Shop Tour

Welcome to the Knife Shop. Hobby or obsession? I'll let y'all decide........

This is a picture of my hydraulic forging press. It is a good solid machine. It was made by Tommy McNabb. He and Mark Wein brought it up here to the house. They are both fantastic smiths and I'm very proud to have had them visit my humble little smithy. I could have kicked myself for not taking any pictures while they were here. This is a outside pic of the Hillbilly Smithy. It is primitive but it is home!

Here is a pic of my forge. It is a NC Tool 2 burner knifemaker. It has done very well for me so far. This is the Tater Pig. He is one of the knife dogs that live here and hang out in the smithy. He came to us as a rescue dog after several foster homes after his elderly owner died. He is VERY friendly and is probably the funniest dog I've ever had. He makes me laugh all the time.

Unfortunately, Rocks is dead now. He was the best dog I ever had and was a true friend. He will be sorely missed. This is Shorty. He is a American Folk Dog and the smartest of the dogs that live here at the smithy. He is sort of like those dogs you see in the circus and he can do little tricks. He also actually minds which the basset hounds don't really do that well. He is the only dog here that has been in the big house (the dog pound) so consequently he is sort of wary around other dogs that he don't know.

Here is the Heat Treating area of the smithy. I HT with a oxy/acetylene torch and I quench in a electric frying pan using mineral oil. Here is a pic of my Grizzly belt sander/buffer. I think that this is a very under rated machine by most of the knife community. This is a great machine for a beginner or a pro who just wants to add more sanders to his shop.

This is a pic of my Grizzly milling machine and my Delta drill press inside my workshop. Here is the newest addition to the knife shop. It is a Grizzly rockwell hardness tester. Now I am able to scientifically test every blade and spring that I heat treat to make sure that they are right on the money every time. Now this is quality control here!!!

This is a picture of my anvil. It is a Southern Crescent anvil made by the Southern Skein and Foundry in Chattanooga, TN sometime before WWII. Many thanks go to Tim Johnson, who identified this anvil for me. I had no clue that it was a cool old southern anvil until he told me. Thanks Tim!!! Here is a pic of my new antique metal lathe. It is a Craftsman model 101 probably from before WWII that my dad picked up at an estate sale and gave to me for my birthday. What a guy!

This is Shiloh, the newest knife dog at the smithy. She is a black lab/german shepherd mix. She is a very sweet dog and she will lick the skin right off of you if you let her. She just turned a year old. In this pic she is smiling for the camera and she has a little stick stuck to her nose that she was playing with. She was given to me by Greg Street. Thanks Greg! This is our newest knife dog! She is a very sweet and loveable basset hound named Molly.

	This is a picture of my hydraulic forging press. It is a good solid machine. It was made by Tommy McNabb. He and Mark Wein brought it up here to the house. They are both fantastic smiths and I'm very proud to have had them visit my humble little smithy. I could have kicked myself for not taking any pictures while they were here.			This is a outside pic of the Hillbilly Smithy. It is primitive but it is home!

	Here is a pic of my forge. It is a NC Tool 2 burner knifemaker. It has done very well for me so far.			This is the Tater Pig. He is one of the knife dogs that live here and hang out in the smithy. He came to us as a rescue dog after several foster homes after his elderly owner died. He is VERY friendly and is probably the funniest dog I've ever had. He makes me laugh all the time.

	Unfortunately, Rocks is dead now. He was the best dog I ever had and was a true friend. He will be sorely missed.			This is Shorty. He is a American Folk Dog and the smartest of the dogs that live here at the smithy. He is sort of like those dogs you see in the circus and he can do little tricks. He also actually minds which the basset hounds don't really do that well. He is the only dog here that has been in the big house (the dog pound) so consequently he is sort of wary around other dogs that he don't know.

	Here is the Heat Treating area of the smithy. I HT with a oxy/acetylene torch and I quench in a electric frying pan using mineral oil.			Here is a pic of my Grizzly belt sander/buffer. I think that this is a very under rated machine by most of the knife community. This is a great machine for a beginner or a pro who just wants to add more sanders to his shop.

	This is a pic of my Grizzly milling machine and my Delta drill press inside my workshop.			Here is the newest addition to the knife shop. It is a Grizzly rockwell hardness tester. Now I am able to scientifically test every blade and spring that I heat treat to make sure that they are right on the money every time. Now this is quality control here!!!

	This is a picture of my anvil. It is a Southern Crescent anvil made by the Southern Skein and Foundry in Chattanooga, TN sometime before WWII. Many thanks go to Tim Johnson, who identified this anvil for me. I had no clue that it was a cool old southern anvil until he told me. Thanks Tim!!!			Here is a pic of my new antique metal lathe. It is a Craftsman model 101 probably from before WWII that my dad picked up at an estate sale and gave to me for my birthday. What a guy!

	This is Shiloh, the newest knife dog at the smithy. She is a black lab/german shepherd mix. She is a very sweet dog and she will lick the skin right off of you if you let her. She just turned a year old. In this pic she is smiling for the camera and she has a little stick stuck to her nose that she was playing with. She was given to me by Greg Street. Thanks Greg!			This is our newest knife dog! She is a very sweet and loveable basset hound named Molly.