Dave Shirley Northwoods

The Northwoods Knife brand name originated in Gladstone, Michigan when a man named Dave Shirley adopted it as his knife company's name in 2004. Dave was well known for collaborating with popular knife companies to have knives made to his specifications for resale well before 2004 & beyond. KnivesShipFree bought Northwoods from Dave & has continued to team up with respected makers to produce knives marked with the Northwoods brand name.
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by kennedy knives »

Christmas family photo of my Northwoods not all are Dave Shirley but I don't think it will matter
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by tughillbrookie »

and here I'd just like ONE of those Fremont Jacks...I got into the Northwoods game a little late. Oh well. Nice picture. Hopefully at least one of them gets some use.
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by kennedy knives »

tughillbrookie wrote: Sat Jan 11, 2020 9:36 pm and here I'd just like ONE of those Fremont Jacks...I got into the Northwoods game a little late. Oh well. Nice picture. Hopefully at least one of them gets some use.
Thanks they are nice ::tu:: ::tu:: ::tu::
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by TNT »

Dave Shirley was a friend of mine. He was a close friend and we talked often. I helped build some of the original prototypes of the first or number one model two blade folder. Others were involved in those early days of the Scagel line but what I have to report today will probably upset some. It may thrill others, and it may cause others to pause and doubt my word but here we go. My new ID is rather deceiving. I am known more widely by STR on bladeforums.

Anyway, to get to the point. I've kept a secret for Dave that few know about. I have stage four cancer, probably five years, well between three and five left they tell me. Things weigh on you but you don't realize how much. Shortly before Dave died I was playing with some of the 'stragglers' or left over blades and such from the run of knives they had, some of which Dave had sent me to play with. I had been carrying a single blade of the number two for a while and it began to pit some and I gun blued it. I was so happy with the result I decided to gun blue the smaller one too and guess what? It wouldn't blue!

I called up Dave to ask him what the devil was going on and he said, "OH BOY! I knew one day someone would figure it out! Guess it's just as good it was you as anyone. Dave went into some detail which I'm not going to share because the bottom line is Dave didn't get along with everyone he worked with and because he didn't really read he pretended to understand some things when they were presented to him to review even though he couldn't read it well enough to follow it, sort of like some that are hard of hearing pretend to hear. Some, vindictive types would do things also, this going on in a big factory setting inside to 'get back at ole Dave' for putting their nose out of joint when an error would show up and it was because Dave approved it but it was wrong and he just couldn't read it to know that!

This is truth and I only share it now for one or more various reasons. Well they pulled a real number on Dave on that first run of Scagel two blade folders ladies and gents. It may not be that they were trying so much to get back at ole Dave as it is that he just approved another order that he didn't know was wrong but they did that order of 150 knives in the wrong steel. The lot of them, each one was 'accidentally, on purpose' (Dave's words) done in ATS34 stainless steel, back springs, blades and all! Plausible deniability in place they said it was discovered when a sheet of ATS disappeared and they had an extra of 1095. All the original 2 blade Scagel repros were done in stainless by someone at Queen reportedly to get back at ole Dave. Read it and weep. I know it sucks for some! I swear on my last years it's all true though. The proto types however with no Northwoods stamping on the blade(s) were indeed 1095. Those were done right. Few have known about this fact. You're welcome to test it yourself.I assure you they won't blue, and they ain't gonna rust bad neither although I know some guys that could make ATS corrode it rarely does in my experience. The heat treat according to ole Dave was done all correctly.

They tested out fine and Dave assured me the steel was plainly stamped so everyone knew what they were working with and did the product correctly they just didn't know the order was wrong on paper. What they did in steel was correct. That is all I know about Northwoods. I can assure you the rest of the Scagel line was fine line tested and watched after this err as Dave was on top of the rest of them while he lived.
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by kennedy knives »

After reading your article I'm not sure that that is a bad thing ::shrug:: just good info to know . There is a lot of collectors that like the ATS-34 . Thanks for the info ::tu::
P.S. as Scott said sorry to hear of your cancer with God all things are possible, prayers sent
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by TripleF »

Sooooooooooo sorry you have cancer TNT. So sad.
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by kennedy knives »

Picked up another Northwoods from Rayan Daniels that I haven't seen any before . If someone has one like it post it please
Gary ::tu:: ::tu:: ::tu::
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by hardman »

Here are some of mine. I have been meaning to post them for some time. I have had these for a long time. They were purchased before Nothwoods prices went through the roof. Some are the Northwoods Scagels, others just (relatively) old Northwoods. I believe the top three in the first picture are Northwoods Scagels, as is the top one in the third picture. Notice how that one appears to be either a left handed knife, or a "reverse" Jack.
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by FarSide »

hardman wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2020 12:37 am Here are some of mine. I have been meaning to post them for some time. I have had these for a long time. They were purchased before Nothwoods prices went through the roof. Some are the Northwoods Scagels, others just (relatively) old Northwoods. I believe the top three in the first picture are Northwoods Scagels, as is the top one in the third picture. Notice how that one appears to be either a left handed knife, or a "reverse" Jack.
Wonderful group you have there. Is that a split-back whittler in the bottom photo?
-Tim
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by hardman »

FarSide wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2020 4:16 pmWonderful group you have there. Is that a split-back whittler in the bottom photo?
Yes, it is. If, that is, you consider a Split Back Whittler to be one in which the master blade is served by two separate back springs, while the secondary blades are served by only one each. With the two backsprings separated by a tapered partial liner. Some folks don't consider that a true Split Back. And, thank you.
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by FarSide »

hardman wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2020 9:45 pm
FarSide wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2020 4:16 pmWonderful group you have there. Is that a split-back whittler in the bottom photo?
Yes, it is. If, that is, you consider a Split Back Whittler to be one in which the master blade is served by two separate back springs, while the secondary blades are served by only one each. With the two backsprings separated by a tapered partial liner. Some folks don't consider that a true Split Back. And, thank you.
Thank you. Yes that is what I meant. I'm just a simple folk, and may not use the correct terminology :)
-Tim
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by hardman »

Me too. That said, I got yelled at a while back for using that term on such a knife. The person who was correcting me said a true split back whittler had just one back spring that was partially split down the middle and employed the tapered liner in the split.
Gary

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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by kennedy knives »

hardman wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2020 10:12 pm Me too. That said, I got yelled at a while back for using that term on such a knife. The person who was correcting me said a true split back whittler had just one back spring that was partially split down the middle and employed the tapered liner in the split.
Thanks for showing your Dave Shirley Northwood's great looking knives . I think i know who corrected you on the split back whittler I'll just say I'm not old enough to know ever thing ::handshake:: ::tu:: ::tu:: ::tu::
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by kootenay joe »

hardman wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2020 10:12 pm Me too. That said, I got yelled at a while back for using that term on such a knife. The person who was correcting me said a true split back whittler had just one back spring that was partially split down the middle and employed the tapered liner in the split.
The few split back whittlers I have seen have no 'liner' in the split. The spring is just split lengthwise for about half it's length.
kj
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by kennedy knives »

kootenay joe wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2020 1:42 pm
hardman wrote: Fri Mar 13, 2020 10:12 pm Me too. That said, I got yelled at a while back for using that term on such a knife. The person who was correcting me said a true split back whittler had just one back spring that was partially split down the middle and employed the tapered liner in the split.
The few split back whittlers I have seen have no 'liner' in the split. The spring is just split lengthwise for about half it's length.
kj
Hi KJ is this about split back whittlers are about Dave Shirley Northwoods ?????? ::shrug:: ::shrug:: ::shrug::
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by kootenay joe »

No. True split backspring whittlers have not been made since about 1870, or thereabouts. As stated above a split backspring whittler is a one spring knife with about 1/2 it's length split to make two 'arms', one for each secondary blade.
kj
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by Lansky1 »

I only have 1 Shirley era Northwoods ... a "mini moose" pen knife. One of my fave's - it's 3-1/4" closed with a wharncliffe - super hard snap for a wee knife --->
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pffffft that's not a knife ......... now THAT'S a knife !! Crocodile Dundee

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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by kennedy knives »

Lansky1 wrote: Sat Mar 28, 2020 10:12 pm I only have 1 Shirley era Northwoods ... a "mini moose" pen knife. One of my fave's - it's 3-1/4" closed with a wharncliffe - super hard snap for a wee knife --->

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I haven't seen that one before nice ::tu:: ::tu:: ::tu::
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by Ranchy »

English Jack and 4 blade congress
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by gsmith7158 »

Very nice Ranchy! ::tu::
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by Sharpnshinyknives »

Got this Marbles MSA designed by Dave Shirley. An English Jack in some really nice looking stag. The run up on these is pretty nice as well. Never really looked that closely at this on any of my Marbles knives. But decided to check and it’s not bad. The half stops on this are pretty impressive too. The centering is spot on as well.
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by kennedy knives »

I think Dave Shirley was a busy man back in 2000 had Northwoods & Marbles can't bet either one of them . ::tu:: ::tu:: ::tu::
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by JohnR »

Made a deal yesterday on the first Scagel made for Derrick Bohn. I would think from before he acquired the Northwoods name. I don't know what "convexed by Bark River"means. Very little out there on these and have no idea how many were made but I've never seen another. I was able to find the original KSF webpage but no date,

https://www.knivesshipfree.com/scagel/s ... -river-95/


Will take pictures when knife shows up.
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by robbobus »

Those were Queen made with final sharpening performed by Bark River. Around 2010-2012 as memory serves.
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Re: Dave Shirley Northwoods

Post by JohnR »

It showed up and it's a very well made knife, 3 3/4", the grind on blades by Bark River is very nice, thin, sharp.
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