August 25th came up all the sudden. Summer time in the Piedmont of North Carolina is a strange and unpredictable season. Usually it’s just hot and nasty, but some days will trick you into thinking it’s a paradise. Today happens to be a nice day, and yet I find myself inside this morning; planning and scheming instead of outside playing or doing something actually productive. Luckily, I remembered that it’s the appropriate day for a blog entry, so here it goes:
Work in the shop lately has been focused on finishing old work and the design/fabrication of sheaths for said old work. I find that when I have a hundred different projects going on at the same time, I don’t get as much done, so I think that as I move forward, I’m going to need to work in more focused batches; taking ONE blade design from start to finish in a good sized batch at a time, so that all processes, fixtures, jigs and assembly procedures can be nailed down and done faster so product actually gets out the door instead of laying around waiting for some to fill out adoption papers.
I have been in touch with a web developer who wants to trade some knives in exchange for the construction of a functional web store, so just as soon as I get my inventory organized and photographed, and some more progress in the direction of Tomahawk production made, I will be pulling the trigger on the new www.omnivorebladeworks.com online catalog and store. Until then, I’ll keep taking orders directly via email or phone.
A big part of the change from summer to fall in NC is the ability to work outside without getting absolutely soaked with sweat, attacked by biting insects or distracted on a biweekly basis to tackle lawn and garden maintenance chores. I will be very happy to move to a property some day that has no grass or weeds to pull me away from more enjoyable activities.
My apprentice, Tom Waterman, has a website www.watermanknives.com
His focus is on custom kitchen blades because he likes to cook (and he’s darn good at it) He’s a retired Army guy who is only a 9 months older than I am, but has a slew of experiences, a wife and 3 boys that give him a different perspective on life that I am grateful be a part of. As we move ahead with some collaborative projects, I hope that his labor intensive fine finishing and exotic materials will separate his style from mine, and allow both of us to enjoy providing the best products we can make to those who will appreciate them both for their function and their aesthetic.
There are a lot of knives and edged tools in the armory in need of new homes, and a lot of new projects I would like to start on as soon as there is some cash flow to begin the work. I hope that those of you reading this blog will get in touch, let me know what you are wanting, and help me figure out what needs to come next (after old work, and a hundred or so new Anubis 20-20 tomahawks).
I look forward to the next step in this crazy business and to communicating with customers, new and old in order to continue striving toward building the highest quality, optimally designed cutting tools in the world. Whenever that Unicorn of a design comes about, I hope that I, the shop, and the world will be ready for it.