Alex Roy – Art, Science, and the Precision of Craft
My name is Alex Roy, and my story begins in a workshop—long before I knew what engineering was or that geometry could be both a tool and a muse. I’ve been working with metal in one form or another since I was five years old. What began as a childhood curiosity—measuring, shaping, joining—has evolved into a lifelong commitment and a full-time career. Today, I work as a mechanical engineer out of Manchester, NH, but my roots run deeper than any title. My workshop here is more than just a space for fabrication; it’s a sanctuary, a studio, and a laboratory all in one.
Before I ever earned a degree, I was already building tools, designing jigs and fixtures, and chasing the satisfaction that comes only from the perfect alignment of parts. I’ve always been drawn to the clarity of geometry—how lines, curves, and planes come together to form something both functional and elegant. For me, the technical and the artistic are not separate forces. They are intersecting sets in a single Venn diagram: discipline and imagination, precision and beauty, math and instinct.
Over the past five years, this overlap has found its purest expression in cutlery. I’m an avid cook, and the kitchen is another kind of workshop—a place where tools meet creativity. Designing and crafting knives allows me to marry my love for cooking with passion for metalwork. Each piece I create is an exploration in balance, proportion, and feel. It’s not just about sharpness—it’s about harmony. A well-made knife is an extension of the hand, a small sculpture that must also endure the rigors of daily life.
There is artistry in repetition, in mastering a process until the result is both consistent and deeply personal. There is beauty in measurement, in the way a .010″ here or a 1/16 there can change the entire character of a piece. I find peace and challenge in that space—where math becomes motion, and motion becomes meaning.
Handing a finished knife to someone—whether it’s a seasoned chef or a home cook—is one of the greatest joys of my work. It’s the moment when everything I love about engineering and artistry meets the hands of someone who will use that tool to nourish others. It’s functional art with purpose and soul.
This is the craft I’ve devoted my life to—not just making things, but making them well, with care, intention, and reverence for both form and function.
“A Simple Thing Done Well”