William Schrade Custom Cutlery
4th Generation Knifemaker
William Schrade
Custom Cutlery
One of a kind custom hand made knives
4th Generation Knifemaker
THE MAKER
  1. Schrade Company Knife Handmade
  2. William Schrade Knives custom cutlery
  3. Schrade Company Knife custom made
  4. Schrade Knives Custom Handmade cutlery
  5. Bowie Knives customer cutlery Schrade
  6. William Scharde knife handmade custom
  7. Automatic Knife - Pull Ball custom handmade
Handmade Custom Knives 
Hunting, Fishing  Bowies, Camp and Boot Knives

William J. Schrade 
4th Generation Custom Knife-Maker 
THE MAKER
  5. William Schrade custom knife maker stag handle knife
    Stag Handle knife
    4
  6. George Schrade Patent Knive 1936 Prototype
    4" Pull Ball Prototype
    5
​I am privileged to be the great-grandson of George Schrade, Inventor of the automatic knife better known as the Switchblade Knife. He was also the founder of the Press-Button Knife Company, Schrade Cutlery Company, Flylock Knife Company and the George Schrade Knife Company.

My Great-Grandfather, George Schrade, my Grandfather, George Martin Schrade and my father, Theodore George Schrade ran the “George Schrade Knife Company”on Kossuth Street in Bridgeport, CT from 1926 – 1958 where they manufactured a variety of knives. In 1958 the Switchblade was outlawed. 

Fortunately, for my family, Boker Knife Corporation bought the company in 1956, and they suffered the loss. All equipment and materials were sold at auction for $.10 on the dollar!

My dad, Theodore George “Ted” Schrade had six children. Three daughters and three sons of which I am the youngest. I was five years old when the company was liquidated.

I have always been interested in knives and it has always been a dream of mine to make knives. I always wanted to start the company back up again, but was discouraged by the start-up cost of mass production. 

After a full career as an operating engineer and business owner, in December 2011 I retired from the crane rental and rigging industry to pursue my passion of custom knife-making and started making one-of-a-kind knives in March 2012. 

I am convinced this is in my blood! Each one of my knives is sketched, ground, assembled and finished by hand in my home workshop. My experience is rooted in the inventions of my great-grandfather George Schrade, which includes the drill gauge, shielding machines, the automatic player piano and most notably, the Switchblade knife. 

Each custom knife is hand made....one at a time. 
Bill Schrade standing behind George Schrade family knife display
William Schrade knife design prototypes
George Schrade original tools in Bill Schrade 4th Generation shop
William Schrade Knife- home workshop
Bill Schrade in home factory knife machinery

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