About

Brad Vaughn, owner of Denton Knife Works, has been making knives as a hobby for years, but it wasn’t until eight years ago that he began offering his high-quality, hand-crafted blades to the public. A serial hobbyist, Vaughn did woodturning when he lived in Colorado and has also crafted Native American flutes and pens.

After moving to Denton and setting up his shop in his backyard, he met a neighbor who’d been making knives for 30 years. His interest in learning a new skill was piqued, and the neighbor helped teach him the craft that eventually led him to his business.

Materials and Styles

Vaughn’s most popular knives are “everyday carry” straight blade knives that are 3 to 6 inches long and carried on the belt as a utility knife. He also makes bowie knives, martial arts training blades and kitchen knives such as cleavers and chopping knives.

Materials for the blades can include recycled steel, aluminum or even farrier’s rasps. Handles run the gamut in terms of materials and styles, including wood handles with specialized burl patterns and micarta handles made of layers of denim pressed together, which results in a handle that looks like a pair of jeans finished with a clear fiberglass resin. Most of Denton Knife Works’ sheaths are made of Kidex, an impact-resistant plastic heat-formed to fit each knife.

The Knife of Your Dreams

Vaughn also does custom orders. “If you see something you really like, you can send a picture to me and I’ll AutoCAD it up, go out to the shop and make it,” he says.

Making It

To create a knife, Vaughn starts with a pattern. He draws it on the metal and then cuts it out. Next, depending on the material, he will grind the profile of the knife, polish the surface, heat treat the metal to harden the blade and clean it. Next, the handle wood is cut to fit the knife and sanded down so that it fits both the knife and a person’s hand. Finally, the blade is sharpened, and Vaughn makes a sheath.

All Vaughn’s knives have his maker’s mark on them, come with a lifetime guarantee for repair or replacement and can be sharpened for free.