The skills and the gesture of the cutlers of Forge de Laguiole

Nearly 200 production steps are needed to manufacture a Laguiole pocket knife. To celebrate our 30^th anniversary we would like to take you along in our manufacture.

From the forge of each piece of the knife to the finishing touches there are more than 40 steps to do, it can go up to 180 operations, to produce an authentic Laguiole pocket knife.

The chiselling, a crucial step for the famous Laguiole pocket knife. 

• Everything starts at the forge, the blade is heated till it becomes red. The blacksmith love this specific colour, also called “cherry-red”. The blade is shaped thanks to many stretching and hitting. Also the tempering process provides the perfect balance between the resistance and the flexibility of the stainless steel blade

• To continue, there is the sawing. Forge de Laguiole is one of the last companies to have its own sawmill in the manufacture. Each piece of woods, horn, etc. is chosen by the human eye and cut by-man.

• The chiselling asks many handling because the cutlers use a stylus, a chisel and then a file. The cutler gives the shape and the soul of the bee thanks to the chiselling. It is a detailed work that gives the entire spirit to the Laguiole knife.

• The final steps are the assembly part, the adjustment of the handles, the polishing to give the matt or the shiny finish and the sharpening.

• Finally, the logo is engraved so that we can recognize it. The pocket knife is now ready for the quality control before the shipment.

Each of our pocket knives are unique because all the knives are handmade. Each of the cutlers has his own sensibility, his intuition, way of working and his glance on the knives.

Forge de Laguiole is happy to work with master cutlers that have been awarded for collection knives

The master cutlers are specialised in the manufacture of collection knives with very rare materials as mammoth ivory, reconstituted coral, etc. and they work mainly on specific requests. 

Exemple of knife made by Forge de Laguiole master cutlerman.