Sugar Shack Forge

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Sugar Shack Forge

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I make hand forged knives in the scandinavian style, using high quality local materials.

At sugar shack forge, I make tools, knives, and household items for the woodcrafter or homesteader.

20/09/2024

Ski coaching pack - tyvek prototype #1

This is my first self drafted backpack design, and a lot needs to change. My goal is to make a bag to throw all my gear in for Nordic ski practices and races that I coach at. This past year I just used a gigantic tote and I want something a bit more weatherproof. It needs to have some organization and structure while being easy to access.

This prototype was made out of tyvek because it is cheap and easy to sew. I have two main issues with the design. First, while the duffel bag opening is very practical, it doesn't seem like it will be super durable. Second, the top closure design needs to be reworked. I dont really like the cinch closure with a cover because it felt clunky. I think I am going to move to a single vertical zipper running along the side of the bag for quick access and I am going to try something similar to the Gossamer Gear Mariposa 50 closure for the top.

If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I'm always looking for helpful hints or ideas.

12/06/2024

I woke up this morning to the news that Mr. Langmaid passed away yesterday. St. Johnsbury and the community lost a giant.

Here is one of my favorite memories of him: In highschool my friends and I went on what we called adventure runs. Mr. Langmaid would tell us to go for a 6mi run. Instead of going on the standard route like he probably wanted us to, we would go off into the backwoods of st. Johnsbury, taking random logging roads, train tracks and power line trails until we hopefully found our way back. We would just make a general guess that we had the correct distance. On one of these runs we made a mistake. We had taken a wrong turn at some point, it was starting to get dark and our only way back to a main road without turning around, was across a river. Well and I didn't see any other options. We swam across the river. Wet and bedraggled we ran back to the fieldhouse. Everyone had already left, except for Mr. Langmaid. He didn't mention our wet clothes or that we were so late. He just told us to do our core workout and go home.

Looking back on this moment, it's hard to imagine what he thought of us. All I can say is that I am grateful that he let us make those memories and that he was there when we got back. We knew that he would be there for us however we needed him to be.

Thank you.

30/05/2024

Today I finally finished the metamorph backpack! It's my first project of this scale and my first bag designed to actually carry a load. Overall I am very happy with it and would recommend it to anyone. It is designed to take a number of different pockets. Right now I have the front pocket that converts into a daypack, a water bottle pocket and a side pocket that I modified to have stretch panels on the sides.

All of the materials for this build came from either or !

19/04/2024

I am finding that these small f***y/sling bags are really great ways to learn new techniques and to try new things. This is basically the standard large f***y pack with a few modifications. I finished the ends of the front pocket zipper to make sewing the gusset a bit easier; I added spacer mesh to the back panel; included a snap closure onside pocket; and I used folded webbing "wings" for the strap attachment. I really really like the strap wings. I think it adds a bit of a different look to it and it's really functional. In future iterations I think I would use a removable slik clip for the strap, so that I could use it as a hip belt pocket or something.

The fabric is xpac V15

11/04/2024

My first real backpack is complete! This is the stitchbackdiy TSA1 personal item backpack.

Without the incredibly thorough and detailed instructions provided by and zipper tutorials there is no way that I would have been able to complete this project. Before this bag I had made 4-5 sling bags, a few stuff sacks and the Stitchback gear dry bag holder. This bag was an astronomical jump in difficulty and I made it even more difficult by making a few small modifications. My only issue with the pattern were the tight tolerances on some of the webbing measurements. There could be a bit more slop built in to make clipping the shoulder straps and the chest straps a bit easier.

I made three modifications to the pattern to fit my needs. I added an inset pocket into the front panel (new skill), for a passport, I added zipper covers to the accessory pocket and I added a stretch mesh pocket to the inside of the main compartment.

This project was sewn on an old Kenmore ultra-stitch 6. I used VX21 and HyperD 300 fabric for the whole build from

24/03/2024

I'm leaning into making what I want, when I want. Right now I'm taking some time to learn how to sew outdoor gear. So far I've made some stuff sacks, a few cross body bags and now this backpack. This bag is the EZ backpack from stitchback gear. It's designed to be fairly easy to make and be an intro to bigger projects. It's designed in two parts, the suspension system and a separate tyvek dry bag. In my mind this makes it a pretty ideal canoe tripping bag. I was able to use fabric from the covering of an old tubing tube and foam from an old thermarest pad.

13/01/2024

Here are a few more pictures of the integral hatchet I recently finished. It was forged from one piece of 4140, with a wedge shaped head and a tapered tang. The scales are canvas micarta, which are held on with a micarta pin and a G10 tube.

12/01/2024

ANNOUNCEMENT
I have let my projects and time in the shop lapse over the past year. I've let business relationships and orders fall through the cracks. This past week I took time and made a concerted effort to make it into the shop and to work on projects. It felt fantastic. Going forward I am going to start working on projects that have been on my bench for a while and sometimes these projects will be for sale when they are finished. I will not be taking any custom orders at this time. I need to take this time to relearn how to love working in the shop.

If you have any questions or interest in a piece I am working on, feel free to reach out.

The picture is of an integral hatchet I just finished. It's pretty sweet.

25/10/2023

This knife is available!

This is one of two maybe three knives I've completed this year. Due to a number of factors I have not been able to spend time in my shop to really work on any orders. I'll get into that a bit more in another post.

Anyways, this kitchen knife is available. It has a hand forged 8670 high carbon steel blade and a stabilized maple burl handle. The maple burl is split by a thin micarta spacer. This handle shape is probably my favorite to use. It allows for a very comfortable pinch grip and a nicely indexed handle shape. The spine and heel of the blade are rounded to remove any potential hot spots. This knife will serve you well for generations in the kitchen.

I'm looking to sell this knife so that I can purchase a full frame camera. If youre interested, shoot me a message and we can talk about details.

19/10/2023

This just might be my favorite photo I've taken.

My friend and I were hiking up to the top of Silver Peak in Killarney Provincial Park, and happened upon this couple during their proposal. I already had my camera out, and with a bit of convincing from my friend, I took a few pictures of them because they didn't seem to have anyone documenting the occasion for them. Luckily they were happy to get the pictures and even more so when I offered to take a few more of them.

This picture was my favorite.

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