Wood, Barry

Barry Wood's interest in knives came about 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 interesting folding knives attracted the attention of 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 passed away in 2014.