It is with great sadness that I relay the announcement that Barry Wood has passed. Barry passed at around 9:20 PM last night (March 17, 2014) in Colorado Springs, CO. Barry is survived by his daughter Sicily Irie and his son James Wood. Sincere sympathies and condolences go out to them at this time.

Barry B. Wood's interest in knives came about, in part, because of his love of the sea and sailing. Barry wanted to make a knife that was strong and could be opened with one hand.  He was an engineer and his engineering experience contributed to both his pattern designs and the designs and refinements of the interesting opening/closing mechanism that contributed to his notoriety and popularity. Because of his unique opening/closing mechanism, Barry's knives have been referred to by various names, such as "swinglock", "swivel knife", "rotating folder", "Wood lock" and others. Barry began making knives in his garage/workshop in Venice, CA, and he began selling knives in 1967. Barry's second shop was also in Venice and his last shop was in Colorado Springs. Barry's interesting folding knives attracted the attention of the folks at Colt Firearms, who commissioned him to produce the Colt Tuckaway Folder. Patterned after Barry's Mk.1, the "Tuckaway" remains the most unusual of Colt's knives. The "Tuckaway" was introduced in 1969 and production continued through 1978.

Barry was an innovator in the field of knifemaking. He experimented not only with pattern designs, but also with various handle and blade materials. I'm pretty sure that Barry Wood and Herman Schneider were the first knifemakers to use 154CM for blades. Barry used various blade materials, including VascoWear, and he also used various materials for handle plates, such as stainless steel, aluminum, Beryllium Copper, Silicon Bronze and Titanium. There exist several examples of some very cool knives that resulted form collaborations between Barry Wood and Bob Loveless and also between Barry and A.G. Russell. If imitation is a form of flattery, it should be noted that several production and limited production manufacturers have imitated Barry's knife designs ... several nearly to the point of outright counterfeiting. Barry was fortunate to find a great business partner in his son-in-law Mike Irie. Thanks to Mike, the availability and popularity of the unique knives increased.

I think that nearly every person who has had a Barry Wood knife will be able to relate one or more stories about them handing their knife to another person and asking them to "open" it. Besides the strength, integrity and beauty of a Barry Wood folder, that singular aspect ... how it opens ... is quite impressive. Rest in Peace Mr. Wood.