Customer Reviews

How to Make Knives

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This could have been a great book except for one thing. Obviously the publishers did not care enough when updating this book to update or even take the time to use quality photo's in their book. I would like to see what is going on in the book but most of the photo's are so awful you can only see shades of grey and black. To let all this effort by Loveless go to waste is a shame!
Save your money and buy an older version, one that hopefully has clear and quality photo's so you will know what R.W.Loveless is building or what step he is using.
The book itself is a great instructional tool. However you just can't get all that Loveless has to offer in this new version because you can not make out many of the photo's.

I have to agree with the other reviews of this book that it is a total classic, and an excellent primer/guide to the craft of knifemaking. I don't have anything to add on that score. There were just a couple of things I was surprised at when I saw it in hard copy - firstly, that it was first printed in 1977. This dates it a bit, although obviously it all still stands (Loveless' stock removal method and Moran's forging still being better than first class). Secondly, the "explicit and detailed photographs" (from the preface) are mared by poor reproduction. It looks like Krause Publications have simply photocopied the original. For example, a picture on page 50 captioned "Now it looks right" is indecipherable. For the most part this is not a problem, however. It is well to be aware of these issues. However, it remains a text book from masters of the art.

The photo's was so bad that I am sending this book back to Amazon. What a rip-off, I got this book without thinking...it did not help me in any way, it is not for the beginner, it has no value for the novice knife maker out there.

There is a lot of good info in the book if you could see the illustrations well enough to know what's going on. The book needs updating badly as far as I am concerned. Much of the photography was so dark you could tell very little about what was being shown in the picture. And did I miss the part about subhilt fighters Loveless is famous for. I was disappointed in the book overall. I wish I'd gotten a copy like the ones described with great photos and easy to read. Somebody owes me a new copy !

This book was a big help in giving me ideas getting started in knife making. Book was recomended to me by a Mastersmith out west and it was well worth the money.

This book was listed on a number of Forums as a must buy for a new knife maker. So I bought it and just finished reading it. The text is really good. The pictures are terribly reproduced Black and White photos. On about 70-80% or so, they are just gray blobs. You can't tell anything about the photo. This is bad for a guy like me who is trying to figure out the basics. The book is meant to be a Photo book with explanations of the photos. Each photo is numbered, and each text block refers the the numbered photo. REALLY disappointing. The text is good and if the photos were useful, the book would be a five for sure.,

I received two knife blanks in the mail recently, thinking it would be fun to make handles and craft up a finished knife for myself and my son. I am a decent woodworker with a limited amount of space and "shop" equipment, but thought it would be fun to mess around with a project like this.

I ordered this book, just to get some pointers and proceedures on this project. I was totally impressed with this book as soon as I opened it. It really is much more than I anticipated. A very thorough look at a high-end professional knifemaker's shop and equipment is just part of the package. Every single part of the process, from cutting blanks, to using the right abrasives, to soldering, to grinding is described in the utmost detail, in word and in photographs. It's amazing.

I mean, with this book, a dedicated craftsman would find great useful information on techniques, materials and the best equipment to start his or her own knife making business. It's that good. My interest is totally casual. I make things, rustic furniture, walking sticks, I do carpentry, I fix old planes and chisels and antique tools, bringing them back to good usable condition. This goes way beyond the level of skill that I am interested in, though this is not a criticism, just a comment.

It is fascinating to see the great skill, craftsmanship and time required to craft a fine knife this way. I'm recommending this book to anybody interested in getting the inside scoop on an honorable and fine craft, whether for cursory interest or for diving in as a newbie pro knifemaker. It is a superior book, in every way.

I am a do-it-yourselfer and like to read books and then attempt to do the things described. I have had a lot of success with this.

This book is not for people like me. If you want an interesting history of knifemaking or a who's -who of knifemaking, read this book. If faithfully describes tools and techniques that are very unlikely to be used successfully by the novice. The final insults are the lack of updating and the poor quality of the illustrations.

There are better texts out there for the serious knifemaker. For the novice, this book is next to useless. Its niche seems to be for the history buff.

This is by far one of the best books on the subject! Just get an older version, cause the later versions have bad photos quality in them. So find a used one like this one.

This is a great book, especially for the beginning knife maker. My only complaint is that many of photographs are so dark that you can't tell anything from the photo. Several are mostly solid black. Maybe I just happened to get a bad printing? Other than that, I found the book very helpful.