Kramer Custom Knives on display at BF Farmer's Market
Photo by DON COGGER Roger Kramer sets up his display at the Bonners Ferry Farmer’s Market.
Photo by DON COGGER
Photo by DON COGGER Roger Kramer displays a survival knife he designed. The knife has a serrated edge, and can be used for sawing, chopping and and other outdoor tasks.
Photo by DON COGGER Roger Kramer builds custom knives of all shapes and sizes.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Roger Kramer, Sr. always had an urge to head west.
A cross-country trucker by profession, Kramer moved to Boundary County in 1990. His love of custom knifemaking was born from a stint he worked at a Wyoming ranch in his early years.
“One winter, it was a really bad winter, the blacksmith at the ranch taught me about making knives,” Kramer said. He showed me how to do it, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Based out of Naples, Kramer now operates a one-man show called Kramer’s Custom Knives. He has a workshop, and the profits he makes selling custom knives help to pay for materials for upcoming projects. The time it takes to make the knife depends on the order, and it can take anywhere from 20-100 hours, depending on the scope of the project. Most of his material comes from his home state of Pennsylvania. His customers are recommended to him from word-of-mouth, and from displaying his work at events like the Bonners Ferry Farmer’s Market.
“I have a facebook account, but I don’t keep up with it, and I don’t know how to get an internet site going, so it’s basically word-of-mouth, the farmer’s market and a couple of gun shows we have every year.”
Kramer’s expertise extends beyond just knives, making everything from hatchets to silverware sets, all of which he has on display at his booth at the market every Saturday. He takes pride in the fact that not one piece he has sold has ever been returned because a customer wasn’t happy with the end result.
“I have not had anyone come back who wasn’t pleased,” Kramer said. “I’ve had people who have damaged a knife and I try to repair it for them. If it’s taken care of the proper way, I guarantee it for life.”
Kramer has made a lot of interesting pieces over the years, most notably an Australian-style bush knife for a collector.
“The customer said he wanted an antler handle on it with a finger guard and everything,” he said. “That one took me about 60-70 hours to get everything right.”
Asked if knife-making takes a lot of patience, Kramer didn’t hesitate to answer.
“Oh yeah, it takes patience, I screw up a lot,” Kramer said, laughing.
“You just concentrate on correcting your mistakes.”
The most popular knives Kramer sells tend to be the smaller skinning knives, which would make sense considering the area. A skinner will cost a customer between $40-$80 depending on the design.
“They’re not very expensive, and people seem to really like them,” he said. “Some of the bigger knives will of course be a little more expensive.”
You can see Kramer’s work on display every Saturday at the Farmer’s Market located in the city parking lot. Hours are from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.