Another darn Texan

rhrocker

Member
Greetings all! I'm Robert Hensarling, and hail from Uvalde, Texas. Uvalde is about 70 miles due West of San Antonio. For exactly 30 years now I've operated a "one of a kind" furniture company, specialising in Rocking Chairs. My wood of choice is good ol gnarly
Texas Mesquite. I have my own sawmill and kiln, and am pretty much self-sufficiant. In addition to Rockers, I also make bars, some cabinets, and a host of other fine furniture products. I've been on 19 television documenteries including the Discovery Channel, and my favorite, HGTV Modern Masters. A lot of magazines use me for "fill" also, and I've written several articles on various subjects from insects in the wood, to how to properly use epoxy with Mesquite.

My Great Grand-Dad had a blacksmith shop in Madisonville, Texas from about 1895 until the 20's. He moved his family to Jourdinton, Texas then, and opened another Blacksmith shop. No knife production that I know of, just the typical plow shares, and other odds and ends needing fixing.

His work with metal get me started and interested in blacksmithing in the mid 80's, and not long after I became rabid about knives, starting of course with railroad spike knives to sell at my small shop.
Over the years this has turned into a more viable knife business, and
I find my focus more on the Scagel type of knives, and of late the Don Hanson style of knife. My steel of choice is W2 for "using" knives, and I love pattern welding and mosaics.

I'm a moderator on the Knife-net "This Old Knife" forum, and frequent some of the other knife and sword forums as well.

I look up to makers like Kevin Cashen, Don Hanson, Dr. Jim Lucie, and a handfull of others.

I want to thank Tracy Mickey for starting this site! Tracy and I go back a long way, and in fact I gave my wife one of his earlier knives.
He also gave (yep, "gave!") me a fillet knife which I haven't had a chance to use yet, but will shortly.

I'm excited about this new forum because I see a few of the old names, but more interestingly I see a lot of new names that I've not yet met. I know there's a lot of talent out there and I'm anxious to expand my knowledge base by hearing new ideas and processes.

I love to forge knives, and try to do very little stock removal, although it doesn't bother me to do so. I have a fully equiped shop, and am hoping to transition from woodworking to knife making over the next couple of years or so.

Thanks for this opportunity to introduce myself, and I've enjoyed reading the introductions of others. I'm looking forward to a long and comfortable stay on this site.

Robert Hensarling
4326 East Main
Uvalde, Texas 78801
www.hensarlingknives.com (this site will be closing with another opening in it's place shortly).
rhrocker@hilconet.com

www.mesquiterockers.com
 
welcome to KnifeDogs Robert. Glad you made it here.

for anyone else, google up Hensarling Rocking Chair...really nice stuff..
 
Hey guys, I appreciate the warm welcome! Of course if I had known that
Indian George was on this forum, I'd have, hummmm......I'd have joined a long time
ago :eek:) Wow, there's so many new little faces and stuff to learn how to use, I'll need a college
degree just for that!
Tracy, do you think you may eventually add a Damascus or Pattern Welded forum to the
list? Don't get me wrong, I'm not the new guy telling the old guy to do this or that, just
courious. Kevin C. may be handling it in the forum he moderates.
Anyway, thanks again!
Robert (Now to scratch around here and find Raymond Richard).
 
HEY aren't you, you know, that guy. You know the guy. The rocking chair making knife guy.

Good to see you here Robert.
 
Man, if I knew you guys were this friendly I'd have joined a long time ago! Seriously, I'm having a lot of fun on this site, and really taking in all the WIP's of Master Bump, and will be looking at others also. I appreciate the kind words about the rocker. This month marked my 30th year making those chairs, and I think I finally know what I'm doing, almost. While woodworking has been a blast, it's been sort of rough on the old bones, so now I'm looking at 30 years enjoying bladesmithing. By then, I'll be
91, and may take up rock climbing, not sure quite yet.
Looking forward to getting to know those that I don't know, and to visiting with those that I do, even IG :eek:)
Robert
 
Back
Top