Steel Dog Knives

One of my favorite parts of the Cowtown Custom Knife Show happens away from the tables.

My friend and fellow maker Micah Dunn and I do a short chef knife demonstration where we talk about what makes a great chef knife. This year, we covered everything from comfort and geometry to edge thickness, steel, heat treatment, and the things that actually matter when you’re using a knife in the kitchen.

It’s usually a smaller crowd, but the people who stop are genuinely interested. They ask questions, want to understand why we do things the way we do, and we get to talk about something we both love.

Today was especially cool.

A family stopped by with a friend who is a new knifemaker from Argentina. He didn’t speak any English, so his friends translated our entire demonstration and his questions for him.

And this guy was so excited to learn.

His friends told us that being at the show was like Disneyland for him. I completely understood. There’s something pretty special about walking into a room full of makers, seeing all the knives and materials, and meeting people who share the same passion.

I even loaned him one of my EDC knives so he could participate in the TKG EDC Challenge, which made his day even better.

What struck me most was how quickly we connected. We live in different countries, speak different languages, and had never met before, yet we bonded almost instantly over our shared passion for knives and making them.

I’ve always said that I don’t have any secrets in knifemaking. Everything I know, I learned from someone else. Someone took the time to answer my questions, show me a process, share an idea, or let me learn from their experience.

So I want to do the same.

I’m looking forward to hearing from him, answering his questions, and watching his journey as he develops as a maker. If I can help him learn something, avoid a mistake, solve a problem, or simply get more excited about making knives, I’m happy to share whatever I know.

We were all new once.

And sometimes the best part of a knife show is realizing that a shared passion can bring two people together, even when everything else between them is different.

What an amazing day.

The Cowtown Custom Knife Show is my favorite show of the year, and for so many reasons. It’s my hometown, where I grew up. It’s the Historic Stockyards. It’s the people, the incredible makers, customers, and friends. And this year, I got to do it wearing my new custom Wildhats cowboy hat, which felt pretty damn appropriate.

I’m also proud to support a show run by some of the best people in the industry, Kim and Evan Milne of Texas Farrier Supply. They put together an incredible show and create a place where makers and knife people genuinely want to be.

Then came the icing on the cake.

I took home Best Culinary and Best Utility, both voted on by my fellow makers and peers.

I’m always humbled and incredibly appreciative when one of my knives is recognized at a show. Knowing that the people I respect and admire in this industry looked at my work and thought it deserved an award means a lot.

But I’ve never won two at the same show until today.

Two awards. Voted on by my peers. At my favorite show. In my hometown.

That’s a pretty damn good day for Steel Dog Knives.

A HUGE thank you to Robert Scott at Bulldog Damascus, Knight’s Stabilized Wood, Damasteel, and Flying Shark Knives for the amazing materials and products that allow me to turn the ideas in my head into knives. I’m incredibly grateful to have such talented people making such incredible products for makers like me to build with.

And I got to share it all with my dad and my best friend, two people who help make these shows possible and are always there behind the scenes. And a huge thank you to my wife back home for all the prep leading up to the show. There’s a lot that happens before I ever put a knife on the table, and I couldn’t do it without you.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the table, talked knives, bought a knife, checked out the work, or simply said hello. And thank you to my fellow makers who continue to push me to get better.

And the crazy part?

I still have Day 2 tomorrow.

After a day like today, I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

This 6.5” Bunka brings together a classic Japanese-inspired profile with some seriously high-end materials.

The blade is Damasteel in the Vinland pattern, with the distinctive patterning running throughout the blade. The handle features curly maple from TNT Enterprises, finished with a Mammoth Molar spacer for a little extra character.

Clean lines, premium materials, and a blade that’s meant to be put to work.

This one will be on the table at the Cowtown Custom Knife Show this weekend, Table 21.

Stop by Steel Dog Knives and take a look in person.

The Scout has been part of my EDC lineup for a while, and this one is the high-end version of the design.

It features a 3” Damasteel blade in the Jörmungandr pattern with a 7” overall length. The handle combines Hawaiian Koa, Maple, and Mammoth Molar, with the handle materials supplied by Flying Shark Knives.

This version also gets a custom in-pocket leather sheath, made specifically for the Scout.

I’ll have this one on the table at the Cowtown Custom Knife Show this weekend, Table 21.

Four of my knives made it into the Blade 2027 Knives annual this year. Still a little floored by that.

Getting four in feels like more than I earn credit for on my own. Jocelyn Frasier shot every one of them, and flip through that book and you’ll see her name on almost every other page. She’s the best in the business, full stop, and if you’re a maker who wants to get published, the photography is half the battle. A knife that photographs flat doesn’t get looked at twice, no matter how good the grind is.

If you’re a fellow knifemaker heading to Cowtown this weekend, find her booth. Talk to her about getting a piece shot. If getting published is on your list, this is the fastest way to move toward it.

I’m exhibiting at the Cowtown Custom Knife Show, October 3-4 at the Historic Stockyards. Table 21.

Micah Dunn of Micah Dunn and I are also giving a talk each day on what makes a great chef knife — geometry, steel choice, heat treat, the stuff that actually matters versus what looks good in photos.

Come find table 21, bring questions, and if you’re looking to buy your first good chef knife, the talk will tell you what to actually look for before you spend the money.

www.cowtowncustomknifeshow.com

8” gyuto, Nitro-V blade. Handle’s stabilized Karelian birch, and on this one the grain pulled together in a way that looks like flames rising off a campfire.

One day out from the Louisiana Knife Show. Lamar Dixon Trademart, Gonzales, LA, September 19-20.

DM me if you want this one before I load the truck.

The Nomad’s built for cooks who take their tools seriously, even when they’re far from home. It’s based on a bunka design which has a straighter edge and less belly than a santoku so the tip stays fine for detail work, but the heel’s taller than a petty, which is what makes it hold up as a real do-it-all knife.

This is a Nomad with a little extra bling. Segmented custom scales from Flying Shark Knives, stabilized maple and layered G10, make this one one-of-a-kind. Nitro-V blade underneath, so it holds an edge and resists corrosion whether you’re on a camp stove or your own countertop.

Made for wherever you cook. Two days out from the Louisiana Knife Show, Lamar Dixon Trademart, Gonzales, LA, September 19-20.