Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

Introduction: Welcome to the  LARGEST, and BEST custom knife patterns page on the internet!
Welcome to the largest group of custom knife designs in history!

This is one of the most popular pages on my site, consistently gathering millions of hits and views, and many thousands of new visitors month after month, year after year.

Why? Who else offers so many custom knife patterns? I know of no knifemaker, no factory, no source whatever that has created as many knife patterns, designs, and styles as what you will see here. No other resource has as many knife patterns, designs, and templates, not anywhere, at anytime, in any place, in history!

This is what happens when you dedicate your entire career to making knives. I've been making knives for 40 years, and I've been a full time professional knifemaker for over three decades. This is my real job, my only source of income, it is how I make a living, professionally: making knives for some of the finest clients, knife users, and knife owners in the world. It is because of my clients and patrons that you see what is here on this page; it is to them my thanks and the where the thanks of knife enthusiasts belong. I owe everything to my family and ultimately my God, who has given me this incredible journey of life on this fantastic world!

I work with clients on their own ideas, and many of these patterns are the results of that collaboration, some of the best custom handmade knives in the world. Some of the patterns have been gifted from the families of deceased knifemakers. These are patterns and templates for real knives that are in the hands of military, working users, and collectors.

Most of the patterns I've created and continue to create with my own vision, as an artist, a tool maker and user, and as someone whose main conversation, focus, and (some say) obsession is the knife. Many of the most successful knife patterns I make are those I create with my own ideas, knowledge, and understanding of knife use, application, and value. These are my artistic creations based on what I have learned.

I work with pad and pencil, rule, and curves, using email, fax machine, and even regular mail, and lots of drawings, scanning, hand-fitting, making templates, and fine tuning to get the profiles right (Learn more about designing knives and the costs involved here). The profile on paper is just a beginning; it takes much more work to complete the knife. That's why the links to completed photos are included. I constantly update this page and you may see new patterns or pictures nearly every visit.

If you think it takes a tremendous amount of discipline to create these patterns, think of what it takes to make every knife you see linked on this page, every one of them the real thing! This is the result of a professional knifemaking career.

For Knifemakers:

I know and understand that a great deal of traffic, interest, and attention this page receives is from other knifemakers, knife factories, and knife manufacturers. You might be surprised to see who and what and where this traffic comes from, and since my web site analytics identifies this, I'll include much more detail in my upcoming book.

These visitors want to know what is of value here, they want good pattern ideas, they want to know how a successful knifemaker creates, what new ideas, what new directions, and what developing lines of design are being created.

Most of them are respectful; they understand that simply copying an artistic and created design from someone else is copyright infringement. So they get inspiration, and then go on to design their own knives based on what they may see here. To get an idea from someone who has designed useful, functional, and highly desirable knives as a professional for decades means that a lot of the effort, labor, and struggle to create has been already completed. Yet, not wanting to copy directly (since it's illegal) they are inspired, guided, and take the flavor and idea of particular styles of my knives to influence their own work. I do the same thing with historic designs and adaptations.

The most important thing I can offer is that each maker or manufacturer must and will, by necessity, make their own knife. Many of the designs can not be copied; knives with differential grinds, double three-inch hollow grinds, combination convex/concave designs—these take a very skilled and practiced hand to create. Not every knife is a four-inch drop point or a bowie, and the skill necessary to effectively create salable, desirable knives does not exist in the pattern template alone. Makers and manufacturers quickly find that they just can't quite get the same knife, and some of their attempts are humorous. I'll try to include some of those in my book as well.

The important thing is that I'm honored that you are here, whether a prospective client looking for your ideal knife, a knife enthusiast simply exploring, or a maker or manufacturer studying trends and directions. You must believe you will find something of value here, and I'm honored by that. I'll do my best not to disappoint. I'll try to make sure that every time you visit, you notice designs and patterns you haven't seen before and new linked photos of completed knives made to that pattern.

I also want to encourage you to research, read, and enjoy the rest of my website. I have made the largest, most functional and accurate website ever made by any knifemaker in the world. If you think I'm boasting, please understand that I'm simply proud of the work God has given me in this life. To Him goes all the credit, every single bit!

On this website, you will see

• The largest, most comprehensive Knife Anatomy page in the world
• The largest, most comprehensive Knife Definitions dictionary in the world
• The largest, most detailed Knife Blades page in the world
• The largest, most detailed Knife Blade Heat Treating and Cryogenic Processing page in the world
• The largest, most comprehensive Military, Tactical, and Combat Knives page in the world
• The largest, most comprehensive Counterterrorism Knives page in the world
• The largest, most comprehensive Knife Sheaths page in the world
• The largest, most comprehensive Gemstone Knife Handles page in the world
• The largest, most comprehensive Knife Bolsters, Guards, and Fittings page in the world
• The largest, most comprehensive Wood Knife Handles page in the world

I could go on and on, and what I want you to know is that you are at the very best singular knifemaker's website in the world. Welcome to my world, the world of fine, handmade, custom knives!

Thanks for being here!

What you'll see here now

This is an active count, updated every website update:

• 553 patterns on this page!
• 104 groups of patterns!
• 1059 links color keyed in BLUE: to completed, annotated photos of knives!
• 561 links color keyed in GREEN: to featured individual knife pages!

How to use this page

 There are no distinctions between types of knives in the pattern group, such as utility, tactical, combat, or hunting, but if you're on this page you probably already know or recognize the different types. The scale in each pattern group photo has been included for reference, but I can resize any knife to your wishes. You can also choose a handle from one knife and blade from another for a custom design (a hybrid design). The knife patterns have grind lines and bolster outlines drawn on; these are just rough estimates of what the knife can resemble. Please know that to discourage direct copyright infringement, I've limited the size of the photos. In my book, I'll probably include enlarged, full sized patterns.

• Knife names: listed to the right of the pattern group picture
• Links to pictures of completed knives are in underlined blue text.
• Individual Featured Knife Pages are linked in underlined green text
• Additional pictures are linked by the "&" character after the name.
• You may see some duplicates of links if the knife is a hybrid in both the blade and handle patterns
• Some of the hybrid knife names vary from the original pattern name from which they originated
• Rare or old knife pictures on my site can only be linked to and seen through this page.
• Full Tangs: Patterns show profile of handle, blade and tang steel is one solid piece of steel from tip to tip.
• Hidden Tangs: Patterns show a "stick"  or "stump" at the handle location. Handles are independently shaped with a guard and threaded pommel, which can vary greatly. Use your imagination, and look at the linked pictures to the right of the pattern photo. Check out the knife anatomy page for more information on hidden tang knife handles.
• Folding Knives: have a pivot dot in the center of the front bolster. Folding knives also have an (F) after the name.
• Have the name of the pattern but don't know where to locate it on the patterns page? Look it up in the Alphabetic Pattern List here.

Copyrights

These patterns, knives, and every image and word on this web site is protected with a registered copyright through the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress. More details on this page.

Thanks for respecting copyright laws!

Prototype Examples

Here are a few examples of patterns with completed knives. Please click on the thumbnail knife photos for enlargements.

Why do the best knives have names?

It's true, the best knives have names, not model numbers. A model number is just a number; it's a cold, impersonal registration of one of a long line of repetitive patterns, suggesting a factory has produced all the numbers leading up to the model, and will crank out a never ending list of cloned numbered pieces after that number. Your numbered knife is somewhere in the monotonous string of digits.

A name personalizes the custom handmade knife. It adds to the knife's flavor, animation, and style. It defines the knife by purpose or intent. While I try to stay away from knife names like Slasher or Stabber, there is some mystique in a name like Bulldog or Ladron. Incidentally, the name Bulldog comes from the Bastogne Bulldogs of the 101st Airborne, the Battalion of my son, and their mascot. He designed this fine knife for combat use and carried it in a couple combat tours in Iraq. Ladron is named for a mysterious singular mountain in south central New Mexico, and it is the Spanish word for thief. It was a favorite area to hike when I lived nearby, and I would have loved to carry "Ladron" the knife there.

Many of my knives have southwest and specifically New Mexico place names. The Land of Enchantment has a flavor that suits artistic creation, and the place names seem appropriate. I've lived here nearly all my life, and I try to honor those many memories with a fitting name to a matching style of knife.

You've probably noticed that many of my knife names originate in the stars, that is, they are names of stars in the cosmos. Many of these patterns are Gerry Hurst's, left to us when he died. He didn't have names or numbers for them, so in order to catalog them, my wife and I reached for names he probably would have liked, names of the heavens. Then, I carried on the tradition in new designs and even name some for features and areas on planets and moons in our own solar system. Somehow, cruising through the names, one will stand out as fitting and complimentary for a pattern. Take the name Horrocks. It's a crater system on the moon. The name sounds like a powerful warrior, so how could it be more fitting for a large, heavy, curved combat knife? A pattern designed for a Personal Security Detail in Iraq is named Macha (Maax-ah), named for a Celtic Goddess, a protectress in war as in peace, a goddess of war and death. She has cunning, sheer physical force, and dominance over men. How fitting for this specialized CQB knife made for protection and defense.

You might notice some Israeli names on the list as well. These are counterterrorism knives, knives designed and created with the direct input of the Israeli National Police/National Defense Force YAMAM unit members. They are widely considered as some of the very best counterterrorism units in the world, and it's an honor to design and make knives with their input. A knife that stands out is the Ari B'Lilah, which means "Lion of the Night," and these tactical assemblies and ensembles feature all the gear necessary for nighttime operations.

Some of the names on my patterns are the names of our grandchildren. I'll bet you can't tell which ones. Hint: no, it's not Draco! Some of the later models were designed with the input of those very grandchildren. For instance, the Tanker was designed by my grandson who serves in the United States Army and drives an M1A2 Abrams tank, using the knife for his needs there.

Some names describe the blade shape itself, like Sheepsfoot, or Reverse Paring, or Half Moon Skinner. Other names describe the use of the knife like Game Set: Caping, or Carving. Other names bear the names of the designer who worked with me on the design of the knife, like Sanchez, Berger, or Gibson Trailhead. You'll also see the designation Magnum on a few of the blades. These are larger evolutions of an original design, for example the Nihal Magnum is a larger combat version of the Nihal. Other knives are hybrids, combinations of the blade of one knife and the handle of another. Their names are hyphenated, like Cygnus-Horrocks.

There is usually more information on the name on the individual featured knife pages included as the green links below. On those pages, you'll see much more information and many more photos of the individual knives. If you want to index or locate a knife by name only, you can do this through my Alphabetic Knife Pattern List page, or my Table of Contents page.

The neat thing to know is that a name gives a custom handmade knife personality. We are creatures of words, and words mean things. Our language is more than just a way to share and express, it is a way to characterize, personalize, and animate those objects we use, cherish, and ultimately leave behind.

Other related pages on this site:

Here are some other important and related links that you may find useful.

Note: some of the photographs that are linked at the knife pattern names are old, photos that were taken many years ago, with chemical photo processing, back in my early knife making days. Some of them were scanned from lower quality prints, or directly from old negatives. Please forgive the quality of the older photos at the hyperlinks.

I've included some photos of recent knives for your interest. Thanks for being here!