David Broz - Knifet, handmade knives

I made my first knife when I was ten years old. A broken blade of a knife and a piece of wood formed the basis of my first creation. Since then I have never stopped enjoying knives, although I didn’t get into actual manufacturing until a few years ago.

What I like about knife making is the combination of practicality and beauty. A good knife must perform its function, but it can also be pretty.

Making a knife for me starts with finding the harmony of curves. Pencil, paper and multiple redrawings of the shape. I’m still amazed at how moving the line a few millimetres can change the resulting character.

When I’m happy with the shape of the future knife, I convert it to digital form. Modern technology speeds up any further modifications, size changes, production of the knife in larger series, etc. But the basic idea is always created in pencil on paper.

In the next step, I figure out how to turn the idea into reality. Sometimes I find I’ve drawn something I can’t make. That’s the moment I enjoy the most. I can start inventing and learning.

From my days as a raider I remember well the saying “you can’t beat a horse”. The only way to ride well is to learn to work with the horse. It’s similar in the cutlery industry: you can’t cut steel…

For me, finding a way to produce means finding a path that steel will let me take.

When I hold the finished knife in my hand, I’m already thinking about the next one. What could have been done differently, how would it have changed its sound. And I’m thinking of the future owner.

And how am I doing? Judge for yourself.