Meet Ben Schuerman | Knifemaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ben Schuerman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ben, what’s your definition for success?
I feel like I have reached success. There is a demand for my knives like I could not have imagined. I cant make them fast enough.

I have worked so hard and met other makers and watched every video and read every article. I also paid attention to what worked. Tried and true methods, shapes and designs while making them my own.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
In 2016 I started out re handling old kitchen knives and cleavers I would find at flea markets or get off ebay. I have always collected knives. I still have the first knife my dad got me when I was a kid. A Buck 110 with a sheath he embossed my name on.

I was on vacation in Key West in June of 2017 when it just came to me. I said to my wife Liz “When we get back Im going to design and start making my own knives”.

I had a lot to learn and a lot of failures. Research, learning from my mistakes and never giving up was my key. My first set of scales was stabilized Redwood burl the I think cost me $35 and I broke them immediately trying to force a pin through the drilled hole.

I have a deep love for making everyday usable knives for hunting, fishing, bushcraft and home chefs.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Usually the weather in Charlotte is pretty nice and we do a lot of grilling and just hanging out on the back deck.

To the West is the mountains and to the east is the ocean. We need to take a lot more advantage of that but we like hanging out at home with the dogs.

Sundays at Bottle Tree for brunch is always amazing. A bloody mary and the special with johnny cakes, eggs, potatoes and steak starts the day off right.

The Whitewater center is full of adventure. Incuding whitewater rapids, ziplining, rock climbing, people watching and mountain bike trails.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My biggest inspiration is my cousin Kory Schuerman. As muscular dystrophy tried to keep him down his drive and artistic talent would always rise to the top and inspire everyone around him until he lost his battle with the disease. He fought till the end. His brand Skummie will live on in Tshirts he designed for Guns N Roses, Pantera and tons of other bands including his favorite Metallica.

My first time being in a real shop was at Palmetto Blades with Ricky Simpson. Even though he had a shop full of other enthusiasts and wanna be knife makers he took time and answered all of my questions and gave me tips and tricks. He was so helpful and is a very successful maker. I keep a close eye on what he is doing.

Eddie Pennington from GEP III Handmade Knives is my hands down go too when I have a question or Im stuck on something. What an artist in knife making. Eddie is a great guy and is always there ready to help.

I also got to visit the shop at Esnyx Knives when I was in Sarasota. Evan Nicolaides is a great dude. Always there for me to ask questions. He has learned from the best including Tony (Old Dog) Bose himself. Amazing.

And I cant leave out Tom Krein. Although we havent had a lot of interaction he has answered questions for me and his AMA on Facebook is always filled with gold.

Website: www.ditchpigknivesnc.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/ditchpigknives