Handmade

A. G. Russell Knives

From the age of nine I made homemade knives until I was about twenty four when I began to make handmade knives, crude but no longer homemade. A few years later, I had met and learned from makers like R. W. Loveless and R. L. Dozier. I made knives until the mid 1970s but today seldom make a knife a year. However I do have very talented makers in the United States and Japan who make knives that I am proud to put my name on. I design them and have them made to our standards.

Beauchamp, Gaetan

Gaetan Beauchamp is a Canadian knifemaker who not only has a talent for making knives, but for scrimshanding as well. He is a full time maker who sold his first knife in 1992.

Beukes, Tinus

Thirteen years ago Tinus, a teacher of Afrikaans and other subjects at an English School in South Africa, had never seen a handmade knife. His world changed when a friend showed him a knife that the friend had made. Tinus describes it as being rough indeed, but it inspired him to attempt his own. His knives improved for several years, but it was not until Tinus began selling outside South Africa that knifemaking became profitable.

Dozier Knives

Bob Dozier has been a big name in handmade knives since the 1960's. He is an expert in making knives with state of the art fit and finish at a cost of several hundred dollars each. What he really prefers, though, is making knives like you see here with the very best materials, fitted perfectly, and with a working finish. This allows him to put the knives in your hands at prices that a working man can afford.

Gransfors Bruks

Hand Forged Hunter's Axe from Sweden Gransfors Bruks has a huge power hammer on which some very fine axes are forged. The axes being built today are unlike the hundreds of models made in Sweden 100 years ago. Each model was made exactly alike and ground smooth, polished, painted and labeled. That industry is dead and I think that the huge hammer mentioned above is left over from that time. It is brilliant that Gransfors Bruks has now built a business making axes for hunters, post & beam builders, wood carvers and others who still need fine axes today.

Hendrix, Wayne

Most knife people know Bob Dozier as a great knifemaker, but few know him for the open hearted and generous person that he is. Last year he told me of a remarkable knifemaker in Carolina who made great knives which were really under priced. Seeing him as totally honest and straight-forward, and producing top notch knives, Bob thought he warranted more recognition. After a year's work by Bob, Wayne and his wife Ruby, together with Goldie and I, we are happy to feature his knives with sheaths made by his wife, Ruby.

Wayne was trained by George Herron, a very early Knifemakers Guild member and founder of the "South Carolina school of knifemaking". You can see that influence in his work. In addition to being a knifemaker, Wayne is a hunting guide. His knives are built to function for both the novice and the expert and to hold up to hard use.

Holder, D'Alton

If you have been an A. G. Russell customer for any length of time, you must be aware of D'Holder. He is a great knifemaker who began making knives in 1968 and spent over 20 years in the leadership of the Knifemakers Guild. D' joined the Knifemakers Guild in 1973 and was elected to the board of directors in 1976. In years since, he has served two terms as president, one term of each secretary/treasurer and vice-president. In 1982, the Knifemakers Guild honored D' with the the Red Watson Award, which recognizes the knifemaker who most exemplefies the the helpful and cooperative nature of the Guild. In 1983, D' was named to the National Shooting Sportsman Foundation (NSSF) Hall of Fame and in 2003 to the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame. He is an avid horseman, hunter and fisherman, who prefers to work with natural handle materials, often mammoth ivory, oosic, amber and exotic woods. He seldom uses manufactured materials for handles. "Nothing beats Mother Nature."

For many years, D' has been one of the most successful professional makers of handmade knives in the world. He works alone in his own shop doing 100% of the work on every knife he makes. We are proud to be a prime source for his knives.

Klotzli

It is a number of years since Michael Walker's high tech Liner-Lock® knives passed from a few hundred dollars each to thousands of dollars. Throughout these years there have been many knifemakers, specialty knife people and huge factories copying features from his knives, most of them without even the courtesy of mentioning his name. Here you have a Michael Walker Liner-Lock® design executed in Switzerland by H.P. Klotzli, one of the top names in Swiss knives.

Landon Selby

Landon Selby, the expert craftsman who has made our obsidian knives for years, uses the same materials and the same techniques to create the two models we offer in this catalog. Each Obsidian knife is handmade and will vary in size, shape and color. While the blades are sharp enough to skin a deer, we do not recommend their use as a tool. They are fragile.

Lee, Randy

Randy has been making knives using the stock removal method for about 20 years. A protégé of D'Holder.

2-3/4" mirror polished drop point blade of ATS-34. Measures 6-1/8" overall. Amber stag scales with 416 stainless dovetail bolsters and fancy pins. Hand tooled leather sheath made by Randy's wife Sonja.

Randall Made Knives

For over 50 years, Randall knives have been the best known handmade knives in the world. No two Randall Made^™ knives are exactly alike, for no jigs or patterns are used in their final construction. Large scale commercial production with this kind of attention to detail is not feasible and that's why knives of this unique quality are not widely available.

Gary Randall, the present owner, took over from his father, W. D. "Bo" Randall, in the mid 1970's and the shop remains so busy that today it takes over three years to get a knife directly from them. We are one of the few authorized Randall dealers, and try to keep a stock of their knives. If we don't have the knife that you want in stock, we can usually have it for you within 3 to 4 months, because our orders with Randall are booked years in advance. For anyone wanting to order directly from Randall the price will be lower but the wait can take up to 4 years.

Saji, Takeshi

Takeshi Saji is a renowned knifemaker in Japan. A third generation forger, Saji began making blades at the age of 16 and at the age of 45 passed the test to be designated a traditional Japanese craftsman. Saji knives are made using the very best materials.

Schuchmann, Rick (SCAR Knives)

Rick Schuchmann calls his business "Schuchmann Cutlery and Replicas" or SCAR. He is a buyer for the German chemical giant Siemans, lives in Ohio and has been making knives for the past 5-1/2 years. He has been making the Scagel replicas for only about a year. You can judge his progress for yourself.

Skalja

Laurent Doussot, handmade knifemaker and winner of the Best Folder award at the Paris Knife Show last year, has developed a new line of semi-production knives under the mark Skalja. Born in France, but now living in Quebec, Canada, Laurent is blending his work as a sculptor with his calling as a knifemaker.