Francis has worked since 1969 on just about anything with a blade. From Japanese, Chinese, Mongolian, and European short and long swords, to pocketknives and more. Francis has made them or restored them at one time or another.

From the very beginning he was never satisfied with just making a blade that worked. He always wanted to know why and how it worked, and what could make it work better. He studied many aspects of metallurgy to gain an understanding of what went on "inside" the metal and what would make it better at doing its expected task. Francis has always held the belief that a cutting tool should be built to do its job first. Even though his blades are beautiful to look at, it is not at the expense of the quality of the construction.

Because of his long-term interest in metallurgy and an ever-increasing knowledge of blade construction, Francis is now able to look at most blades that are in good condition and determine how they were constructed. Even more important is that he has the skills to re-create these swords in his own forge, or make one entirely of his own design.

Far from being just a blade smith, Francis has also been trained in the arts of kodogu (fittings); soft metal work; saya, tsuka, and horn work (koshirae); painting (usually lacquer); and handle wrapping. He has honed his skills over the years by working on many different types of swords, and is familiar with many historical periods of different countries, and the styles of swords and fittings for each.

Francis Boyd is certainly one of the few sword smiths in the world today that can build a high quality, traditionally made Japanese sword from scratch. From the finished blade, to the kodogu, to the koshirae, he has the skills and expertise to turn out a beautiful, unique, and highly functional sword.

Well that's not totally true... he doesn't weave the silk for the handle wrap!