Lonesome Valley Knives

James Lewis Chaney has centered everything in his life on hunting or the outdoors. It only stands to reason that knife making would be natural. Spending close to 35 years in the automotive collision repair industry, he is no stranger to working with metal. Seeking to gift his father with a one of a kind birthday present, was the spark igniting the idea to make a knife, giving him something he couldn’t buy. After some study, old saw blades made the first two kitchen paring knives. The third was made from a bought piece of steel, which became the present for Dad. Jim later moved his family back to Arizona in the summer of 2011, this time north of Phoenix to Prescott Valley. Shortly after that Jim made contact with an old friend, John Toner from Continental Divide Knives. John is a knife maker with 25 years experience under his belt as a full time maker. With Jim’s desire to make knives and John’s willingness and ability to teach, it took little time for success to be achieved. Although techniques and products continue to evolve, John now spends less time teaching Jim and more time critiquing what is being produced. Following John’s advice blindly, he soon found all that was told to him came true. Along with help from friends and family the demand for Lonesome Valley Knives grew. It’s been quite amazing how a simple hobby has turned into an almost uncontrollable passion. .