In a shop where a forge emits 2,000-degree heat and is filled with the deafening, rhythmic thumps from an almost century-old Power Hammer machine flattening near-molten metal and the high-pitched whine of a grinder sharpening and shaping material, bladesmith Grant Cunningham feels in his element.
It’s in this cacophonous environment that Cunningham sharpens not only the knives he hand makes from scratch, but also his approach to his craft, the mentality he brings into his daily life and his teaching skills he uses when welcoming knifemaking classes into his shop.
Since the start of March, Cunningham Custom Shop has been operating in a larger space in Junction City, allowing more wiggle room for bladesmithing and more space for students looking to learn how to make their own knives.
How Grant Cunningham became a bladesmith
Cunningham grew up in Veneta, where he spent plenty of time playing outside with his siblings. They swam in Fern Ridge, tried to make fishing hooks from wood and dug holes to entertain themselves. A graduate of Willamette High School, Cunningham moved from Lane County to Missoula, Montana, in 2012, taking with him a lifelong affinity for the outdoors…