Thanks Dave, and hello fellow knife knuts. You may know me as uptothehilt, but that going to change. Ive been a member of KKF for the past 8 months. In that time I have come to realize and appreciate the high degree of knowledge, experience and wry humor that forum members have, as well as your strong sense of community.
Today Id like to introduce you to Dream Burls (dreamburls.com), a new on-line store that features burled and highly figured wood turning blanks for Japanese style wa handles as well as other handle designs.
Im relatively new to the world of kitchen knives. Two years ago for I went hunting for a new set of kitchen knives for my wife for Christmas. That led me to KKF and it didnt take long before I knew I wanted a custom knife. (Yeah, my wife gets the store bought and I go for the custom.) Living in the New York area I reached out to Marko to make a knife for me. The search for the handle of my custom (a 225 mm gyuoto with an Arizona Ironwood D handle, ivory spacer and African blackwood ferrule) is what caused me to fall in love with burled woods. And that passion has solidified and grown.
Being retired, after 34 years of public service, I had been looking for something to sink my teeth into and satisfy my creative and productive side. After seven years of trying this, that and the other thing I finally found something that gets my juices flowing. So a few months ago I began to formulate a business model to buy, finish and sell wood for knife handles. The plan went into action mid-2012 and is now becoming a reality.
I will have some unique and diverse choices for your next knife handle(s) at what I think will be very competitive prices. While my inventory will be relatively small at first, I plan to bring more blanks and different species on line in the coming months. All pieces, other than natural hardwoods, will be stabilized by K&G, sanded to 120 grit and ready to go. The site is now live and Id appreciate it if youd check it out and let me know what you think.
Imagine the possibilities!