Where Did All the Knives Go?

Thad and Zac Buchananby Stephen GargerMy stamina was tailing

off after several hours wan-dering the aisles duringopening day of the 2011Blade Show in Atlanta. Iwas trying to get my bear-ings and locate an exitwhen I nearly bumped intoOregon knifemaker ThadBuchanan coming theopposite way down the row.Thad’s upbeat personalityand infectious smilealways make me happy. Weshook hands and immedi-ately began catching up alittle. As we got ready topart, I asked where histable was and promised tostop by the next day. Thadpointed back in a generaldirection and told me that

his son, Zac, was also aknifemaker and sharingthe table and that I wouldenjoy meeting him.Heading out of the hallsmiling, I realized it wasjust a perfect ending for afine day spent surroundedby knives and knifemak-ers.

I initially met Thad andhis wife, Melissa, at the2006 Blade Show West inPortland, Oregon, whichhappened to be one of thefirst shows in a few yearsthat Thad had attendedoutside of Eugene, Oregon,where he resided. He hadreceived the 2005 BladeHandmade Award and aprofile was about to appear

Civilian CutleryDuring WWIIby Janann Giles

There are surely somereaders who rememberWorld War II, but for manyof us what we know comesfrom movies and books, andof course that informationcenters on soldiers, battlesand the equipment used.What was going on backhome in the good ‘ol U.S.A?Images of rallies for warbonds and posters of Rosiethe Riveter come immedi-ately to mind, and perhapsfamilies with stars in thewindows of their homesdesignating a family mem-ber at war.

The country was focused

on the War but what hasbeen overlooked by many isthat home life still contin-ued. The Census Bureauestimated that during theyears 1940-1947, 25 millionpeople in the United Statesmoved (one-fifth of the U.S.population) – for work, mil-itary operations and ofcourse many young warbrides moved back to thefamily home. There were alot of people in the UnitedStates supporting the warand at the same time tryingto maintain a semblance ofnormalcy.

It is well known that thegovernment wanted scrapmetal for military use, butit is not as well known that

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Knife World Publications, PO Box 3395, Knoxville, TN 37927 Vol. 37 No. 12 December 2011 www.knifeworld.com

Steel mounted Case Tested electrician’s knife without “TL-29” military markings,likely produced for domestic use during WWII. Photo courtesy Gary Moore.

SharpbyCoop photo

Page 14 Knife World December 2011

in that magazine – some-thing I’d have never knownthen if Melissa hadn’t men-tioned it during our conver-sation, though even a cur-sory glance at the kniveson his table revealed excep-tional craftsmanship. Thadwent on to win that show’sBest Fixed Blade honor.

“I was always interestedin making knives andabout 1975 saw a kit knifefor a big bowie,” Thadrecalled. “Back then I hadno idea about knifemakersor how to start, so I just letit go.” In 1978 Thad began

a career in law enforce-ment and it was speakingto one of his co-workersthat led to Thad’s introduc-tion to Oregon knifemakerBill Harsey. “Bill and I hitit off and in 1986 he invitedme to come down to spendtime in his shop and Idevoted about a year toworking there,” said Thad.“At the time Bill washooked into Bob Lovelessand that funneled me intothe Loveless look.” In addi-tion, Thad also startedspending time with BobLum (d. 2007) and RonLake, who both resided in

Eugene when he beganmaking knives around1986.

“In September, 1987Loveless invited me intohis shop while I happenedto be down in California for[law enforcement] train-ing,” said Thad. “That wasabout the time I startedputting my own shoptogether and Loveless gotme a full-outfitted BurrKing 960 grinder at hiscost and had it shipped tomy house.” As he describedsetting up his gear, I won-dered aloud what Thad’sbiggest challenge was back

when he was just startingout as a maker.“Everything seemed like achallenge – probably mostdifficult was finding thetime to get in the shop tolearn how to make knives,”he related. “I had a full-time career, two youngboys and a lack of proper

knifemaking equipment.”Despite the significantchallenges, Thad earnedthe 1987 Oregon KnifeCollectors Association(OKCA) Show’s “Best NewMaker Award,” his firstsuch prize with many moreto follow.

Thad retired from police

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Classic Loveless-style Chute Knife with stag handles by Zac Buchanan ofPrineville, Oregon.

Above: Thad Buchanan with son Zac, who’s rapidlybecoming a fine knifemaker in his own right. Below,the pair giving their grinders a workout.

December 2011 Knife World Page 15

work in 2004 and movedabout 150 miles east to therural town of Prineville,Oregon, where he complet-ed his shop in the summerof 2005 and began his

career as a full-timemaker. “I won the BladeMagazine HandmadeAward (Hunting/Utility) in2005 and they did a profilein the magazine,” he said.

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American Buffalo Knife & Tool

472 Allen Road, Sweetwater, TN 37874

www.abktinc.com PH 423-337-7423Thad’s version of the classic Loveless Semi Skinner with sambar stag handlesand stainless steel fittings. Photo by SharpByCoop.

Three-quarter size Boot Knife by Thad Buchanan with desert bighorn sheep han-dles (8-1/2” overall). Four-inch long double ground blade is of CPM154CM steel,fittings are 416 stainless. SharpByCoop photo.

Zac Buchanan crafted this Jr. Bear model in the Loveless tradition, completewith subhilt and tan canvas micarta handles.

“I went to the PortlandBlade West Show andstarted going to Chicago,Atlanta and a couple othershows but nothing clickeduntil the article came out.”Knife purveyor and collec-tor Louis DeSantis alsoplayed a role in Thad’scareer. “Lou [DeSantis]heard about me from RonLake and then told fiveother people and it grewfrom there,” said Thad.

“Things just seemed to fallinto place for me and I wastruly fortunate to be sur-rounded by the right peo-ple.”

Just like when he start-ed out, Thad’s greatestchallenge is still related tothe time factor, only now itis trying to make enoughknives to keep up with thedemand. “I’m a student ofknifemaking, always willbe and I’m constantlyamazed at how much there

is to learn for improvingmy work,” mused Thad.“However, the learninggrowth increments aresmaller and smaller and itcan feel like you are in arut, plus there’s no downtime in the shop to playand try different things.”The popularity generatedby Thad’s knifemaking suc-cess served as the catalystfor working together withhis son, Zac. “I was gettingbusy and needed somebody

to cut steel and drill holesfor me and fortunately, Zacwanted to do that,” saidThad smiling. “He hadroots in the knife world hewouldn’t have known aboutsince he was always just alittle kid around Ron Lakeand [Bill] Harsey – andhad no idea who they wereand how influential theywere!”

At the show in Atlantathe morning following ournear collision in the aisle, Ihad no trouble locating theBuchanan table and wasnot surprised to find that Iliked Zac immediately. Italso came as no shock thatThad’s knives were soldout, but the good news wasthat several of Zac’s cre-ations were available. Tobe concise in my appraisalof his work I will simplystate that were the fundsat hand, I would have pur-chased all four of theblades Zac had on display.We all talked for a whileand I watched and listenedas several experiencedknife collectors came byand spoke with Zac and hisdad, each seemed to be astaken with Zac’s work as Iwas and some provideddetailed and knowledge-able feedback. As middayapproached, and the placebegan to crowd with showattendees, I bade my good-byes, asking Thad to passalong my warmest regards

to Melissa (Zac’s stepmoth-er). I also let Zac know Iwould be in contact some-time in the future to dis-cuss his work at greaterlength.

Some weeks passed,then Zac and I were on thephone together and afterexchanging pleasantries, Iinquired about the genesisof his interest in knifemaking. “I was working ata [Eugene, Oregon] restau-rant in 2008 and my dadcalled and asked me towork for him,” said Zaclaughing. “It was unexpect-ed since I didn’t realize heeven needed any help orcould afford it.” Within acouple of months, Zacmoved from Eugene toPrineville and for the pastthree years has been work-ing with Thad. On a morepersonal note, Zac also toldme that he was marriedone year ago, and proudlynoted that his wife Sara(nee Knight) Buchanan, iscurrently building her ownjewelry business as“Knightingale Designs,”available at etsy.com.

Not unexpectedly, manyof the same people whoinfluenced his father alsohave had a major role inZac’s development as aknifemaker. “Dad wasdoing a lot of work withHarsey, Ron Lake and BobLum and I liked talking

Page 16 Knife World December 2011

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The Mini-Wilderness is one of Zac’s favorite patterns.Dressed here in natural textured buffalo horn, it’seasy to see why. Photo by PointSeven.

Thad made this sleek knife he calls an “extended clip point.” Handles arebighorn sheep, the guard stainless, the tubular “pins” and thong hole 14K gold.Note the handle’s sleek curves and the tang’s strong taper. SharpByCoop photo.

Continued from page 15

with them about knives alot and grew up playingwith Bob and Bill’s[Harsey] kids,” he recalled.“They’ve seen my knivesand given me a lot of point-ers – every trick my dadtells me is a Ron Lake trickor a Harsey trick.” Asidefrom having so manyaccomplished knifemakersin his background, Iqueried Zac about specificeffects he thinks hisfather’s reputation has onhis fledgling career.“People are more willing tobuy my knives at a higherprice because they knowmy dad, admire him, andsome of that transfers overto me,” he replied thought-fully. “There are a lot ofgood, really [his emphasis]good, new makers but a lotof people come by and talkwith me at shows because Iam dad’s son and it makesit a little easier for me toget out there because of his

name.”I asked Zac to detail

some of the problems heencounters as a newmaker. “The most difficultthing for me was learninghow to use the grinderbecause it is not like any-thing I’d used before Imoved out here toPrineville,” he replied.“Terminating the grinds,master bevels and sharp-ening the knives is kind ofhard and I just generallytry to remember the stepsand then the order they goin. I tend to get ahead ofmyself because I’m so anx-ious!” Continuing alongthose lines, Zac chuckledand described the knife hemost enjoys making at thispoint: “It’s the Mini-wilder-ness, which has a shortblade so you do not have topull the knife a foot acrossthe grinder like, for exam-ple, the Big Bear.”

I observed that, not sur-

prisingly, there are resem-blances between his fatherand Zac’s work and won-dered if perhaps he is

thinking about that interms of his own develop-ment as a maker. “Sincehe’s teaching me we have a

lot of similarities because Ido things how he taughtme to do them – for exam-

December 2011 Knife World Page 17

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Above: Zac at work on the grinder. Below: Thad sol-ders the guard on a large double ground knife.

Another classic Loveless design, this Hideout is 9” overall with a 4-1/4” blade. Thestriking handles are pre-ban bark ivory, and once again the mounts are stainlesssteel. SharpByCoop photo.

ple we both like a high mir-ror polish and such,” saidZac. “On the other hand, Iwant to get into integralsand folders and those don’tseem to appeal to my dad.”I asked Zac to expand onhis stated interests. “If Icould spend some time in acouple of people’s shops itwould be Ron Lake and[German knifemaker]Dietmar Kressler – espe-cially [Kressler for] inte-grals – there’s just some-thing about them – a chal-lenge, which I like,” Zacsaid. “I’m working on anintegral right now and mydad hasn’t done one so hecan’t show me and I’m justdoing what I can to figureit out.”

I probed for some otherknifemaking preferencesZac was acquiring as hegained experience. “I reallylike doing the doublegrinds and hope to be ableto make a Big Bear, proba-bly my favorite knife,” hebegan. “Just recently Imade a knife with mam-moth ivory and liked work-ing with that – the finishedlook was really nice.” Atthis writing Zac was alsoworking on a damascusknife: “I’d say for steel if Icould just use damascus Iprobably would but if I’mgoing to do a high mirrorpolish on the blade, I’mgoing to use theCPM154CM powder steel.”

Zac works out of hisfather’s shop, but he hasspecific plans for one of hisown not too far down theroad. “By 2012 I would liketo move back to Eugene, Imiss my friends and theplace, and then put togeth-er a shop with money I’mtrying to raise this year,”he informed me. “Rightnow I’m piecing the shopequipment together herewhile putting the big stuff,like the grinder, on hold.”Zac would also like to learnmore about the businessaspect of knifemakingwhile over the long term hedefinitely wants to continu-ally improve his making. “Iwant to better my lifestyleas well – for example bygetting out of a duplex andinto a house,” he said. “Ialso like to enter competi-tions – really like doingthat.” In point of fact, Zac’sLoveless-style stag-han-dled small utility bladewon Best Utility Hunter atthe April 2011 OKCA Showin Eugene, the same show

where Thad won his firstaward twenty-four yearspreviously.

The affection that existsbetween father and son ishard to miss and I think itis enhanced by the mutualrespect they have for oneanother professionally.“Zac is a lot more creativethan I am and I’m trying toteach him that he doesn’thave to go down the sameroad as me but go in thedirection where he feelsdrawn,” said Thad. “He’sthe trapeze artist and I’mthe net – if he needs me I’mthere to show him what Ithink he has to know andhow to do things, but I’mnot trying to lock him intothat mode of operation.” Iasked Zac what he regardsas the best piece of advicethat he’s received from hisfather about knifemaking.“Being deliberate in myactions,” he respondedwithout hesitation. “For along time I was cautiousand not wanting to make amistake but it just took toolong – after he told me tobe deliberate, now I’mworking the knife insteadof being scared of theknife.”

“I really like to try to dothings that my dad hasn’tdone yet because it makesme feel more capable – likeI’m a knifemaker and notjust acting like one,” Zaccontinued. “I admire mydad and the work that hedoes, then I see Ron Lakeand Dietmar Kressler andadmire their work too andwant to do something likethat. I want to be a knife-maker and not held downby what specific knife I’mmaking.”

I recalled a quote by thelate screen actor Alan Laddin regards to his boy,David, along the lines of‘Not every father gets tostart his son off in his ownfootsteps.’ I mentioned thatto Thad, who agreed, thenpaused for a second andsaid: “Probably the biggestreward for me is that I getto pass something along tomy son, and it’s made us alot closer; regardless ofhow the knifemaking thingworks out.”

The Buchanans can befound at 915 NW PerennialWay, Prineville, OR 97754;Zac’s phone number is 541-416-2556 and Thad’s is541-815-2078. Thad’s web-site is located at www.

buchananblades.com. p

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Thad Buchanan fighter with mammoth ivory handles. The 6-3/8” blade is ofCPM154CM stainless steel, the mounts 416 stainless. Overall length 11-3/8”.SharpByCoop photo.

Small Utility with sheep horn handles by Zac Buchanan. Again, the blade isground from CPM154CM stainless steel and the mounts are 416 stainless.

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