I called this knife Redgrain because of two things, the deep redwood burl in the handle, and the open-grain wrought iron I used for the bolster. That bolster came off what I think was an old bridge strut, and it’s got that weathered, gritty look I really like. Between the redwood’s bold color and the texture in that steel, Redgrain just felt right.
If you’re someone who enjoys prepping and cooking with real tools, this one’s for you. I made this knife for someone who cares about performance in the kitchen, but also wants something that looks sharp while doing it.
This blade is fast. Real fast. And very sharp. So hang on to her like you mean it.
Every bit of it was made with care, from the clean grind lines to the final edge. It’s not just sharp—it wants to cut. If you cook like you mean it, this knife will keep up.
Knife Specs
Blade: 6.8” Mosaic Damascus Nakiri-style
Blade Height: 2.3” at heel
Overall Length: 11.3”
Bolster: Vintage open-grain wrought iron
Handle: Dyed & stabilized redwood burl
The Royer Essential Chef is Jeff Royer’s focused and functional performance build.
A 9.3” Western Style Full Tang Chef Knife designed to give you a true Royer cutting experience. As Jeff says, it’s fast and furious. Forged from 52100 high-carbon steel and hardened to 59–60 HRC, this blade is fast, lean and responsive. The balanced distal taper gives the knife smooth cutting performance and a lively feel. The 2.5" heel provides comfortable knuckle clearance and control while the rounded spine and choil add all-day comfort. The handle is made from African Blackwood and pinned with solid copper giving the knife a timeless, durable feel.
A hardworking chef knife built to be used hard, used often and appreciated for what it is.
• Blade Length: 9.30”
• Steel: 52100 High Carbon
• Hardness: 59–60 HRC
• Construction: Full Tang
• Finish: 320-grit straight satin
• Geometry: Distal taper
• Comfort Fit Choil & Spine
• Handle: African Blackwood
• Pins: Solid Copper
Heirloom Integral
This is one of my premium chef knives, built to have the presence a large chef knife should have.
At 12.4 inches, it feels powerful on the board, moves through bigger work with ease and still feels quick and alive in the hand.
The blade is gorgeous complex mosaic damascus, paired with an integral damascus bolster and a damascus pommel with a stainless steel pommel nut to carry that beauty from end to end. The Honduran Rosewood Burl handle brings warmth and depth, while the pure copper spacers add richness and contrast. I gave it a museum-fit handle so every part of the knife feels finished at the highest level.
This is the kind of knife I love to make. A knife made to be used, admired and worthy of being handed down.
This one’s called Bluebolt. It’s a 9” K-tip chef knife with a blade that moves like it knows where it’s going, fast, light, and dead-on. The tile-welded mosaic Damascus has a tight, detailed pattern that catches your eye without trying too hard. Spine’s gently domed for a touch of comfort where it counts.
The bolster is a custom copper alloy, hand-textured and full of character. The handle is dyed and stabilized maple burl—blue as a summer storm—and it’s finished with a single sterling silver pin for a clean, solid lock-up. Balanced forward for folks who like a little bite in their swing.
This is a cutter, plain and simple—but with just enough flash to make it your favorite.
Specs:
9” tile-welded mosaic Damascus K-tip chef knife
Gently domed spine
Textured custom copper alloy bolster
Dyed and stabilized maple burl handle
Sterling silver pin in handle
Freedom Fighter
Hand Forged by Jeff Royer, Journeyman Smith
Before it had a name, this knife had a soul.
I started with old vintage distressed wrought iron for the “S” guard and handle spacer. Iron from America’s gritty building years, pulled from massive turnbuckles like the ones used on trestle bridge struts, spanning waterways, railroads and highways. My best guess is that this wrought iron was made sometime in the mid 1800s.
That old iron had carried real weight. It had joined what was separated. It had helped hold something together and refused to quit.
Seemed like the right stuff for a knife called Freedom Fighter and I wanted America in the bones of it.
The blade is a 10” tile-welded “Union Star” Mosaic Damascus. Stars forged into the steel, born in fire, pressure and hard work. Many pieces brought together and hammered into one strong, beautiful whole.
That is how Damascus is made.
That is how this country was meant to come together.
For the handle, I chose a stunning piece of dyed and stabilized box elder burl that hits you with deep, rich reds and blues straight out of our national flag. But the longer you look, the more that wood opens up and surprises you. Running right through the heart of it is a majestic purple mountain, like a line from America the Beautiful was drawn into the handle by the hand of God Himself.
I wanted to build this in a classic Bowie-Fighter style because that form fit the name. It has beauty in the lines, but fight in its bones. And that is the truth of our story, this country was born in a fight for God-given liberty and we have had to keep fighting to hold onto it, even today.
God gets the glory for all of it, the skill, the materials, the country and the liberties we still stand for. I just got to swing the hammer and put the pieces together.
This one is for America’s Semiquincentennial: her 250th birthday!
Two hundred and fifty years of building, fighting, praying, standing, falling, rising and holding fast.
Freedom Fighter is a one-of-one tribute piece, built to be used, collected, gifted and passed down.
Stars in the steel. Flag in the wood. Old bridge iron in the guard. And a fighter ready to stand.
Freedom Fighter.
Some things are still worth fighting for.