In an age of mass production and automated manufacturing, Saskatchewan knife maker Zack Drake is helping preserve a centuries-old craft by forging knives by hand and teaching others how to do the same.
Drake’s interest in knives began long before he ever stepped into a forge.
“As a boy, I collected knives because I thought it would be cool to whittle,” he said.
The hobby deepened through time spent with his grandfather, who had made several knives of his own decades earlier.
“My grandpa had made a few knives of his own,” Drake explained. “He taught me how to sharpen knives.”
That early experience eventually led him from sharpening blades to making them.
Sharpener turned maker. He’s in good company. Sal Glesser got his start that way, as did Shawn Houston, whom I wrote about in the November issue.