Hello! My Name is Spencer Haynes and I am a New ABS Apprentice and very excited about the fact.

A little bit about me: I grew up in Northern Idaho about 15 miles from the Canadian border. My father was a logger so working with metal and wood was a common experience growing up. At age 6 or 7  I made my father a “knife” out of a jigsaw blade and a stick for Fathers Day unprovoked. I drilled a hole in the stick and used a screw to pin/ hold the blade in at the factory hole that was on the jigsaw blade.

We later moved to Wyoming where I lived into my 20’s. When I was 14 I was at the shop with my dad replacing track pads on his Timbco Feller buncher and became bored that afternoon. I found a bar of steel and ground an edge on it at the big bench grinder that was in the shop. I then used a giant o ring I had found as the handle wrap and when I was finished I had a “ninja sword” 🤪 

Later on in 2013 I was building homes and had some rebar scrap and the lingering desire to make something out of it turned into heating the pieces up one night while messing around with my brother in the shop. I used a OA torch and was just hammering on the rebar against some 1” plate we had and I ended up with a piece of metal that resembled a butter knife. And that’s where I caught the bug. Since then I have been absorbing as much info from the internet and YouTube and any other sources that I could to learn about making knives.

In 2019 I moved to South Dakota with my wife and that’s when I started my journey in applying the knowledge I had learned and made my first, what I considered, real knife. I started off with the stock removal method since I didn’t have an anvil and didn’t have the funds for one at that time. I used a homemade file jig, angle grinder, drill press, and had just purchased my gas forge so I could heat treat my work.

Since then, my wife and I Have had four beautiful children and time and financial opportunities have been limited. We moved to Northern Alabama for my wife’s work and since I have expanded my tool collection substantially. I’ve been able to make a number of knives for friends who wanted my work, and been able to learn how to forge weld and make simpler San Mai billets by hand.As well as practicing forging blades to shape a bit more. My kids are growing up and I am slowly gaining a bit more time in the shop as they do. I have continually remained in a learning mode to keep my mind occupied while I wasn’t able to spend time in the shop.

However I am now ready to commit myself more to the craft. Joining the ABS has been on my mind since I heard about it in 2018 and like many others Attaining that MS rating has been a dream and goal since. I love anything that stretches me and my skills and this will absolutely do that for me! Not to mention I have a goal to reach for and a direction to go with it all. 

This has been a fun hobby for me- with picking up leatherwork along the way and hopes of adding some other skills like engraving etc to my arsenal and I look forward to learning and being a part of the ABS and taking it to the next level! 

I operate as “Northern Edge Co” and if anyone wants to follow my work and see my work so far Instagram is the best place to find it. https://www.instagram.com/northern_edge_company?igsh=MWxvYmVrdms2bW4zbw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr  

I attached a photo of that first blade I made in 2019.