Three Knife Men in Colorado

The profession of blade smith is generally a solitary one and the workshop is often built right in the middle of untamed nature as if to underline the fact. The extraordinary history of Timberline yet illustrates this apparently ancestral rule.

Jim Hardenbrook worked alone in his little workshop at Cortez. His constant search for perfection earning him a solid reputation throughout the whole state of Colorado. When Vaughan Neeley, a young man from the area, expressed a desire to learn the trade, he couldn’t have found a better master. In 1982, they formed a partnership, created Timberline Knives and set up their workshop in the San Juan Mountains. Situated high up, their chosen spot is not easily accessible in winter. The cabin in the middle of the forest is not very big, and there is no danger of any untimely visit, apart from the animals that inhabit the area. But that suited these two men just fine, which found there the tranquility and serenity that encourages energy and creativity. The adventure took yet another exciting turn when they were joined a few months later by a third man, Bill Sanders, already an established blade smith in his own right.

The circumstances were perfect for nurturing a strong friendship between them. First, they had to travel together the distance separating Mancos, where they lived. From their workshop with all the difficulties one might imagine. When it snowed, the only effective solution was to don snowshoes; then the entrance to the workshop had to be cleared with a shovel; finally, the wood fire had to be lit and kept going until the evening, and the return journey in the same epic conditions. How many times must they have been snowed in for several days and nights up there, unable to return to civilization.

Legend recounts that it is these exceptional circumstances that have favored the creation of their best models. The vast expanse of nature is certainly an incredible source of inspiration, but the danger is constant and drama frequent. In spite of being familiar with the area, Jim Hardenbrook fell to the bottom of a ravine during a storm.

Timberline Knives comprises the most beautiful and luxurious catalog of handmade American cutlery ever printed.  In a state where almost all of the inhabitants are hunters, the hunting range was of course the leading one with its mirror-polished blades giving superb cutting quality in any situation. Fishermen have not forgotten, no less than outdoorsmen, for whom as folding survival knife was specially developed: the handle plates can be taken off and the cavities have been designed to accept various accessories that one might need, such as compass, matches, fishing line and hook, etc. In each sheath there is even a small accessory that might serve as an arrowhead, as well as a flint for making fires.

After Jim Hardenbrook’s death in a hunting accident, the original Timberline split up to disappear into the mists and legends of the Rocky Mountains. The brand still exists, albeit with a “factory” as opposed to a “custom” manufacture.

Those knife collectors in the know very actively seek all of the models designed and produced during this first period in the little cabin in Colorado after. Indeed there are now probably more of these collectors than there are models.