KNIFE WORLD recently obtained permission to reproduce Wayne Goddard's personal index for this book, and as a result of this development we have decided to add "The Wonder of Knifemaking" to our line of quality knife books.

The AUTHOR'S INDEX is brought to you through the kind consideration of Wayne Goddard.

BOOK REVIEW
Reviewed by Knife World Staff
[note: this review was published before the AUTHOR'S INDEX became available]

Joining the ranks of books on knifemaking is this new title by ABS Mastersmith Wayne Goddard. In case you’ve seen the ads and were Wonder-ing, this book is based on Goddard’s Question-and-Answer column on knifemaking in Blade magazine, a highlight of that publication for many years. It’s essentially a compilation of those columns, reorganized and with some updates and additional material from the author.

In terms of content, this is a superb book, filled with countless tidbits from the experiences of a man who’s been making knives for over 35 years. Here, you’ll learn his thoughts on everything from knife design and construction to detailed facets of knifemaking, as well as related subjects such as knifemaking as a profession. In particular, Goddard goes into excellent detail about the whole gamut of carbon, stainless, and damascus steels and their properties, forging tips and techniques, heat treating methods, and knife testing, and also takes you start-to-finish through the making of a low-tech friction folder.

Goddard is one who has been there and done that, starting with the most basic of equipment and getting where he is today through an innate desire to learn and to try new things. His low-budget approach is refreshing in the alternative it offers to the new generation of knifemakers and their high-dollar machine shops, and he writes in an engaging, casual style that makes you feel as if Wayne is standing right next to you, answering your personal questions.

I do have one small gripe, however - the book’s organization stinks. A simple index would have been the perfect solution for a book like this, but instead, the reader is left to figure out on his own such improbabilities as that the excellent discussion on blade etching techniques is contained in the chapter entitled “Modified Vise-Grip Pliers as Clamps for the Knifemaker” (no, I’m not kidding).

Personally, I think that Mr. Goddard has suffered a great wrong at the hands of the book’s editor. The information’s in here, folks, but locating the tidbit that you’re looking for just when you need it may require a lucky rabbit’s foot and a little positive karma.

Complaints aside, there’s something in here for everyone interested in knife making and use. Buy a copy for your shop and bookmark the heck out of it.

Softcover, 158 pp. PLUS free author's index

Availability: Usually ships the next business day.

$19.95