Meet the Maker

Burt began honing his craft over 20 years ago. He made his first rough knife in high school shop class and discovered his love of crafting folding knives.. In 2019, Burt decided to pursue his passion of making knives on a deeper level, studying many books and incorporating the guidance of master bladesmiths.

He continues to strengthen his craft through hands-on study, collaboration with master knifemakers, and participation in established events such as the Batson Blade smithing Symposium at Tannehill and The Blade Show in Atlanta.

Today, Burt shares his passion with others offering a limited amount of highly crafted, one of a kind knives for sale and accepting a small amount of custom orders each year.

Before any steel is cut, Burt draws each B.A. Dodson knife by hand on paper. His personal involvement and attention to detail—from the original concept through the finished piece—distinguish his work from lower-cost, kit-assembled knives often marketed as custom.

From there, Burt works with raw flat steel and a solid block of handle material. He shapes and grinds the blade, hand-rubs, sands, and polishes the steel, fits and assembles each component, finishes the handle, and etches his maker’s mark into the completed knife.

Only the flat steel, handle material, and assembly hardware are purchased. The design, shaping, fitting, finishing, and final detailing are all completed by Burt. This hands-on process allows each knife to reflect the client’s personal preferences and aesthetic while remaining a one-of-a-kind, functional work of art—something any knife enthusiast can be proud to add to a collection.

For fixed-blade knives, Burt also creates the leatherwork himself. Each sheath is designed for the individual knife, then hand-tooled, hand-stitched, fitted, and finished by Burt.