David Wesner, who did business as "Kelsey Creek Knife Works" passed away on February 27th, 2021 at the age of 59. His obituary in the local paper only says he died peacefully at home with his wife and daughter. Apparently something forced him to abandon his knifemaking business (and his former home out in the sticks) several years ago.
I'm not a regular here, but I worked with Dave in a couple small machine shops from roughly 1991 to 2002. It's really weird... I'm sure I worked with the guy daily for at least 7 years altogether, literally side by side for years at a time, and I never knew he had any special interest in knives. Me and him did not get along especially well, despite often-coinciding political views, and frankly I never saw any clue that the guy was capable of particularly fine work. I'm trying not to speak ill of the dead here. One other guy we both worked with was Dave's snowmobiling buddy, and you'd think he would have been aware of Dave's interests, but I can't remember the two of them ever discussing knives. Another co-worker was quite vocal about his own knifemaking, and more than once showed off his creations (which I'd charitably term "rustic") and I do not remember that any big discussion of knifemaking ensued. I do remember Dave talking in general terms how he longed to have his own business. And I remember him once bringing in an old beat-up anvil to mill the top flat with the company's indexable-insert milling head. But that's it. On the other hand, I remember Dave constantly talking about hunting, snowmobiling, and especially his trapping adventures. So it's not like he never talked about himself.
Well about 10 years went by since the last time I saw Dave, and both of us had long since left our last common employer. But a co-worker in my latest (and still current) job is quite a skillful knifemaker himself and one day he's telling me this story about somehow encountering/visiting this super-talented knifemaker that he obviously regarded as sort of a guru. A guy named... Dave Wesner! Well my jaw about hit the floor, and my jaw hit the floor again when I saw photos online of Dave's knives. I've been a machinist and prototype maker and diemaker for over 30 years, I consider myself to be pretty handy with anything from a hand file to a CNC mill, and I'm even pretty well known in certain internet gunsmithing circles. I thought I'd done some pretty nice work, and I have, but I'll honestly tell you I have never made anything so perfect and pretty and detailed as the knives made by David Wesner. He had an outstanding eye for lines and proportions, for one thing. Well, what else can I say? The guy will forever remain a bizarre enigma to me.
