Texas knifemakers association

No Bob I don't Facebook either.
Vance Hinds is an attorney and has way more internet skills than me. He is in the process of securing a domain name.
This all started last Saturday when a few of us got together to talk about it. Some of us are going to Oklahoma this weekend to a open shop get together put on by the Oklahoma Knifemakers association. We plan on seeking advice from them.
Our goals include education and to bring the Texas knifemakers together to form a tighter bond.
I would like to see shop tours and as the group grows our own custom knife shows where tables are reasonably priced.

If your a Texas knife maker this is the time and place to speak up and let us know what you would like to see happen.

Jim
 
To my understanding it has.
And yes that is one of our concerns that Texas is so big we thought about just making it central TKA but did not want to exclude someone just because they did not live in central TX. Once we get going and see where the interest is we may have sub groups east west north south or what ever. I might be a member of the central TX chapter of the TKA . WE could have a TKA knife show one year in Dallas next year in Houston then maybe Lubbock ect.
Right now were just trying to put it together and we need all the input we can get.

Jim
 
I don't consider myself to be a "knifemaker" at this point but maybe an aspiring knifemaker... and I live in Texas. What's the purpose of the TKA and is there a place for someone like me or is it more for the professional knifemakers? I'm eager for any opportunity to participate, learn and promote the craft in any way that I can.
 
phorizt said:
I don't consider myself to be a "knifemaker" at this point but maybe an aspiring knifemaker... and I live in Texas. What's the purpose of the TKA and is there a place for someone like me or is it more for the professional knifemakers? I'm eager for any opportunity to participate, learn and promote the craft in any way that I can.
Click to expand...
That is going to be our main goal to learn and promote the art of knife making . So you have found the right place
 
I am a fledgling knifemaker in Texas and would be interested in seeing something come of this.

Bob
 
Yes the old TKCA died several years ago I'm not sure why but I think it had something to do with too many chiefs and not enough braves.
 
Probably the chiefs found out how much work it was.
I talked with Johnny Stout who had been president of
TKC A before turning it over to the last president. He said it just kind of died on the vine.
I have been involved with similar organizations one of which was national and I had four states in my district (won't do that again).
If I'm not mistaken there are some associations that have their own spots here on BF. I would prefer that over Facebook.
 
Jim, I am interested in the group and am willing to help however I can. I know that there are several in the Abilene area who have been discussing this as well. Our state is too great not to have a unified group of knifemakers, but it is also too big not to have several chapters. Let me know how I can help.
 
My brother Jason (one of those in the Abilene area mentioned above) and I have spent a lot of hours on the phone about starting just this thing, and about the challenges involved. I think the reasons that the old one died were that:

1) it offered nothing of value (I had a conversation with a former officer who lamented to me that "all these young folks seem to want something for their money." Blew my mind that they were surprised by that.)

2) the finances were not handled with any kind of transparency, and

3)it was run by people who made/make good knives but didn't know anything about running an organization or promoting a business.

The second of these problems is the easiest to fix. The third is tied integrally with the first, but can be overcome pretty easily if the right shoulders are tapped and called in for guidance. There are people with the right kinds of skills who make knives in Texas. I'm skeptical that this will happen, because everyone THINKS they know how to manage this kind of thing but few do. I hope my skepticism is unwarranted.

The first of these problems is key. What value can an organization (or, more accurately, association with an organization) provide, other than camaraderie? Camaraderie doesn't require a statewide organizational structure, so let's focus on things that ONLY an organization can provide. If there is nothing in it for the members, there's no reason for them to join. Here is an off-the-cuff-brainstormed list of some ideas:

-some sort of recognized standards that can be associated with levels of quality (ABS and Guild do well at this)

-promotion of the custom knife industry to the public (SO many ways to do this)

-organized educational events (with benefits for the public AND benefits specific to members)

-organized economic events (shows, etc.). The financial success of the members is key to the continuation of their craft and, by extension the continuation of The Org. and its goals.

-Well thought out and varied online presence to facilitate member integration (choosing between a website, Facebook, subforums on this or KD or elsewhere, etc. is counterproductive. ALL OF THE ABOVE are essential in today's world)

-in a place the size of Texas, I don't think local chapters can be escaped; frequent face-to-face interactions between members and with the public are key to sustaining enthusiasm and engagement, but Texas is HUGE! I think a confederation is preferable to a republic in this case, if that makes any sense at all.

-A permission giving leadership. If should be REALLY easy to get the Org's blessing for some knife related event or whatever. Knifemakers are an independent lot, and an authoritarian OR insulated leadership structure will quickly doom the organization. This is a big one; the last org was led like a private good-old-boys club.

Whatever ultimately happens please, for the love of all things sharp and pointy, don't forget this : If there is nothing in it for the members, there's no reason for them to join. There have been some VERY good and very long threads related to this recently; it would be wise for any founding members and leaders to read every word several times.

I'll be as involved as I can. I hope this can become something really neat; it has the potential to be one of the better knife orgs in the country/world. It could also be a pointless waste of time.
 
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Interested once it gets off the ground. Would enjoy seeing one made in person and locating local resources I can give my $ to.
 
Thanks jawilder & Travis

This is exactly the input we need.
Travis makes some very good points and the offers of help have been coming in greatly appreciated.

Don Shipman and I ate traveling to Oklahoma this weekend to attend a Oklahoma Knifemakers event.
I want to talk in depth with them to see what works and what doesn't.

As far as value we can offer our members.there are two areas of main concern and I don't know which should be first. I guess it would depend on your position.
1. Education in the form of hammer in's and open shop days. With low cost to the attendides.
2. Knife shows open to the public with reasonable priced tables.
I have thought for along time that the ABS to gain more new members should have a section of the tables reserved for new makers at lower prices with a limit on how much you could charge for a knife from this section.
This would encourage some new makers and collectors.
The ABS is a fine organization of which I am not a member of.
 
Gonna bump this one up, because I think there is a lot that could be discussed here. Lets get the ideas flowing. Research has proven that a group focused on coming up with as many ideas as possible comes up with more good ideas than a group focused on coming up with only good ideas. So, if you have an interest in this and something to say about what it could be, speak up and don't be afraid. Practically speaking an org can't do everything it wants to straight out of the gate, but WILL be able to grow and adapt as it gains strength and cohesiveness.

Also, an update: the aforementioned Vance Hinds has been taking the initiative to check out the Ts to be crossed and is to be dotted with respect to registering the new org with The State, finding an example basis for bylaws (required by the govt), verifying the legal status of the now-defunct old org, etc. I plan to dig up and review some incorporation docs and bylaws from other orgs (they're usually on the org website) and toss them into the mix.

There are several groups of folks who have started talking about this kind of thing, and if anyone associated with any of the others sees this, please join in. Someone has taken some initiative and made a move to go beyond just talking, so we might as well pool our efforts.
 
Check with the Georgia Knifemaker's Guild or the Arkansas group. Two of the more successful groups in the country IMO.

Travis and I have discussed this at length for several months. I'll go back through the emails and see if there's any ideas he missed when he posted.
 
Well,
Let me put my $.02 in. since I’m a newbie and not far removed from some of the people we would want to attract to our organization. I say it like that because I would love to be a part of it. Maybe.
• I’m a newbie. Never forged anything and only built a few knives to date, all from billets of 01, and didn’t do the heat treating. Full time work and family time limits me to that for now. Plus, I’m a bender of kydex, and do a lot of modding (and a considerable amount of goofing around with blades – LOL).
• If the new org is knifemakers only, I wouldn’t join and I LOVE blades. All types.
• How about a TEXAS BLADE ASSOCIATION or TEXAS KNIFE ASSOCIATION that encompasses all the aspects of what we love – THE VERY REASON MOST OF US END UP IN THIS FORUM IS THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE LAYERS AND SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE. NOT JUST KNIFE MAKERS.
• Collecting, modifying (scales, blade etching, etc. ), restoring, sheath building (leather and kydex), fixed blades, folders, old stuff, new stuff. You get the idea.
• If you just do knife makers or knife making, you have a very limited audience, even in TEXAS.
• Central Texas? I’m not just saying this since I live here but Houston has over 5 MILLION People. The 4th largest city in the entire country.
• The knife maker will and can drive to the show for his wares and everything else involved in the shows.
• The spectator, customer, or newbie maker will likely not drive to a show that is more than a couple hours away.
• We have gun shows here almost every weekend. Back when we didn’t, I never drove to Dallas to attend one as a customer or spectator. Our gun shows are many times shoulder to shoulder traffic in large convention centers with hundreds of tables. We have PEOPLE here. Outdoors, guns, knives, type people.
• A few knifemakers, sellers, etc . show up because there is no knife venue here.
• It’s the wrong environment on some levels for knives because guns and knives have a weird separation for some reason but also we have no organized promotion for the blade side.
• If we’re trying to attract new people to the craft, and give knife makers a chance to show and sell, why wouldn’t you go to the area where there are the most people. (location, location, location)
• If I had a nickel for all the times in the last year I thought of doing this myself right here……………
• There are way more intelligent, gifted, talented, knife makers, collectors, organizers, administrative, marketing people here than me. I’m just pointing out what it looks like from my end as a customer, user, new guy, and ultimately a guy who may want to go to the next level of this craft, or just meet people like me in a specific area like modding or sheath building.
 
Hail storm , thanks for your good suggestions. The TKA is open for any one that has an interest in knives. You might not be a knife maker now but once you learn how and form a bond with like minded folks who knows what the future might hold. If your a collecter God bless you. If it weren't collecters there wouldn't be knife makers.
If you have an interest in knives what could be better than to learn and understand how knives are made. How can someone really appreciate a good piece of demascus steel without understanding how much work goes into producing it.
Vance has been doing a ton of work on this project. There is not much on it yet but we do have a web site. www.texasknifemakersassociation.com
THANKS VANCE!
 
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