I'm leaving knife making.

Wow, sad the hear this, you really helped me once when I bit off more than I could chew. Thanks again for that and best of luck going forward.:(

John Cahoon
 
Take care buddy. You were one of the first guys I hit it off with here. Best of luck in whatever awaits you.
 
While off hand I can’t say I’m familiar with your work it is sad to see anyone leave the business, or hobby for some makers, particularly anyone who put in the time effort and money to be a part of this community.
 
While off hand I can’t say I’m familiar with your work it is sad to see anyone leave the business, or hobby for some makers, particularly anyone who put in the time effort and money to be a part of this community.

It has become somewhat of a philosophical question for me at this point. Why am I making knives now? I find I no longer have good reason.
 
Sorry to see you go mark , i feel lucky to recently have acquired one of your pieces. Its a bad ass chef knife that ill be using for the rest of my life. thanks for your contributions to the forum!
 
Thanks for everything Mark. I'll think of you every time I use the platen you designed! Which is probably every day...so I guess that's kinda creepy.
 
Wow I hate to hear this. I've always enjoyed your posts.

I'm sure you have your personal reasons and I have absolutely no reason to ask them. However I will say I've watched personal family members fight depression and no longer enjoyed doing what they enjoyed for eons. Bub don't take this the wrong way but all the folks I knew who faced depression said it wasn't a problem. Heck I didn't even think they suffered from depression. I'm just throwing this curve ball out there up to you to decide if it's even something to swing at. Best of LUCK. I'll miss your posts.
 
Sorry to see you go mark , i feel lucky to recently have acquired one of your pieces. Its a bad ass chef knife that ill be using for the rest of my life. thanks for your contributions to the forum!

Glad you are enjoying it Tim. I had to keep that last one I made for myself too. It is a cool knife if I do say so myself. :)
I will be around for a while, and who knows, there may come a day I pick it up again.
 
Wow I hate to hear this. I've always enjoyed your posts.

I'm sure you have your personal reasons and I have absolutely no reason to ask them. However I will say I've watched personal family members fight depression and no longer enjoyed doing what they enjoyed for eons. Bub don't take this the wrong way but all the folks I knew who faced depression said it wasn't a problem. Heck I didn't even think they suffered from depression. I'm just throwing this curve ball out there up to you to decide if it's even something to swing at. Best of LUCK. I'll miss your posts.

It is depressing getting paid less than minimum wage to make knives. I went western vs Wa handle. Maybe that's it. I mean I still do both, but leaning more western lately.
But things seem to be selling way to cheap now.
Anyways, I'll be checking in for sure and like I said, I may pick it up again one day.
Thanks
 
I personally have cut way back for health reasons & just not loving being knee deep in grinding dust everyday anymore;).. I use to thrive on it! There’s more to life than just making knives & I wish you the very best on all of your endeavors :thumbsup:
 
I always enjoyed your work and your contributions to the forum here as well. While I'm sad to hear you're giving it up for now, life is too short to work on hobbies that you're not fully enjoying anymore. Best to you.
 
It has become somewhat of a philosophical question for me at this point. Why am I making knives now? I find I no longer have good reason.
I made drums for about 6 years. Think rock and roll drums. Got into it by accident...had a good quality drum set that I wanted to fix up and refinish. Was looking to hire someone and eventually wound up on a drum making forum. Pretty soon I was making snares for myself. Then a whole kit, pretty soon people liked what I was doing a started placing orders. It went from being a fun hobby making drums for my own fun to a job that was forcing me to spend all my extra time working to fill orders. The fun was gone and I was resenting it all.
Eventually I stopped taking orders, finished up the outstanding stuff and quit. Now I make native american flutes and knives for my own fun. I might sell one some day, but it will be because I felt like it and I will never take a bunch of orders.
 
I use to make $750-1500 split cane bamboo fly rods. I made many but got burned out and just stopped.
Custom knives have been in my blood the longest. I started collecting and obsessing about custom knives for over 40+ years.

I did not make any, but I did buy and visit makers. I was lucky enough to live near Bob Loveless, Rick Browne, Phil Hartsfield, Bob Engath and even met Red Watson. I went to shows from LA to Solvang for years, never thinking I would make knives. Had years of Blade magazine I gave away because I never was going to make knives.

Then the internet happened, found the forums and "The Grinder in the Box" and after all that time I started making knives.
Custom knives was my first love and probably will be my last.

Now I make knives I can not afford to buy LOL. Now that I make slipjoints I would love to keep making them even if I did not sell one of them. Because I collect slipjoint and treasure each one
 
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I use to make $750-1500 split cane bamboo fly rods. I made many but got burned out and just stopped.
Custom knives have been in my blood the longest. I started collecting and obsessing about custom knives for over 40+ years.

I did not make any, but I did buy and visit makers. I was lucky enough to live near Bob Loveless, Rick Browne, Phil Hartsfield, Bob Engath and even met Red Watson. I went to shows from LA to Solvang for years, never thinking I would make knives. Had years of Blade magazine I gave away because I never was going to make knives.

Then the internet happened, found the forums and "The Grinder in the Box" and after all that time I started making knives.
Custom knives was my first love and probably will be my last.

Now I make knives I can not afford to buy LOL. Now that I make slipjoints I would love to keep making them even if I did not sell one of them. Because I collect slipjoint and treasure each one

Serious old school makers in that list, awesome .

Hoss
 
D DevinT I was lucky I , Rick Browne and Red Watson all lived in the same town, Bob Loveless was 20 east and Bob Engath 40 West and Hartsfield was 40 minutes south. Those were the days. I was very lucky
 
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