Local Bladesmith Offers Knife-Making Classes

Grant Cunningham opens expanded workshop in Junction City to teach the 'first tool' of humanity

Mar. 30, 2026 at 12:41pm

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A visually striking grid of brightly colored, high-contrast silkscreen knife shapes, conceptually representing the traditional craft of handmade knife-making.A local bladesmith's expanded workshop offers the public a chance to learn the centuries-old craft of knife-making.Junction City Today

Grant Cunningham, a skilled bladesmith, has recently moved his Cunningham Custom Shop to a larger space in Junction City, Kansas. Cunningham is now offering classes to teach people how to craft handmade knives, which he sees as the 'first tool' of humanity.

Why it matters

Knife-making is a centuries-old craft that connects people to their ancestral roots and the fundamental tools that enabled early human development. By offering these classes, Cunningham is helping to preserve this traditional skill and pass it on to a new generation.

The details

Cunningham learned his craft from experienced bladesmiths who taught him traditional techniques. Now, he wants to share that knowledge with others through his expanded workshop space in Junction City. In the classes, participants will learn how to forge, grind, and finish their own custom knives.

  • Cunningham recently moved his Cunningham Custom Shop to a larger space in Junction City.
  • Cunningham is now offering knife-making classes at his expanded workshop.

The players

Grant Cunningham

A skilled bladesmith who runs the Cunningham Custom Shop in Junction City, Kansas.

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What they’re saying

“They taught me everything that they knew,”

— Grant Cunningham, Bladesmith

What’s next

Cunningham plans to continue offering regular knife-making classes at his expanded workshop in Junction City.

The takeaway

By teaching the traditional craft of knife-making, Cunningham is helping to preserve an important part of human history and connect people to the fundamental tools that enabled early human development.