When established knifemaker Lee Williams met Donna, little did he know that he had a future knifemaker on his hands!
As husband and wife, Lee and Donna Williams collaborate on the usual things, like what’s for dinner or where to go on vacation. So why not team up on making knives?
When Lee, already an established knifemaker with a large collector base, met Donna, little did he know that he had a future knifemaker on his hands, or a beautiful and devoted wife!
In a feature article titled “Mr. and Mrs. Sharp” in the June 2015 issue of BLADE®, writer Pat Covert tells Lee and Donna’s story and shows some of the knives Lee has fashioned recently on his own, and collaborative pieces the couple has made together before and after marrying in July of 2014.
As Lee notes, “I started making knives in 2001. I had set up a small machine shop in my garage around 1996,” he recalls. “In November of 2001 I decided to make knives for my siblings as Christmas presents. Twenty-something knives later I had managed to finish knives for all of them, plus their spouses, before Christmas that year. I wasn’t completely satisfied with those first few knives and started doing a lot of research on the Internet.”
The Cherub (above right) is a result of the first collaboration between Donna and Lee Williams as a married couple. (Steel Addiction Custom Knives image)
Learn both basic and advanced knife making techniques with expert instruction from Allen Alishewitz in Tactical Fixed Blades. Allen demonstrates how to craft a double-edged tactical fixed blade knife from start to finish, and creates two knives in order to fully illustrate the knife building process. You’ll learn:
– Profiling and Drilling the Knife
– Tang Tapering on a Grinder
– Tang Tapering on a Mill
– And more!
The Harpoon designed by Jerry Hossom is new from Outdoor Edge.
The factory knife industry is always evolving and the evolution of change exhibited by the latest and greatest sharp stuff at the 2015 Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas was a case in point.
Automatics appeared in increasing numbers, both by companies known for them, such as Pro-Tech and Benchmade (CLA or Composite Lite Auto), and those not known for them as much, including Buck (Impact), Kershaw (Launch 1, 2 and 3), Hogue (EX-AO1, AO3 and AO2) and Timberline (18-Delta). Machetes were in abundance, including those by Outdoor Edge (Brush Demon), CRKT (Mah-Chete designed by Liong Mah), Timberline (Machete Survival System), Condor (Duku and Mini Duku) and the CHOP slated for a BLADE Show debut by DPx Gear. More in big fixed blades included a bolo (Jungle Bolo) and a bowie knife (Jungle Clip-Point) from Benchmade, the Camp 12 by Kershaw, a Steel Will bowie and also tactical fixed blades, the latter including a stretched-out-and flatter version of the Jerry Fisk Sendero in CPM S30V from White River, and Canal Street Cutlery’s Green River Tactical Knives in D2 tool steel with handle slabs by VZ Grips and model numbers based on special dates/battles of the Iraq and Persian Gulf Wars.
Also proliferating were models in a tomahawk, hatchet or hatchet configuration from 5.11 Tactical, Hogue, Spyderco (Szabohawk), Kershaw (Tinder), SOG Specialty Knives & Tools (Survival Hawk), Timberline (Tomahawk CBT/Combat Breaching Tool) and Puma (Tomahawk XP and Packable Hatchet). A design collaboration with Allen Elishewitz, the Hogue model is especially noteworthy with hammer poll and spike attachments to make it two hawks in one.
The new Chef’s Choice Hybrid AngleSelect from Edgecraft combines electrice and manual sharpening stages and is desgined for sharpening traditional European/American at a 20° angle and Asian style knives at a 15° angle.
Knives designed by or dedicated to military heroes were highlighted by a Case V-42 based on vintage drawings of the original model made for World War II’s First Special Service Force, the father of today’s spec ops units, with two surviving FSSF members—93-year-old Eugene Gutierrez and Del Stonehouse, 90—on hand at the Case booth to visit with show attendees. Buck offered the 245 Matt Would Go Knife designed by Navy SEAL Matthew J. Leathers, who was lost at sea during open ocean training exercises in 2013. Camillus featured new tactical fixed-blade designs by retired Green Beret Grady Powell and retired Navy SEAL Jared Ogden of National Geographic TV’s Ultimate Survival Alaska. (Editor’s note: All of the preceding military knives will be featured in special stories in an upcoming BLADE®.)
Other knives with a celebrity influence include new Kutmaster fixed blades inspired by the Pigman TV series. Condor premiered the Primitive Bush Knife used by survivalist Matt Graham on the Discovery Channel’s Dual Survival reality show.
It’s not a knife event without new tactical folders. Emerson Knives, Inc., debuted four entries—the Sheepdog, Iron Dragon, Hattin and Combat Systems Fighter—and Kershaw a larger version of its most popular Emerson collaboration, the CQC-4KXL. Coast Cutlery presented three smooth-opening, economical tactical folders (models TX399, TX395 and TX360) with design input from Spec Ops personnel. Krudo had four new folder designs—three flippers and an Asian-influenced model with a modified tanto blade called the Dao.
Other introduced models and items of note include:
ESEE’s long-awaited Camp-Lore bushcraft series, the Ontario Bushcraft Woodsman chopper and the Saker, a bushcraft design by BLADE contributor Abe Elias for CRKT;
Zero Tolerance addressed the lower-end and smaller-knife industry segments with smaller folders (the 0450 and 0452CF) designed by Dmitry Sinkevich in the $200 MSRP range, and also introduced the model 0630 folder which includes Ernest Emerson’s wave-opening feature;
DPx is working on a new version of its pivoting-handle-and-blade-guard design, also set for a BLADE Show debut, that is easier to operate and will be in a skinning knife configuration;
White River’s hunting knife collaborations with Fisk, the Sendero Bush knife, with CPM S30V blade steel and an MSRP of $220;
Hogue and Benchmade (a river knife) fixed blades with lock-and-switch-release sheaths for both secure knife carry and easy deployment;
For the ladies, 5.11 Tactical’s black folders with assorted handle color inserts with matching anodized liners;
Traditional pocketknives by Queen that include Schatt & Morgan Anglo-Saxon patterns and those by Case in handles by Eagle Grips;
Timberline’s Trophy Drop-Point hunters designed by knifemaker/professional Alaskan hunting guide Russ Kommer;
Spartan Blades is developing a lapel dagger and a redo of an old Bill Harsey tactical folder design;
Smith’s and its new Edgesport outdoor specialty tools and product line includes a natural tinder maker w/fire starter ($8.99 MSRP); Pack Pal Sharpener and Fire Starter w/emergency whistle ($9.99 MSRP); Pocket Pal X2 Sharpener and Survival Tool (sharpener, LED light, compass, whistle and fire starter, $14.99 MSRP); Survival Knife (a folder w/sharpener, whistle and fire starter, $19.99 MSRP); Survival Knife and Kit (w/collapsible silicon cup, fishing kit, duct tape, safety pins, emergency blanket, zip ties and tinder, $39.99); and Ultimate Survival Kit and Multi Tool 10-N-1 Multi-tool w/basic survival and first-aid kit, $49.99 MSRP).
Recommended:
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The Pro-Strider SnG, a collaboration between Pro-Tech and Strider Knives, is the cover knife for the latest issue of BLADE®.
The latest 2015 factory knives as seen at the SHOT Show—including the Pro-Strider SnG cover knife from Pro-Tech—how to make a knife with basic tools, hot bottle-opener knives, the edgiest custom knife-sheath combos going and much more highlight the new BLADE®, on newsstands NOW!
The Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show is the annual coming-out party for the year’s brand new guns and related products for those in the applicable trades—including factory knives. BLADE was there to visit with factory knife and knife accessory companies from all corners of the globe to see what their latest and greatest knives are for the new year. Check out the results in “A Beveled Bevy of Blade Beauties” on page 12.
Many people seem to think you must have a complete shop setup to make a good knife, but BLADE field editor and ABS master smith Joe Szilaski knows better—and shows you how to make a knife from a file with a few basic tools on page 20.
Bottle-opener knives are nothing new—Swiss Army and boy scout knives with folding bottle-opener tools have been around for ages—but the recent crop of bottle-opener knives with the opener incorporated into the butt of the handle is going gangbusters. Check out this hot new trend on page 50.
Time was a sheath with a fixed blade was a given, kind of like milk with your cereal, bacon and eggs, and toast and jelly. However, it is not uncommon for some of today’s fixed blades to be absent a sheath. On the other hand are those custom makers who take pride not only in making world-class knives but pairing them with world-class sheaths as well. Meet some of these makers and their handiwork in “Edgy Combos” on page 72.
Learn how to design and make a combat from Curtis Iovito and Bill Harsey at BLADE U.
Learn how to design and make a combat knife from two who have been there/done that—Curtis Iovito of Spartan Blades and award-winning custom knifemaker William W. “Bill” Harsey—at the 2nd Annual BLADE University.
Bill Harsey’s designs have won numerous BLADE Magazine Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards.
Held the day before (June 4) through show Saturday (June 6) of the 2015 BLADE Show June 5-7 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, BLADE University assembles the world’s leading knife professionals to instruct you on most anything that has to do with the subject of cut.
Along with Mark Carey co-owner and co-founder of Spartan Blades, Iovito is a retired U.S. Army Ranger who saw action during Operation Just Cause in Panama and numerous sensitive deployments and missions throughout Asia and the Middle East. It was while in 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) that Curtis got into making custom knives for his teammates. After finishing up his 20-year career he hooked up with Carey—himself a 21-year man with U.S. Army Special Forces with many deployments in Asia—to start Spartan Blades.
Retired U.S. Army Special Forces and co-owner and co-founder of Spartan Blades, Curtis Iovito will help you learn how to design and make a combat knife.
A number of Harsey’s designs, including the Green Beret Knife, have won BLADE Magazine Knife-Of-The-Year® awards. Spartan Blades also has won BLADE Magazine Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards with its knives.
Today Harsey is one of several custom makers who design knives for Spartan Blades, a list that includes BLADE® Magazine field editor and retired 5th Special Forces Master Sergeant Kim Breed and also ABS master smith John Horrigan. Among Harsey’s design efforts for Spartan is the Difensa combat fixed blade.
In “Designing and Making a Combat Knife,” Iovito and Harsey will take you through the process, including:
•The terms “combat” and “tactical” as they relate to knife use;
•Understanding task-specific uses of a combat knife;
•Combat knife geometry;
•Carry options for a combat knife, vehicle and on foot;
•Design features that make up a combat knife;
•Blade geometry, and;
•Materials that lend themselves to improving a combat knife.
Learn both basic and advanced knife making techniques with expert instruction from Allen Alishewitz in Tactical Fixed Blades. Allen demonstrates how to craft a double-edged tactical fixed blade knife from start to finish, and creates two knives in order to fully illustrate the knife building process. You’ll learn:
– Profiling and Drilling the Knife
– Tang Tapering on a Grinder
– Tang Tapering on a Mill
– And more!
I was thinking the other day that, in a perfect world, those who put their lives at risk to defend our country would be provided with the newest, most high-tech, quality weapons and equipment in order to their duties.
In some ways, the American forces are the most well-equipped in the world, but in others, they are not. Knives, for example—wouldn’t it be great if all soldiers could carry a hand-fashioned, quality, custom knife with them everyday?
The expense of a handmade combat knife is high, but what’s the cost for a soldier not to carry one? What prompted my thoughts on the subject was the “Battle Honed” section of the KNIVES 2015 book. Between pages 84 and 86 of the KNIVES book are 15 of the most spectacular, clean, handsome, utilitarian, well-built combat knives, hatchets and tomahawks I’ve ever laid my eyes upon. Three examples are shown herein.
The Steel Will Bruiser is a folder created for the most challenging tasks. With an overall length of just over 9-inches, this powerful folding knife has a 4-inch K110 tactical blade with a PVD coating. Its handle is made from textured G10 overlays and it features a large flipper.
When in the open position, the flipper doubles as a guard and provides the highest operational safety and a secure grip, even when handled with wet hands. The butt of the handle features a glass-breaker. The knife opens easily with one hand using the flipper or the patented snake-head thumb-plate.
Specs are nice, but what does this mean to you? It means this is a knife that won’t let you down no matter the situation. It’s said where there’s a will, there’s a way. Well, here’s your Will.
The BLADE Show has always been an electric atmosphere for knife enthusiasts, collectors, dealers, users, manufacturers, purveyors and everyone in between, and it truly is the world’s largest knife show. With nearly 700 tables showcasing custom knives, knife collections, antique knives and knife-related products, and more than 300 factory and multi-custom-maker booths, a BLADE Show attendee really does need all three days to explore the show and take it all in.
The list of exhibitors for the 2015 BLADE Show, to be held June 5-7 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Marietta, Georgia, keeps growing and growing and growing …
Get the latest knife information with features on the latest developments, history, and transformation of knives, swords, and edges of all types, and explore the latest trends in blades, steels, styles, and materials. Gaze upon a “State of the Art” section parading engraved, scrimshawed, jewel-inlaid, carved, etched, sculpted and forge-welded, and Damascus and mosaic-damascus knives. Learn more
As husband and wife, Lee and Donna Williams collaborate on the usual things, like what’s for dinner or where to go on vacation. So why not team up on making knives?
As Lee notes, “I started making knives in 2001. I had set up a small machine shop in my garage around 1996,” he recalls. “In November of 2001 I decided to make knives for my siblings as Christmas presents. Twenty-something knives later I had managed to finish knives for all of them, plus their spouses, before Christmas that year. I wasn’t completely satisfied with those first few knives and started doing a lot of research on the Internet.”
Making Tactical Fixed Blades DVD
