sour me on the idea of continuing the business. We had a couple thousand customers, but, 5 bad ones really messed it up for me. It is difficult to drive those few out of your head. I never could. 7 years after selling the business a couple of those guys still 'haunt' my brain.

Your work is good and does stand on it's own.

[Dave Hoback]

Appreciate that Charlie. It does indeed bring me joy. I love how very consistent they are, yet at the same time each knife is truly unique; even two of the same style.

[charlie b]

The unique part is what draws folks to "hand made" products. When an item is made by an artist it just that little bit different. Sometimes very slight, like an extra pass of the rasp over the grip or just a bit more curve to a blade. And sometimes more direct, like a special engraving.

All of us who make things also put in that little bit of ourselves. Sometimes this is literal since a bit of our blood might be spilled during the process :) Nothing like a bit of your DNA in something you have made.