John Wilson Knives: The Canadian Maker Continues the Loveless Legacy
By Del Corsi
John Wilson was born in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. He has lived in several areas across Canada and the U.S., but what makes his knifemaking story especially interesting is that he lived in Riverside, California for 18 years. At that time John was employed with Unit Industries working on a Swiss screw machine in Fullerton, California. A life changing experience came when the head of this machine needed rebuilding. The company flew a machinist in from Switzerland, and John helped him rebuild the equipment. While talking during a break one day, the machinist happened to mention that there was a world renowned knifemaker living really close to John’s home in Riverside.
The idea that someone made knives by hand intrigued Wilson, he began to search the local phone book for that very famous name, the legendary Robert W. Loveless. John told me the following, “He was in the phone book [and] I realized he lived a half mile from me, I used to walk my dog Harley right past his house, small world! After finding his number I called, introducing myself, [and] asked if we could meet. Bob said, ‘Sure,’ and we set a date to meet.”
This article appears in the August 2022 issue of KNIFE Magazine. Premium Online Members can read the whole thing by clicking the blue button below.