Ok..., I have completed my flight training and hold a private pilot lisence. Now that that is out of the way, I can get back to the boat, on which I just spent a week of vacation time in order to get some significant work done. I am attending a boatbuilder's gathering in Chattanooga in September, and there is much to be done before then.
I have multiple orders on the bench, so once again, I must cease taking orders for the time being. One client has been waiting 13 months for his knife, so it would not be fair to keep piling work on when I'm not getting much knifemaking done.
I must admit, I'm not much of a knifemaker for a guy with a website devoted to that endeavor, but life is very short, and so many things capture my interest. I'm very 'ADD' that way. For this, I can only appologize. My only regret is not having enough time to do everything that I want to do. Nonetheless, more knives will be made, and the ideas in my head will eventually be realized in steel.
I try to update the content here regularly, so keep checking back.
As always, enjoy your visit to my site.
Andrew Garrett - Knifemaker
Thanks for stoping in! My name is Andrew Garrett. I live in Kansas with my very cool, and beautiful wife Michelle.
In early 2005, A co-worker who teaches martial arts (Bushido) asked me if I knew anything about etching swords. Little did I know at the time that this question would alter the course of my life. As I considered the question, I recalled a book that I picked up in the library, totally at random, when I was about 12 or 13 years old. The book was called Step by Step Knifemaking by David Boye. It had cool pictures and as I flipped through it, it looked like an easy read. I had just got my first public library card that day and this became the first book I ever checked out. After reading this wonderful book, I remember thinking that I might enjoy making knives someday. However, I was raised by a single mother and we lived paycheck to paycheck. We had no tools, or a place to work, so I just set that desire aside with all the other 'someday' dreams I had aquired. In time, I forgot about it, that is, until someone asked me about etching steel. You see, there was a chapter in the book about etching designs in blades using the ancient royal water method featuring master artist, Francine Larstien. This all reminded me of my old childhood dream to make knives. I was 34 then and had the means to start tooling up and learning everything I could about the craft. So, that's exactly what I did. What you find on this site is the result of intense self-study and assistance from dozens of fellow knifemakers who selflessly share their knowledge and experience.
The knife pictured below was the first knife I ever made. I finished it in the spring of 2005 and sent it to my father. Love ya' pop!
