The new north-west school opened its doors at the end of July 2010. Both Dave and Tom are committed to furthering the craft of the forged blade. Their own work is outstanding. Not only does the school benefit from their skill but they are bringing in world class makers to also teach 2-3 day classes. Classes are affordable. For the price of a custom knife you can learn to make your own quality piece. Learn in just a few days what the instructors have found over years of knife making. 

Not only can you take classes but  “Studio 4″  is also available to work in. It is fully equipped with Large milling machine, surface grinder, 2×72 belt grinders, forges, anvils… a knife makers dream shop. Day rates or rent it on a regular basis.

Contact Dave Lisch at:   http://davidlisch.com/contact.html

A few Classes offered:

   “Slip Joint Folders” – Master Smith Mike Vagnino  -Sept. 3-4 2010

   ” Fixed Blade Forging” – Master Smith Jason Knight  -Sept 17-19 2010

   ” Damascus Forging” – Master Smith Tom Ferry  -Nov  5-7 2010

         Click to Enlarge

The Triune is a dagger style, boot knife. It’s name Triune means ” three in one”. The three pieces that make up this Triune are: Steel (damascus), Stone (amolite), Wood (african blackwood). All mounted to a solid one piece steel frame of blade and handle base.

I really enjoyed this piece. It was challenging for me, in that, this is the first time I have done relief carving in a knife. All the area around the thumb pad and index ledge were carve with a dremel.

I came up with an original design concept I call the “Pinch Grip”. If you hold the the knife with your thumb in the recess in the top of the handle, and you index finger underneath in front of the handle legde, you can hold the knife with only two fingers. The knife is very secure pushing or pulling. The design works very well. In the future I plan on implementing it in some “Day2Day” carry models ( my field grade knives).

Triune 3 views

Triune on manzanita burl stand

It was and amazing weekend. There was so much to learn. MS Tim Hancock’s first hour alone filled up a multiple of note book pages. To talk to some of the worlds best makers and just hang out was incredible. MS Shane Taylor was even nice enough to offer advice on the knives I brought. There were a couple of tips for improvement and some things he liked. He liked the look of my knife,”Doc’s fighter”. It is hard to find a better group of people than  custom knife makers.

Thanks MS Josh Smith for opening your property and sharing with us. Great Guy. Great knife Maker.

    Josh Smith, Larry Fuegen, Tony Copley fire off the
                                                                  Bowling Ball Cannon!!!

    Bill Burke, Larry Fuegen

   Shane Taylor and Josh Smith send up a UFO.

   Jürgen Steinau, and Owen Wood

   Tim Hancock

   Montana the beautiful !!

I have been working on the this concept  for a several months now. I am very perticular and have sketched many different designs. As inspiration goes, it all came one day in a concentrated effort. A few adjustments here and there, a tweak or two and I had three good designs. The G2 was born in thought, conceived in  lead, rendered in wood and now sits tangibly on my work bench.  It has been well received by the initial people I have shown it to.

Since I have more than one good design, that came from the process, I will be making them at a later date to give my customers more styles to choose from. I will be calling these knives “Day2Day” carry knives.

For now I will be focused on the G2. I want to carry it for a while to see how it packs and functions. I will adjust it to serve it’s best. Tentatively there will be a few available at the end of July. Here are a couple of pictures.

_ _ ___Click to Enlarge___ _ _

             Designed on Paper                          Wood Template                   

                  New Knife

A hunter commented to me that he would like just a short blade to use, nothing else. With that thought in the back of my mind I came up with the “Fat Belly” skinner. It is down to basics,  with a Forge textured all metal handle. The blade is a short 2 +” making it packable in most jurisdictions. It has a fat belly to give it a good draw, with an up swept tip for excellent piercing. The handle has at least 3 good grips, for control in various functions. The handle also has two thong holes for lash points, and my high visibility “SiteLine” to help find a down blade in the field. And last but not least a Kydex sheath with Tec-lok for multiple carry positions. My favorite being the handle down on the side of the belt. It can be drawn very discreetly.

I have made the blade in 1080 high carbon steel and W2. W2 gives it a little more attitude and a great hamon line.

a short story:

I friend of mine visited my shop with his son. We went through the basic tour and questions. At the end of our time together I found out his son was stationed in Iraq. He was here in the States on R & R, and would be going back in a couple of days. I pulled out the “Fat Belly” skinner that I had been using and told him to take it with him. He was delighted and so was I. It was very little sharing a knife with him, while he puts himself in harms way protecting people  and guarding ballot boxes. I am anxious to find out if he used it and how well it performed. God bless and protect our men.

                   click to view

One of the people interested in the G2 was a boy under 12. He had been saving money up for a new video game and when he asked how much for the knife, it turned out to be a little more than the game. He said to his mom “I could buy the knife first and then save up more for the game.”. How cool it feels when someone appreciates your work that much. I was compelled to give him a railroad spike knife that I had with me. His mother is ordering a “G2″ for him for Christmas.

 Shhhhhh….don’t let him know, it’s just between you and me.

This year I will do my cutting test, the  first of the two stage process. The next step is my five show knives to be judged at the “Blade Show” in Atlanta  June 2011. After becoming a Journeyman smith I have to wait 3 years till I am eligible to test for my Master smith.

The Performance test:

       The test knife is a 15 inch knife that has to be heat treated correctly to perform four functions. 

          1.)   The first test is to cut a 1 inch rope hanging with one swing. 
          2.)  The second test is to cut all the way through a 2×4 twice without bending the edge.
          3.) The third test is to shave arm hair. All without retouching the blade.
          4.)  The final step is to put the blade in a vise and bend it 90 degrees with out it breaking or cracking.

A mastersmith witnesses the test and once it is completed one is eligible to go on to the next phase.

The Show Knives:

       Next you are supposed to make five quality knives that are judged on correct geometry, fit and finish, and overall look. Each of the five knives have to be very high quality and are judged by a panel of ABS mastersmiths at the “Blade Show” in Atlanta. Once you pass the judging you are awarded you journeyman smith stamp and wait three years to do it all again with Damascus to test for Mastersmith.

   The metallurgy class was available before the show started. All through out the rest of the show there are demonstrations and classes where anyone can start learning about knife making. But the best part, for me, is the interaction with the great people there. I not only get to share my latest knives, but also explain how the process works. There is plenty of time to answer questions and just share knife stories.

   If you have never been to a show it is quite a great experience, you should go. You can meet the knife makers in person and see the person behind the knife. How often do you get to shake the hand or pick the brain of the person that built your favorite possessions?  Have you ever met the builder of your car, or the painter of your favorite art piece? At a knife show you are allowed that unique opportunity. So next show come out and support some amazing craftsmen, see their work, and even take home a treasure of your very own.

We have the pleasure of meeting at Jeff Keyes place in Duvall. Jeff is a Journeyman Smith with the ABS (American bladesmith society). Afterward we will be checking out his shop. Since we are not eating at a restaurant , we need to make sure and cover the Keyes food cost with a donation. If you are interested in attending you can contact me through my contact page to get directions. Those attending need to RSVP so they know how much food to prepare.

We had a great time, at the last breakfast, showing our new knives that we were working on, talking knife making, and learning new ideas. I always learn something of value when I get together with any of the great makers we have in the area. I am sure you would benefit also. So, come and join us.

After breakfast we went to Rick Lucas shop, where Tom Ferry MS dropped off a new hydraulic press. We helped Tom unload the press and finish putting it together. Then he fired it up and we made some Damascus with it. Not only does he make a great knife but he builds a fine press too!

Our goal, with the “Makers Breakfast”, is to share our information on knife making with each other. It will make us better makers and help us promote custom knife making through out Wa. We plan to have a breakfast monthly, and if possible visit one of the makers shops afterwards. The next one is planned to be held at Jeff Keyes shop in Duvall.

 Knife makers and collectors welcome. If you have any questions about when and where the next breakfast will be, please contact me.

                                              click image to enlarge