Dave Shirley Northwoods F.B.

[kootenay joe]

I just bought an 'older' fixed blade Northwoods knife from KSF for a very reasonable price. OAL 7 1/2", blade 3 3/4", 0.145 thick, D2.
KSF had 3 of these and Derrick said they were made by Dave Shirley in 2009.
I know Dave Shirley owned the Northwoods, Black Jack and Marbles names but i did not know that he was also a knife maker.
My reason for posting here is to ask about Dave Shirley made knives. Have you owned one ? Did he have a reputation for top notch workmanship especially blade grinding, e.g. in the same league as Mike Stewart who worked for Dave for about 3 years ?
Dave Shirley died in 2010 so this knife might have been one of the last ones he made.
Thanks for any info and opinions that you can share.
kj

[terryl308]

KJ, Cant' help you out with Mr. Shirley's reputation but the knife you bought looks good, Seems to have Jerry Fisk influence. Nice grind and handle. Terry

[kootenay joe]

Thanks Terry. I am hoping for good slicing so a grind on the thin side and a sharp edge.
Some knifemakers send out their knives with a truly sharp edge, ready to cut with ease. Other knifemakers send out their knives with an edge that needs improving before you want to use it. It seems that the ability to create a very sharp edge is not a skill that is needed to build an otherwise very fine knife.
It also bothers me that too often the edge grind is not carried through to the end of the blade tip, and on both sides
With my rudimentary sharpening 'skill' i am able to maintain an edge that has been properly established. But if the shoulders need thinning and edge bevels reduced then i end up with a wonky knife. I have also inadvertently shortened a blade by a mm or 2 trying to extend edge bevel to the end of steel at the tip. Even this little amount shows visually and makes the tip not look right.
kj

[stagman]

KJ...I spoke to Dave years ago once on a fishing trip to the UP at the shop...
also heard him talk on a old show on PBS here in Michigan called Michigan Practical Sportsman hosted by Fred Trost.. and I
remember in person, and on Fred's show when asked a question he said:, naw, I ain't no
knifemaker, I am an avid knife user...
While at Northwoods, he also did custom work for Marble's..
Marble's Custom Shoppe LLC
He also had Bowie Corp. in Michigan..knives made by Marble's for Bowie, 2 stamps on em
He had like you said Mike there for 3 yrs, I think but am not sure,
Andy Hess helped him as well..I would bet that he had a craftsman or
2 there from Marble's once Craig Lauerman sold out to George Brinkley
in 2002...Brinkley was the one wanting to and did send everything off shore,
not a name I even like to mention
So, I do not really know how involved Dave was at the actual making of the knives,
but he sure loved em and loved to talk about history at Marble's, Conrad Sheraer used Dave
for a lot of info on his 1978 publication of Marble's knives
Sorry I could not be more help

Will
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/clearcreekknives

[kootenay joe]

Will, i find what you say very interesting. I have a Northwoods Hunter that i bought from Dave in i think 2009. Very well ground blade, like the Bark Rivers are today. I don't have it with me right now or i would post a picture. Could it be a knife with blade ground by Mike Stewart about 7-8 years prior ?
I will post pics of this Northwoods Utility knife when i've got it, about 2 weeks from now.
kj

[kootenay joe]

Here is the Northwoods F.B. that i bought from Dave Shirley about 2009. It is a strong heavy duty sharp knife of a quality equal to or slightly better than today's Bark River knives. I do not know if this was a blade from the Mike Stewart days, or if made by Dave S. himself or someone else altogether.
Can anyone recognize the work as being by a certain maker.
I'm also showing the first Bark River i ever bought. It came from a 2007 (8 ?) ebay auction at a rather low price. What a tremendous knife ! Super scary sharp and the pointiest point i have ever experienced. I have never seen another like it. Do you know the name BRK gave to this pattern ?
kj

[stagman]

KJ...I gave ya a answer on your pm and on this post..but.. I put it in
the thread of Bark River knives, thats where I saw the pics of these 2 knives 1st
Like I said in that post, I believe em "both" to be Mike Stewart made knives
If not made, then heavily directed by him on pattern shape and grind
So, check that Bark River thread KJ

Will
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/stagman

[terryl308]

KJ, I'm not sure of any connection, but the leather handled knife sure looks like the old "Black Jack" knife made a few years ago who in my opinion copied randall knives. If I can find the photo, I had a D,.U. knife that was a black jack and looks identical to yours, and will post it. Terry (I bought this knife at an auction in 2010 and the person had a lot of D.U. items and am not sure what year it was offered at a D.U. banquet.)

[kootenay joe]

Hey Will, thanks for posting answers in both threads. I don't usually post twice but i got excited digging these guys out 'cause i haven't seen them for a couple of years.
Terry, i agree re Blackjack like. Blackjack brand went through a number of different ownerships, some making knives in USA, others in Japan. I think Mike Stewart was one of these owners so your knife might also be a Mike Stewart grind or supervised.
I bet Will knows about the Blackjack knives.
Thinking about this, USA has entered into a "Golden Era" for making excellent high quality traditional style folders and Fixed Blades, beginning in early 1990's. The original USA Blackjack was one of the 'pioneers' of this current "Golden Era".
kj

[stagman]

Thats the real deal Terry, I can tell ya that...and with it being a Ducks Unl. ...ae a special run..all
I can say is this...When Stewart & Lauerman were running Marble's. there was No, & I mean No
other knife outfit in America that was so good about doing short run knives, even a single knife that
the customer brought a drawing of he wanted made, then Marble's...Period !!!

Our fearless Leader- Bryan should know some thing of early Black Jack knives...they were made around
the block from him in his home town !!!

Will
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/stagman

[kootenay joe]

Will, the DU knife says "Effingham, IL." and "1996" so what is the connection to Marbles ?
Did Mike Stewart own Blackjack in 1996 ?
From what i have read, Mike did not join up with Marbles until 1998.
kj

[kootenay joe]

I just picked up the Northwoods fixed blade shown in the opening post. I am very pleased & impressed. Lovely in hand, easy to 'choke up' and extremely sharp.
I think the same person might also have made the Northwoods i show above with the 'orange knife'. Both are top quality. If you see a Dave Shirley era Northwoods fixed blade knife there is a high chance that it is an excellent knife. Price i have paid is about half of a basic Bark River knife.
kj

Edit to add pics of this great knife> Did i say that i really like it ! ?