These days, Wayne Walker is a full-time knife maker, but the journey to this point was a long one, and as his knives begin to reach more dealers’ shelves and users’ collections, he took some time to share his origin story with us.
Walker’s career began when he was just 12 years old – but of course it didn’t feel like a career back then. “Growing up, my neighbor was in his 90s but still made knives, and I would go over to his house and just watch him work,” Walker says. Some aspiring makers study with professional bladesmiths, but for every known name in the custom world there are dozens of weekend craftsmen in it just for the love of the game, working when the can and with what they have. Walker tells us his neighbor worked with old school found materials: deer antlers for handle slabs and reshaped saw blades for the live edges. “His stuff was crude, but it had my interest from then on.”
Walker entered into his own hobbyist phase, making crude knives off and on before eventually taking his next major step. “Around 15 years ago I started taking more of an interest in it and started to sell knives,” says Walker. If you’re familiar with his work today, the idea of snagging a WW knife for less than the cost of a McDonald’s meal sounds ludicrously lucky, but, back in the early 2010s that’s exactly what they were going for. “My first one sold for $10 on eBay and $8 of that was to ship it!” When we look at a maker’s work on Instagram or an online storefront, it’s easy to forget there was a time when they weren’t a known name, and had to grind things out literally as well as figuratively, selling where and how they could, and building up their reputation. As time passed, Walker’s name began to stick in people’s minds. “I’ve been able to meet a lot of great people doing this and have several customers that I consider good friends.”
During those years Walker began to find his voice as a maker, one that the tells us is still evolving, but centered around the true fundamentals of knives as tools. “I try to focus on making the lines flow on a design, but also be practical at the same time. I like them to be ergonomic and something you can use for long periods of time with unneeded fatigue.” Of course, if you’ve seen a modern WW piece, especially those with the pronounced hamon lines that he favors, you know that aesthetics are not neglected either. “I want the knife to look attractive, like something you are proud to hold and carry,” he tells us. “Hamon lines are probably my favorite to work with. Every one of them is different and it’s almost like a distinct signature that you can create inside the steel.”
2021 was the Big Year for Walker, the moment every aspiring craftsman waits for: he upgraded his equipment, zoned out a dedicated workshop, and went full time. Recently he relocated to Alabama and says his next goal isn’t actually all that different from his goal back in the eBay days, if on a much larger scale. “For the remainder of 2026 and on in to 2027, I’m looking to focus on getting my work in to as many hands as possible.” Walker crossed another, more personal threshold too: “I’m also trying to get my 14 year old son in the shop to help more. He’s taken an interest in making sheaths and working with his hands and it’s nice to be able to teach him what I’ve learned.” In fact, the whole family is in on the WW Knives enterprise, and Walker gives special credit to his wife for her key role in its success. “She has been a huge help with finding new handle materials and appealing to the female customers. She’s also helped with marketing and expanding the business.”
Walker says that change and evolution is the norm in his work, and says we can continue to expect fresh projects bearing the WW stamp. “My style is always changing and I’m always looking to try something a little different.” Just don’t expect to find anything for ten bucks on eBay.
Knife in Featured Image: Wayne Walker Customs Wanderer [Drop point and tanto]
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