KIRBY LAMBERT
How serious was Kirby Lambert about buying the necessary equipment to become a custom knifemaker?
“I dropped out of school at the University of Calgary to start my knifemaking career,” he began. “In order to purchase machinery, tools, and equipment I had to sell off the one thing I had that was worth any money—my 1969 440 Dodge Charger.
“My milling/drilling machine was one of the very first pieces of equipment I purchased at the beginning of my knifemaking career. It’s a Force International that was made for House of Tools, which is no longer in existence. I purchased it around 2002, and every knife I’ve made since that time has either been drilled and/or milled on it.
“Some of the most important and most-used pieces of machinery I have are my belt grinders,” Kirby continued. “My favorite is the TW-90 [the one with the yellow belt illustrated in one of the accompanying pictures]. Not only is
