About Acre Knife and Acre Forge

Acre started with a simple belief: good craftspeople deserve a good place to practice their craft.

For years, a group of accomplished bladesmiths had devoted themselves to making exceptional knives. They had apprenticed, studied traditional techniques, experimented with materials, and developed their own methods. But they also knew how difficult it could be to build a life around that kind of work.

In 2023, Dane Tomseth set out to change that by creating a place where skilled makers could do serious work, earn a living, and keep getting better. That place became Acre Forge, a working production facility in North Portland’s St. Johns neighborhood where experienced makers share equipment, techniques, ideas, and a daily practice.

Their collective experience spans traditional Japanese techniques, modern design, metallurgy, ergonomics, culinary experience, woodworking, and machining. That shared foundation and the different paths that brought them to it is what shapes Acre’s knife lines: Macrum and Signature.

And while each knife begins at the forge, its story continues with the person who uses it through meals, adventures, sharpening, and care. Because a knife shouldn't just be something owned. It should be something that brings joy in its use, something cared for, and, eventually, something that holds personal meaning.

Acre is the company behind Acre Knife and Acre Forge. Different in purpose, connected by craft, Acre Knife and Acre Forge are two parts of the same company, united by the work that happens here and the people who bring it to life.

Whether you’re discovering us through our website, social channels, or a knife in your hand, Acre Knife is where you’ll find what we make and what inspires us.

Acre Forge is where ideas become knives. Our working production facility in North Portland’s St. Johns neighborhood is where our bladesmiths practice their craft, exchange knowledge, and make every knife we offer. It’s also open to you: come explore our full assortment, meet us where we work, and see the craft up close with a tour of the forge.

Adam Andrews

After a decade working as a cook, Adam Andrews’ cutlery had become an extension of his hand. Wanting better options, the lifelong tinkerer decided to invest in the tools to make a knife rather than spend his hard-earned money buying one. He ground his first blade in his Portland apartment, heat treated it in his mom’s backyard, and began his journey as a bladesmith.

Fifteen years later at Acre Knife, Adam’s process still begins with the needs of the user. He starts with the blade pattern, then develops the handle around it, integrating ergonomics and style. His attention to how a knife feels in the hand comes from an interest in 3D modeling. “Working with shapes — particularly on the CNC machine at the forge — has helped me see materials not just for what they are, but for what they can become.”

Ryan Cavallo

Following in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, an ornamental blacksmith, Ryan Cavallo began making knives in his backyard at just 13 years old. His early experiments eventually led to an apprenticeship at Carter Cutlery in 2018, where he worked alongside bladesmiths, collectors, and chefs who helped him shape his understanding of what makes a great kitchen knife.

For his Signature line, Ryan takes a restrained approach to color and material, allowing the character of each knife’s materials and construction to take center stage. “My Western knives are more European, drawing from French chef knives and my family heritage, while my Japanese knives are a natural expression of my traditional training.”

Jamison Chopp

Jamison Chopp grew up making furniture and considered pursuing it as a career after college, until he discovered knifemaking — a craft that wove together his interests in both wood and metalwork. After apprenticing at Carter Cutlery, where he mastered traditional Japanese lines, shapes, and patterns, Jamison opened his own shop before eventually rejoining his former colleagues at Acre Knife.

At Acre, Jamison lets organic patterns of forged steel speak for themselves. “I try to find beauty and refinement in simplicity instead of complexity. There’s no detail about a knife that I don’t pour myself into creatively. I’ve never been obsessed with perfection; I want you to look at my knives and know that they’re handmade.”

Shamus Dotson

Shamus Dotson’s fascination with blades began as a kid watching Rurouni Kenshin, captivated by the samurai’s respect and admiration for their swords. At fifteen, he met Murray Carter, who took Shamus on as his apprentice when he moved to Oregon. “I’d never made knives before, but I was a hard worker, needed a job, and loved the creativity behind it.”

Two decades and more than 10,000 mostly forged knives later, Shamus continues to push the conventions of traditional kitchen knife making. His distinctive blade patterns, contoured handles, and unexpected color combinations have become hallmarks of his work. And he’s still finding new ways to experiment through his Signature collection.

Chloe Lune Kim

Chloe Lune Kim grew up in her father’s violin workshop in Vienna, Austria, where she learned firsthand that tools are precious things. There, Chloe began exploring her father’s carving tools and learned she loved to work with her hands. After almost a decade of working in both the front and back of house at restaurants in New York City, Chloe moved to Oregon to apprentice under Murray Carter.

For her Signature line, Chloe embraces bright, playful color combinations rarely associated with handmade tools. Her philosophy is simple: because we spend so much of our lives in the kitchen, our tools should do more than perform — they should delight.

Greyson Walker

Greyson Walker’s interest in knives began while studying product design in college. When he discovered he could reliably substitute his X-Acto blade for a Spyderco pocketknife — and sharpen it rather than discard it when dull — he began collecting and customizing blades. After graduating, Greyson worked as a handle maker for Murray Carter for nearly a decade before joining the team at Acre Knife.

Greyson’s reputation for meticulously finished handles carries into the thoughtful knife designs of his Signature collection. The knives pair high-performance steel blades, often suited to outdoor tasks, with refined modern handle materials, more commonly found in aerospace and automotive applications.

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