HOW COME I NEVER HEARD OF THIS SITE BEFORE !!!!??? WHY DID NO ONE TOOK THE TIME TO INFORM ME ABOUT IT !!??? I AM SO OUTRAGED ! OK... Seriously... I was thinking of creating an identical site back in 2012 when i started to make knives. I was discouraged to see online resources from the US and the UK but nothing for us... poor little Canadians ! I am very glad that i now have the chance to connect with fellow blade-smiths enthusiasts from this side of the border. I started to make knives back in 2012 but i was dreaming of making my own blade designs since i was 10. I am literally obsessed by Scandinavian, Japanese and bushcraft designs. I use only stock removal for now. I did a small initial series of 4 knives using 1095 then i started but never finished another series of 6 knives using O1. (Need a kiln to properly temper those blanks) In 2013 i lost my job at RioTintoAlcan and as a result, I unfortunately lost my previous home which was perfect for my hobby. I have since moved to Quebec City for my new job and i'll have to wait a little bit for a new house with a garage, etc. I currently rent a condo with my dog and I still have no space for all the tools and machinery I painfully acquired during the last 5 years. All that to say that i was force to stop knife making about 8 months ago and that i am currently looking for a place to set my workshop again. Until then, i continue to design my knives using CAD modeling which is the technique I've been using since the beginning. (See some designs here...) Regards ! P.S. Having a french section would be appreciated !... I'd be very curious to see how many Quebecois are making knives out there !
Hi Puukko! It looks like this forum is nor easy to find, eh? Don't be discouraged by not having garage or workshop or something else. I'm in exactly same situation - rent an apartment with my family and don't have a room for machinery. All the stuff you can find on my site (http://girvas.blogspot.ca/) is made with just hand tools. Hand drill and Dremel are the only power tools I use. Actually vacuum cleaner too, but I'm not sure if it counts as a tool... Cheers!
Welcome to the forums @PUUKKO Don't let the space restriction get you down. We have a couple of apartment bound knifemakers here. (Those are some nice designs, by the way). As for not knowing about us -- sorry. I did send out memos. Perhaps your's got lost.
Welcome! What's the old adage... where there's a will, there's a way? Take a look at what Roman gets done in his "workshop", amazing. I recall my "stand up" workshop when I had a one bedroom apartment and made the most of it. Ok no crazy power tools, but a bench, a small vice, a light, some hand tools and a radio. Just imagine you get to setup everything from scratch! Looking forward to seeing the progress. Great looking designs, especially the kiridashi. Got to love Solidworks. Dan
