History of Knife Making

Knives were one of the first tools that man developed. Early man used knives for the same things that they are used for today: hunting, self-defense, cleaning food and cutting brush and fabric. Learn how the knife has evolved over thousands of years into the polished tool that it is today. As these tools evolved, the history of knife making evolved into the process knife makers employ today.

The first knives

The first knives were rudimentary stone tools that cavemen and other nomadic civilizations carved from necessity. These knives were made using whatever stone was handy and another stone or flint. While handles were eventually fashioned, the earliest knives were one solid piece with only the blade end sharpened.

Knives through the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages

In time, men learned how to use fire to shape their materials into stronger and sharper knives. With every passing age, they mastered stronger materials, and thus, knives started to appear in different combinations of blades and handles. By the Iron Age, gone were the simple stone blades and rough wood handles. In their place were hammered iron blades with hardwood or bronze hilts. Craftsmen altered the length and shape of each blade to better suit specific purposes, from simple steak knives to butcher knives to bowie knives.

Modern knives

The Industrial Revolution changed the way that knives were made. With machines at the helm of knife making, every piece was uniform in appearance and consistent in quality. Knife makers are now able to form virtually any material into a blade and to attach that blade to any number of different handles. A small handful of craftsmen still take pleasure in handcrafting their own unique knives for everything from decoration to hunting, but this diversion is now more of an art than a necessity.

Understanding the long history behind knife making gives you a better appreciation for the form and function of the art of knife making today.