A masterful Man of steel

If you order a handmade chef's knife from master bladesmith Bob Kramer, you might receive it in time for Christmas — in 2010.

He has a backlog.

But it takes at least four days to make one large knife, and will cost $200 per inch.

Using modern equipment in his nondescript 50-foot-by-50-foot Olympia facility, he adapts 1,200 years of knife-making tradition from the Persians, Indonesians, Celts and Japanese.

His pieces are purchased by "aficionados, professionals and collectors."

By the time he's done forging, extending and grinding the metal, the chef's knife will be 1,800 layers. That's what makes for strength — and for the intricate pattern.

"It cuts like crazy," says Kramer, who began making knives after taking a class in 1992 from another master in Arkansas.

Kramer's knives are so strong and sharp they can cut steel when the blade is pounded with a heavy hammer — but that would be not be a good use for a finely crafted knife costing between $1,600 and $2,000.

More on Kramer's knives: www.kramerknives.com