Australian Knifemakers Guild

Joining the Australian Knifemakers Guild

Joining The Australian Knifemakers Guild is part of your knife making journey. Membership demonstrates that you have reached a degree of proficiency and quality as adjudged by your experienced knife making peers. Full voting membership is recognition of both your achievements and your commitment to furthering your knife making goals.

It is important to note that Full Membership offers the option of liability insurance as part of its package. This is becoming more and more important, especially if you’re intending to display and sell at one of the knife shows around Australia.

Types of Membership

There are a number of memberships levels available;

Probationary Membership

Probationary membership is intended for those new makers wishing to progress and become full voting members of the Guild. Before being accepted as a probationary member new makers must submit three knives to their State Representative for appraisal. These are rated against a set of criteria. The applicant needs to pass ten of the twenty criteria for each of the three knives to be accepted. Upon receipt of the application and State Representative’s appraisal, the Guild Committee will vote on the application at the first available Committee meeting. 

Twelve months later a further three knives must be submitted for appraisal. The probationary member must achieve a score of eighteen out of twenty for each of the three knives. Their application for admission to full membership is then voted on by The Committee at the next available Committee meeting.

For makers who do not wish to pursue full membership but still wish to enjoy the benefits of membership, Associate membership may be a more attractive option. If you are interested in becoming a Probationary member please contact the secretary for further information.

See this document for a breakdown of the judging criteria applied by the State Representative. 

Press this link to find the forms you need

Full Member

Full membership is available to makers who have completed twelve months of probationary membership and demonstrated a level of proficiency over that time in either stock removal or forging by submitting another three knives for final assessment by a State Representative. 

Full membership allows the maker to vote in Guild Meetings. 

Press this link to find the forms you need

Youth Members

Youth members, aged between fourteen and eighteen years old are allowed to join under the supervision of a guardian or parent who is a member of The Guild in any category. A youth member must meet the proficiency requirements of a standard probationary member. Youth members must have their guardian or parent member in active supervision to be able to display or sell at a Guild event. Youth membership will transfer to full membership once they have reached the age of eighteen and have been a member for twelve months and have demonstrated a suitable standard of proficiency.

Press this link to find the forms you need

Life Members

Those members recognised by the general membership to have shown a sustained, long term commitment to The Guild and knife making within Australia. They are nominated and voted for by a three quarters majority of financial members present at the Annual General Meeting of The Guild. Life Members have the same rights as Full Members but not the financial requirements.

Corporate Members

Membership is available to organisations, museums, institutions, schools and colleges, and private firms. These members have the same rights as full membes except the right to vote. 

Overseas Members

Membership is open to any person residing outside of Australia who has the same interest in the craft of knifemaking as local members. Overseas members have the same rights as full members except the right to vote.

Honorary Members

Honorary membership may be conferred on any person upon the unanimous vote of The Guild Committee for no longer than one year. If a person is voted to honorary membership for longer than one year, that vote must be approved and carried at an Annual General Meeting.

Associate Membership

Associate membership is open to knife collectors, engravers, or any person with an interest in custom made knives. Associate members have the same rights as full members except the right to vote. Associate members must not make knives for commercial purposes including teaching. General associate members who make knives for commercial purposes must apply for probationary membership within 30 days. 

A general path to membership

A general path to membership would involve; applying for probationary membership via the forms, payment of a fee, the submission of three knives for assessment by a State Representative. This is then followed twelve months later by applying for full membership, filling in the forms and paying the fee, then submitting three more knives for assessment by the State Representative. The Guild Committee will then vote on the full membership application. 

The appropriate forms are available on the forms page by pressing this link