Metal Arts Classes Chicago - Beginner Knife Making Intensive (Three Days)

Beginner Knife Making Intensive (Three Days)

with Jake McNaughton

TOP RATED

5.0 | 1 review

34 Have Dabbled

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ABOUT THIS EVENT

Event Category

Arts & DIY

Note: This is a multi-session event series. By purchasing the event package, you acknowledge that you can attend all event dates included below.

Event Overview

A great gift idea!! Join this hands-on workshop designed to take you from absolute zero to walking home with a finished knife over the course of three sessions (each session is three hours). Under expert guidance, learn the fundamentals of knife design, forging, and hand finishing your blade. Not only will you walk away with a finished knife made with your own hands, but also with the skills and confidence to continue creating. You will follow along with the design shown in photographs. A good general purpose knife measuring around 9" overall with a roughly 5" blade. While adding wooden scales to your handles is not included in the scope of these three days, you will have the option to return and add this feature to your piece. That being said, the handle is also perfectly comfortable left with a forged finish. Make-up shop time is available for those unable to make one of the three days at the scheduled time.

The three days for this class are: Dec 20, Dec 27, Jan 3 from 10am to 1pm. See you there!!

Minimum age

15 years or older

Prerequisites

-No forging experience is required

Come with good judgement, common sense, and an open mind. This is a fairly physical activity so it may not be well suited to people with injuries or health concerns that would require them to reduce activity.

What's Provided

I'll provide all materials, tools, and fuel for the forge. I will also provide safety glasses and gloves.

Cancellation Policy

Location

There are currently no upcoming dates scheduled for this Dabble. Log in to an account message the host or add to your bucket list to be automatically notified when new dates are posted.

MORE ABOUT YOUR HOST

Jake McNaughton

TOP RATED

Jake McNaughton has been blacksmithing and blade-smithing for over a decade. He has taught classes at the Fire Arts Center of Chicago and made high end cutlery with Ravenswood Custom Knives. He has a passion for providing hands-on experience with historical and small-scale manufacturing techniques. He now operates his own studio in the Irving Park neighborhood of Chicago.

Studio Information: The street address for classes is 4248 Elston. The entrance is around the back of the building on the alley between Harding and Berteau. Look for the door with the "Blacksmithing" sign above. Closest street parking is along Elston & Berteau.

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EXPERIENCE REVIEWS

Jake B.
Reviewed on 03/16/26

For three days two absolute beginners — a dad and a teenage son — each made a fully functional knife. We started by teaching our arms and bodies to hammer a rectangle of glowing hot steel and ended by learning how to sand and oil and wooden handle to the completed knife tang. Jake’s system for teaching each step made it both easy to follow and a worthy challenge: we were proud of ourselves at the end of each day. He understands that each person learns differently, is watchful for different learning styles, and happily adapts. We appreciated the depth of his knowledge about the science of blacksmithing, the physical techniques of hammering and grinding, as well as the history of blades and the cultures and geographies from which those blades arose. He artfully interwove demonstrations with stepping back to allow us to learn on our own. He also helped us succeed with advice and direct aid in fixing errors that we made along the way. We loved learning both the why and the how. He made us feel better about our missteps by showing his early knives and telling us about his own early mistakes. Jake is clearly not only a master blacksmith, but a master teacher. We are already talking about when and how to come back and make more knives with him.

For three days two absolute beginners — a dad and a teenage son — each made a fully functional knife. We started by teaching our arms and bodies to hammer a rectangle of glowing hot steel and ended by learning how to sand and oil and wooden handle to the completed knife tang. Jake’s system for teaching each step made it both easy to follow and a worthy challenge: we were proud of ourselves at the end of each day. He understands that each person learns differently, is watchful for different learning styles, and happily adapts. We appreciated the depth of his knowledge about the science of blacksmithing, the physical techniques of hammering and grinding, as well as the history of blades and the cultures and geographies from which those blades arose. He artfully interwove demonstrations with stepping back to allow us to learn on our own. He also helped us succeed with advice and direct aid in fixing errors that we made along the way. We loved learning both the why and the how. He made us feel better about our missteps by showing his early knives and telling us about his own early mistakes. Jake is clearly not only a master blacksmith, but a master teacher. We are already talking about when and how to come back and make more knives with him.