Journal

Renegade Chicago Recap

Renegade Chicago Recap

As a former Chicago resident, the Renegade Craft event in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago has been a chance to visit my former home. My first Renegade was 8...
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How to Care for Your Join or Die Knife

How to Care for Your Join or Die Knife

Whether it is an everyday carry blade, an oyster shucker, chef knife or historical reproduction, rest assured that love and care went into the making of our blades and we stand behind our products for life. You can always bring any of our knives into the shop for a tune up or sharpening as many times as you like but some at-home care instructions will help you keep your knife in the best condition for the longest time possible.
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The Integral Blade

The Integral Blade

The integral bolster design that is sometimes seen on knives is the thick area at the transition point between the blade and handle. Part of the handle itself, it tapers from the blade thickness seamlessly to the handle thickness. This protects the handle material from wear, reduces seams and connection points and leads to a much sturdier blade. Most handmade knives do not have integral bolsters because they must be forged to shape and it is an advanced technique which is difficult and time consuming. Admittedly it is more efficient to cut a blade out of thin steel and add a handle with no bolster which I do often. The blade works just as well but there is something about the flow of an integral bolster knife that keeps me forging them. 
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Production in a Small Shop

Production in a Small Shop

Join or Die Knives is four businesses in one. I started selling my handmade knives in 2014 and a few years later started offering basic knife making classes. As the shop grew I founded the Hardway Workshop which is a membership community knife shop and now I have added small scale batch production. 
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Reproductions

Reproductions

I am sometimes asked to make reproductions of knives and swords. It's not very often but when it happens it is always an interesting challenge. Every project incorporates at least...
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Shad Fishing on the James

Shad Fishing on the James

Living in Richmond gives me the opportunity to work with some great people. The guys at Current Culture Fly Shop are a good example. They were interested in carrying our...
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Head Space

Head Space

  There is quite a bit of repetitive motion in the knife shop. Forging can be fun but grinding and hand sanding are the real time sinks in knife making....
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Entropy

Entropy

Chaos is clearly the natural state of my knife shop. There is a constant battle against clutter, dust, spills, and general disarray in the shop that I feel like I...
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