Bob Neal Knives

[just bob]

Now that the July issue of Knife World is out I'm going to post some pictures that weren't used in the article. While we were down there we took over 125 pictures and didn't get a really quality picture of the curved knife so I borrowed one from a KY collector and sent it along with my easy open jack to KW and they took pictures of these 2 knives in their photo studio for the article. The curved knife picture is the same knife that is on the cover. As time goes by I'll get into the other pictures and edit them and add some more to this post.

[just bob]

Duh - I forgot I already had the pics on the computer. Here are a couple of pics of Bob. In one he is holding an unfinished knife and you can see his hand. The fingers were cut up on his band saw. That is a certain hazard of knife making.
The other pictures shows him holding some bone he uses and I think one of them was the walrus penis (oosik)

[glennbad]

Very cool stuff, thanks for sharing the pics!

[just bob]

Here's a few more pics. If you think your shop is a mess you haven't seen nothing yet. I don't see how Bob finds what he needs. There isn't any type of modern machine shop type of equipment in his shop. There is a metal cutting band saw and the small furnaces for treating steel. Bob uses the Cone-Loc grinding wheel on the bench grinder that you can see on his right in one of the pictures a lot. You can change grit on this and go from 80 grit to 400 grit in less than a minute.
Of the 4 knives pictured one is curved, the bone/stag knife is a switchblade that opens by depressing the bolster, I think one is his anniversary knife from 1980, and the other is a 4 blade congress with I think mammoth handle material? Looking at the shop you can see these are all "hand made" 100%.

[just bob]

Bob may be the knife maker in the family, but his wife Joyce is the collector. These knives are from her collection. Bob made all of the knives and she said she goes in the shop and takes what she wants to keep. You can see the guitar, banjo, bowling pin, pearl, curved, pistol and other knives. The pistol is a switchblade you activate by pulling the trigger and then there is a another switchblade that is activated by depressing the bolster. I was told Bob used to take a switchblade knife he had made to the knife shows and offered to give it away to anyone that could open it. The secret got out about how to open them and Bob had to give a knife away and quit making the offer.

[Mumbleypeg]

Just finished reading the Knife World article. Enjoyed reading it and learned a few things also. Bob Neal is indeed an interesting man with extraordinary talent. Thanks for the article!

Ken

[just bob]

Thanks for the kind words concerning this post. Here are a few more pics. The first shows Bob's work bench and knives in the process of finishing. Bob told me he would try to make any kind of knife the customer wanted and that is evident from the picture. There is even a fixed blade in the picture. I'm sure Bob has made a lot of these but when we were there it looked like he was working mainly on folders. There is an anniversary knife where only 100 were made in the year 2000 and the die was destroyed. Then one of the ever popular curved knives.

[FRJ]

Great post about a talented knife maker.
I love to look at all the knives, finished or not finished.
I also like to look at shop/work areas. Too bad about the band saw accident.
Thanks for taking the time to show the pictures.

[olderdogs1]

This is a crooked knife by Bob Neal of Monticello, Ky. Ram's Horn handles. I think this is the only crooked knife he ever made with 2 blades. Super talent in my opinion.
Thanks for looking

Tom

[peanut740]

Tom that is amazing.I have a single blade that and it just fascinates the crap out of me.Mr. Neal is truly a talented knife maker.