Customer Reviews

The Wonder of Knifemaking

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the Second book a knifemaker should buy. If you are new to knifemaking, you would be better served by reading "How to make Knives" by Loveless and Barney, or one of the other how to books. If you have already made a knife or two, Wayne's book is for you. It answers many questions that will come up when you continue to make knives and sharpen your skills. Wayne also answers many questions from his popular series in Blade Magazine adding quite a bit of detail for a through presentation.

All of the techniques, materials and processes are complete and more importantly up to date. Wayne covers the Crucible partical metallurgy steels (CPM) and steels that are currently in vogue such as BG-42 and ATS-34 as well as old standbys like 5160, 52100, O-1, and D-2 (to name a few).

While not a reference book, "The Wonder of Knifemaking" could easily serve a knifemaker in that capacity. If I could only have one knifemaking book (believe me, I have them all; even the little paperback from Atlanta Cutlery and Bob Engnath's Catalog, God bless him) it would be "The Wonder of Knifemaking" by Wayne Goddard.

I rated this book 4 Stars because the organization could have been a little better. There is so MUCH information in so many places in such a short span. Ok...Ok, I'm writing a critical review here and this is the only thing I can fault. I just didn't want this piece to read like a commercial from the Wayne Goddard Fan Club. If you are a knifemaker, buy this book.

In Summary, I think Wayne just wanted to get everything he has discovered, learned, or worked-out in his 20++ years of knifemaking onto paper for everyone to have; that's the kind of guy he is. Oh boy did he do an excellent job.

Wayne Goddard is probably one of the top 10 hand-made knife makers in the United States. This book, however, was a somewhat disappointing rehash of his BLADE magazine articles of past years. There are sections of the book which are repeated verbatim on more than one page, and the disjointed collection of old articles is somewhat difficult to follow at times. On the other hand, the information that is presented clearly is very useful if the reader is interested solely in blade forging, as the stock removal method is almost entirely dismissed. Included is an excellent dissertation on the chemestry of steel.

There is a lot of detailed information in this book, most of which are from ABS master smith Goddard's regular Q&A column from Blade magazine. As a bladesmith for more than 30 years, Goddard explains the theory and practice of his craft clearly and simply. The section on what happens to steel during hardening (quenching) and tempering is especially well done which plain old knife enthusiasts (non-metallurgists) will appreciate.

For the beginning or intermediate bladesmiths, this book is worth every dollar for the value of the information alone. For inspiration, there are a number of colour plates in the book to display Goddard's lovingly-crafted knives. Well written, easy-to-understand, plenty of photographs, and overall, a great pleasure to read. Just wish it was better organized.

If you have ever sampled any of Waynes articles in Blade Magazine you will certainly know the quality and style that comes with his instruction. If you are new to knifemaking or are thinking of making a knife this is the book for you, heck, even if your an "old pro" there are ample opportunities to teach that old dog some new tricks. I wish he had written this book three years ago, it would have saved me at least one and a half years worth of learning the hard way.

This book had a lot of interesting information, but it was more in the style of the author reminiscing about his career and answering questions. While this leads to interesting tales, tips, and advice, it didn't really provide help in the form of "how to" from start to finish for knifemaking. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it wasn't what I was expecting from this book, (and before I purchased it, I got the impression it would be a good beginner starting book.)

This book is probably aimed more for someone who has already read a "how to" book first.

Wayne Goddard is a scientist when it comes to knife making, the first book I ever bought in this field was by him and called "The 50$ Knife Shop", both books are invaulable to my collection and full of information, not only for the begginer but also for the advanced.

I have been blacksmithing for several years and just began bladesmithing. The Wonder of Knifemaking is great source of reference with many tips and good information on the craft.

Informative book, but basically the same info of the $50 knife shop by same author. If you glean info with a fine tooth comb from this book and add to the info from $50 knife shop you now have the sum total of Wayne Goddard's
published knowledge.

Both books: for die-hard knife makers, otherwise go for $50 knife shop.

The very best book on knifemaking I have seen yet. A must have if you are interested in knifemaking.

This book has a lot in it, I am an absolute beginner but I like where Goddard is coming from. This book and his other are the best I have come across so far. If you like where his head is at you will enjoy and get a lot out of them, I have.