Bob lives in Clearwater, BC, and has been making knives for almost fifty years, thirty of these as a full-time knifemaker. In 1996, after their mortgage was paid and their two kids were independent, Bob and his wife Judy decided that it was time to quit their jobs and make knifemaking their sole source of income.
Bob’s knifemaking grew from his love of hunting (he shot his first deer at age 11). When he was 12 years old, he wanted a hunting knife, so he took an old kitchen knife and filed it until it looked like a Bowie. His love of hunting and the outdoors led him to become a Wildlife Control Officer in 1973 and later a Conservation Officer with the BC government, a position he held until 1996. But soon after he assumed this position he began making knives using old saw blades, and by 1976, he was hooked when someone bought the second knife he made. He made about 15-20 knives a year for the next ten years.
During this time, Bob was also innovative with his equipment acquisition. He made a grinder with an 8” wheel from an old wringer washer machine. Needless to say, he was not a stranger to burnt fingers. For almost 10 years, he heat treated his blades in a wood stove. In 1985, Bob and Judy attended the Vancouver Gun Show and two other shows, and each time they sold out their knives. They realized “this is an opportunity” that justified upgrading to a 2x72 grinder and a kiln. From 1985 to 1996 they started selling knives to sporting goods stores in the BC Lower Mainland and attending shows in the United States. When they moved from Williams Lake BC to Vanderhoof in 1991 Bob built a designated knifemaking workshop and by 1996 he was making about 200 knives a year.
When Bob and Judy decided to go full-time they hit it hard between 1996 and 2008. Bob focused on making high quality knives and Judy made the sheaths and managed the business. To be closer to the US Border they moved to central BC. They would enter the US through a commercial border crossing, drive to either Seattle or Spokane, and then fly direct to the shows. They would often be carrying $30,000 worth of knives.
They attended the big US shows and won a number of awards for example, the Las Vegas shows between 2001 – 2004 Best Miniature, Best Hunter and Best Bowie. Early on they had the good fortune to meet Jay and Karen Saddow the founders of Arizona Custom Knives. That led to an exclusive deal for Bob’s knives until 2002 when he branched out to sell his knives with Blade Gallery and Nordic Knives.
In terms of knife designs, Bob likes Randall knives but he makes his own style. He doesn’t draw a design he just gets a piece of steel and starts grinding. He has never deviated from the design and style he likes. ”When I finish a knife I enjoy looking at it. I hand sign every knife I make.” He also says “I have a three show rule. If a knife does not sell after three shows, there is something wrong with it. I change it, for example, I will cut off the handle and make a new one.”
When asked how he prices his knives, he says, “Initially I would take the amount that the average working man would make in two days, and that would be my price. But as I started going to US shows and winning awards I began pricing based on what the big names would do. I have always admired Randall and based my prices on his. In a big world, there was a hierarchy I had to determine where I fit and what my price point was. But my advice to other knifemakers is that you have to price your knives to sell. If you don’t sell them, they will sit on the table. Don’t price your knives to boost your ego.”
Bob’s market is primarily in the US, with many of his knives purchased by collectors. He says, “The interesting thing about collectors is that they often buy knives and put them in a safe, and they never see the light of day. It can be years later when someone buys the collection and resells it that I see my knives again. This is prevalent with high-end collectors”. He considers himself retired now, and last year he made about 40 knives. Today he still uses the same grinder he bought in 1985 (rebuilt several times). He estimates he has made between 2,000 – 3,000 knives on that grinder.
Sadly, Judy faced a four-year fight with cancer. Bob lost his longtime partner in life and business. He says, “I could not have done what I did without Judy. She was an integral part of what we accomplished”. It took him a couple of years to get back on his feet. He recently set up a new shop, and he is sharing his love of knifemaking with Pam, who enjoys making the sheaths.
Bob’s preferred materials for blades are 154 CM and A2 from time to time. For handle materials, he likes natural and stabilized exotic hardwoods, Northern BC elk stag, or Asian water buffalo. He uses a decorative spacer at the guard from big horn sheep, buffalo horn, amber, or reconstituted stones. His guards and butts are 416 steel or brass.
Words of Wisdom … “First, don’t chase the trends … find what you like and make what you know. Do what makes you feel good. At the end of the day, you have to get a lot of satisfaction from your knives. Second, always present your best work … if it isn’t … fix it… or in the future it will come out of the woodwork and haunt you. Third, don’t let customers push you around … do your own style and be true to yourself. But if you promise a knife for a specific price and it takes a year to produce it stick with the same price. All knifemakers who are successful stay with the price they initially promised. Finally, don’t be cheap with materials, always use the best that you can afford.”
If Bob were to do it all again … “I would have become a full-time knifemaker much earlier in my life. It wasn’t a cake walk but it was fun, interesting and I was my own boss”.
To see Bob’s knives, go to: https://nordicknives.com/collections/lay-bob
https://www.bladegallery.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=736&cat=Lay%2C+Bob
https://www.arizonacustomknives.com/knives-by-maker/lay-bob-judy/
Comments