Interview: Andy Roy

Back in 2009 and 2010, KnivesShipFree published a monthly newsletter called From the Edge. One of its recurring features was an interview with a knifemaker or industry executive. We thought you'd be interested in visiting these conversations again, so we're presenting them here on the KnivesShipFree Blog.

This is our interview with Andy Roy of Fiddleback Forge -- enjoy.

Interview: Andy Roy

Meet the man behind Fiddleback Forge Knives

This time last year, Andy Roy had a regular job as a project manager, making Fiddleback Forge Knives in his off-hours. Then in May came a layoff, a sign of the times that transformed part-time Fiddleback into a full-time proposition.

Under the circumstances, Roy might be seen as an "accidental" knifemaker, but nothing could be further from the truth -- he's one of the most skilled craftsmen we know, committed to making beautiful, hard-working knives designed to be used. His work speaks for itself.

Speaking just as loudly, perhaps, is the fact that KnivesShipFree, which has carried Roy's handiwork since late last summer, sells every Fiddleback knife almost as soon as it arrives.

Like most of us (and most knifemakers), Andy Roy's first exposure to edged tools was during his growing-up years.

"My father and my grandfather were fishing buddies and they hunted," he recalls. "And both of them were knife nuts.

"So I was raised with knives, but it wasn't until three or four years ago that I knew about custom knives. I got on the [online] forums and started learning about them, everything I could."

Despite being a relative newcomer to knifemaking, Roy has some strong opinions. Notably, he uses carbon steels because they hold an edge and are easy to sharpen. He prefers a convex grind for its strength and performance -- "A good convex approaches a flat grind," he says -- and he "detests" choils. He doesn't polish his blades, spending that time and energy on the handles.

Ah, the Fiddleback Forge handles.

We don't need to talk to Roy, who once made fine furniture by hand, to tell you that they're both exquisitely beautiful and outrageously comfortable, but it's interesting to hear him talk about how they come to be.

"It's pretty simple," he says, at once almost dismissive of the process and obviously proud of the result. He speaks of working "the diagonals" and "easing it into the swell," showing that there is indeed an engineering degree in his background.

"There are different ways that the hand squeezes the knife when performing different tasks -- when notching it's more of a fist, when slicing it's different." Roy pays attention to what every part of the hand does in a particular grip, acknowledging that the ring and pinky fingers aren't just along for the ride.

Often "they're really controlling the work," he observes.

We were intrigued to learn, by the way, that Roy doesn't always design his handles around a particular knife -- he claims to have sketched a handle or two before conceiving deserving blades. Like songwriting, sometimes the music comes first, and sometimes a poetic lyric inspires a melody.

It's fair to say that Fiddleback Forge Knives are, on balance, traditional in design. There are two Nessmuk knives in Roy's line, owing their forms to the iconic fixed-blade of George Washington Sears. The Woodsman is based on a frontier "scalping knife." And the Bushcrafter looks for all the world as if it was inspired by Colclesser's classic Horace Kephart pattern.

Not so.

"Honestly, when I made that knife I didn't know about the Kephart," Roy admits. "It's really just the simple knife I always wished I'd had when I was in Boy Scouts."

These days, Roy is pushing his personal knifemaking envelope. He's working on a Scandi grind, and he's designed a kitchen knife -- in 440C, no less.

"I'd love to have a kitchen knife in O-1 [carbon steel], but sooner or later it's going to get thrown into the dishwasher. A kitchen knife has to be able to survive that," he says, justifying his choice of stainless steel.

Will we ever see a "tactical" knife from Fiddleback Forge? Probably not, according to the knifemaker.

"It's not about purity -- I'm just not a fighter. I'd rather spend my time on function and balance...a good thin convex grind and a handle that won't make your hand hurt.

"I enjoy being a craftsman -- that's not something kids hear from their guidance counselors, but it's a career path."

For Andy Roy, it's a career path born of what most of us would consider misfortune. And thanks to his craftsmanship, the lucky ones are the people who own his Fiddleback Forge Knives.