For nearly thirty years, Michael Martin worked as a CNC machinist for a contract manufacturer, producing precision-machined components for customers across numerous industries. Among those customers were some of the most recognizable names in the knife world, including Masters of Defense, Blackhawk, and Microtech. Martin has recalled that during one three-year period alone, his employer manufactured more than 40,000 knives for Masters of Defense, giving him an education in modern knife manufacturing long before he ever considered building one under his own name.

That experience proved invaluable because it exposed him to every stage of precision manufacturing. Rather than approaching knives as a bladesmith working at an anvil, Martin approached them as a machinist who understood tolerances, fixtures, tooling, CAD drafting, CNC programming, heat treatment, and quality control. Throughout those years, he machined everything from military components and aircraft parts, including assemblies related to the F-22 Raptor, to countless commercial products, developing a mindset centered on repeatable precision and continuous improvement.

Eventually, the desire to build something of his own became too strong to ignore. Around 2017, Martin purchased a CNC mill, surface grinder, heat-treating equipment, and the other machinery necessary to begin making knives in a modest 700-square-foot shop behind his North Carolina home. Unlike many makers who begin with forged blades or handmade fixed blades, Martin jumped directly into designing and manufacturing a modern folding knife, a far more mechanically complex undertaking. Every part, from the blade and liners to the backspacer, pocket clip, pivots, and even the CAD drawings themselves, would be created in-house. Only a handful of components, such as bearings, detent balls, and screws, were sourced elsewhere, and Martin made a point of buying American-made hardware whenever possible so the finished knife would remain genuinely American-made.

As demand increased, Martin continued operating from the small shop behind his home, adding machinery only when production required it. Every new CNC machine was purchased outright instead of financed, allowing the company to keep overhead remarkably low. That approach also reflected another of Martin's core beliefs: build an American-made knife that ordinary enthusiasts could realistically afford. He has often remarked that while he could likely charge significantly more for his knives, he preferred keeping them within reach of working knife users rather than chasing luxury pricing.

Throughout those early years, the company remained very much a family business. Martin's wife initially helped assemble knives around the kitchen table after work while maintaining a sixteen-year career as a financial advisor. As demand continued to climb, she eventually left that career to join American Blade Works full-time, operating CNC machines, producing parts, handling business operations, and assembling knives alongside her husband. What had begun as one machinist's side project gradually became a husband-and-wife manufacturing operation capable of producing between 150 and 200 knives each month.

Perhaps more than anything else, American Blade Works demonstrates how modern American knife manufacturing can succeed without sacrificing craftsmanship. Michael Martin did not build his reputation through elaborate marketing campaigns or limited-edition hype. Instead, he relied on decades of manufacturing experience, a willingness to accept criticism, and an unwavering commitment to making each production run slightly better than the last. What began with twelve knives in a small workshop behind his home has grown into one of the most respected names in American small-batch production knives.