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<p>Growing up watching video games, and becoming increasingly fascinated by the weapons and sharp objects often featured in it, Jane Lee spent years in the corporate world before becoming a full-time knifemaker.</p>
<p>Lee, 29, now crafts custom cutlery under her brand &#8216;The Quiet Forge&#8217;.</p>
<p>Learning from master artisans in Malaysia, Lee has perfected a range of knives, from petty knives to nakiri and kiritsuke.</p>
<p>She ensures every blade is of top quality, paying special attention to the steel as well as the handle and overall aesthetic design.</p>
<p>FMT Lifestyle went behind the scenes at Lee&#8217;s workshop to see her work her magic.</p>
<p><strong>Follow ‘The Quiet Forge’ on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thequietforge/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color: #ff0000;">Instagram </span></a></strong></p>
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		</style><div class="robo-gallery-wrap robo-gallery-wrap-id3249752 robo-gallery-" ><div id="rbs_gallery_696c37ba91b23-block-loader" class="rbs_gallery_696c37ba91b23Spinner"><div class="rbs_gallery_696c37ba91b23Rect1"></div> <div class="rbs_gallery_696c37ba91b23Rect2"></div> <div class="rbs_gallery_696c37ba91b23Rect3"></div> <div class="rbs_gallery_696c37ba91b23Rect4"></div> <div class="rbs_gallery_696c37ba91b23Rect5"></div></div><div id="robo_gallery_main_block_rbs_gallery_696c37ba91b23" class="robogallery-gallery-3249752" style="width:100%;margin:0 auto;  display: none;"><div id="rbs_gallery_696c37ba91b23" data-options="rbs_gallery_696c37ba91b23" style="width:100%;" class="robo_gallery  "><div class="rbs-img  category3249752 " ><div class="rbs-img-image   rbs-lightbox "  data-descbox="Jane Lee comes into her workshop every day to work on custom knife orders." ><div class="rbs-img-thumbs"  data-thumbnail="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/831dca2b-1-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="1 The Quiet Forge"  data-width="1600"  data-height="1000" ></div><div class="rbs-img-data-popup"  data-popup="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/831dca2b-1-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="1 The Quiet Forge"  data-alt="The Quiet Forge" ></div><div class="thumbnail-overlay"><div class="rbsIcons"><i class="fa fa-search-plus rbsZoomIcon " ></i></div></div></div><div class="rbs-img-content">Jane Lee comes into her workshop every day to work on custom knife orders.</div></div><div class="rbs-img  category3249752 " ><div class="rbs-img-image   rbs-lightbox "  data-descbox="She begins by carefully sketching the intended shape of the blade." ><div class="rbs-img-thumbs"  data-thumbnail="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/acfb9b8f-2-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="2 The Quiet Forge"  data-width="1600"  data-height="1000" ></div><div class="rbs-img-data-popup"  data-popup="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/acfb9b8f-2-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="2 The Quiet Forge"  data-alt="The Quiet Forge" ></div><div class="thumbnail-overlay"><div class="rbsIcons"><i class="fa fa-search-plus rbsZoomIcon " ></i></div></div></div><div class="rbs-img-content">She begins by carefully sketching the intended shape of the blade.</div></div><div class="rbs-img  category3249752 " ><div class="rbs-img-image   rbs-lightbox "  data-descbox="Every Japanese knife she crafts is made with Swedish stainless steel." ><div class="rbs-img-thumbs"  data-thumbnail="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/7588dd6d-3-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="3 The Quiet Forge"  data-width="1600"  data-height="1000" ></div><div class="rbs-img-data-popup"  data-popup="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/7588dd6d-3-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="3 The Quiet Forge"  data-alt="The Quiet Forge" ></div><div class="thumbnail-overlay"><div class="rbsIcons"><i class="fa fa-search-plus rbsZoomIcon " ></i></div></div></div><div class="rbs-img-content">Every Japanese knife she crafts is made with Swedish stainless steel.</div></div><div class="rbs-img  category3249752 " ><div class="rbs-img-image   rbs-lightbox "  data-descbox="A belt grinder is used to shape a flat piece of steel into the knife’s intended form." ><div class="rbs-img-thumbs"  data-thumbnail="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2186844f-4-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="4 The Quiet Forge"  data-width="1600"  data-height="1000" ></div><div class="rbs-img-data-popup"  data-popup="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2186844f-4-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="4 The Quiet Forge"  data-alt="The Quiet Forge" ></div><div class="thumbnail-overlay"><div class="rbsIcons"><i class="fa fa-search-plus rbsZoomIcon " ></i></div></div></div><div class="rbs-img-content">A belt grinder is used to shape a flat piece of steel into the knife’s intended form.</div></div><div class="rbs-img  category3249752 " ><div class="rbs-img-image   rbs-lightbox "  data-descbox="The blade is heated at the tang before being fitted into the wooden handle." ><div class="rbs-img-thumbs"  data-thumbnail="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/d5d602af-5-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="5 The Quiet Forge"  data-width="1600"  data-height="1000" ></div><div class="rbs-img-data-popup"  data-popup="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/d5d602af-5-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="5 The Quiet Forge"  data-alt="The Quiet Forge" ></div><div class="thumbnail-overlay"><div class="rbsIcons"><i class="fa fa-search-plus rbsZoomIcon " ></i></div></div></div><div class="rbs-img-content">The blade is heated at the tang before being fitted into the wooden handle.</div></div><div class="rbs-img  category3249752 " ><div class="rbs-img-image   rbs-lightbox "  data-descbox="Every knife handle is individually designed. It is made from wood stabilised with resin in a vacuum chamber." ><div class="rbs-img-thumbs"  data-thumbnail="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/4e0cc048-6-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="6 The Quiet Forge"  data-width="1600"  data-height="1000" ></div><div class="rbs-img-data-popup"  data-popup="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/4e0cc048-6-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="6 The Quiet Forge"  data-alt="The Quiet Forge" ></div><div class="thumbnail-overlay"><div class="rbsIcons"><i class="fa fa-search-plus rbsZoomIcon " ></i></div></div></div><div class="rbs-img-content">Every knife handle is individually designed. It is made from wood stabilised with resin in a vacuum chamber.</div></div><div class="rbs-img  category3249752 " ><div class="rbs-img-image   rbs-lightbox "  data-descbox="Lee is particular about ergonomics, making sure every knife handle fits its user’s hand like a glove." ><div class="rbs-img-thumbs"  data-thumbnail="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/8159c567-7-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="7 The Quiet Forge"  data-width="1600"  data-height="1000" ></div><div class="rbs-img-data-popup"  data-popup="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/8159c567-7-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="7 The Quiet Forge"  data-alt="The Quiet Forge" ></div><div class="thumbnail-overlay"><div class="rbsIcons"><i class="fa fa-search-plus rbsZoomIcon " ></i></div></div></div><div class="rbs-img-content">Lee is particular about ergonomics, making sure every knife handle fits its user’s hand like a glove.</div></div><div class="rbs-img  category3249752 " ><div class="rbs-img-image   rbs-lightbox "  data-descbox="After years in software engineering, Lee pursued her passion of knifemaking to escape burnout." ><div class="rbs-img-thumbs"  data-thumbnail="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ba910f83-8-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="8 The Quiet Forge"  data-width="1600"  data-height="1000" ></div><div class="rbs-img-data-popup"  data-popup="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ba910f83-8-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="8 The Quiet Forge"  data-alt="The Quiet Forge" ></div><div class="thumbnail-overlay"><div class="rbsIcons"><i class="fa fa-search-plus rbsZoomIcon " ></i></div></div></div><div class="rbs-img-content">After years in software engineering, Lee pursued her passion of knifemaking to escape burnout.</div></div><div class="rbs-img  category3249752 " ><div class="rbs-img-image   rbs-lightbox "  data-descbox="Lee started by learning keris-making from a master in Johor." ><div class="rbs-img-thumbs"  data-thumbnail="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/cfb05f86-9-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="9 The Quiet Forge"  data-width="1600"  data-height="1000" ></div><div class="rbs-img-data-popup"  data-popup="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/cfb05f86-9-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="9 The Quiet Forge"  data-alt="The Quiet Forge" ></div><div class="thumbnail-overlay"><div class="rbsIcons"><i class="fa fa-search-plus rbsZoomIcon " ></i></div></div></div><div class="rbs-img-content">Lee started by learning keris-making from a master in Johor.</div></div><div class="rbs-img  category3249752 " ><div class="rbs-img-image   rbs-lightbox "  data-descbox="Lee began making knives in early 2024, going full-time soon after with her brand, ‘The Quiet Forge’." ><div class="rbs-img-thumbs"  data-thumbnail="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/1cbc1049-10-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="10 The Quiet Forge"  data-width="1600"  data-height="1000" ></div><div class="rbs-img-data-popup"  data-popup="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/1cbc1049-10-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="10 The Quiet Forge"  data-alt="The Quiet Forge" ></div><div class="thumbnail-overlay"><div class="rbsIcons"><i class="fa fa-search-plus rbsZoomIcon " ></i></div></div></div><div class="rbs-img-content">Lee began making knives in early 2024, going full-time soon after with her brand, ‘The Quiet Forge’.</div></div><div class="rbs-img  category3249752 " ><div class="rbs-img-image   rbs-lightbox "  data-descbox="From petty knives to nakiri and kiritsuke (left to right), Lee ensures every blade she crafts is of top quality." ><div class="rbs-img-thumbs"  data-thumbnail="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/c8a138c2-11-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="11 The Quiet Forge"  data-width="1600"  data-height="1000" ></div><div class="rbs-img-data-popup"  data-popup="https://media.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/c8a138c2-11-the-quiet-forge.webp"  title="11 The Quiet Forge"  data-alt="The Quiet Forge" ></div><div class="thumbnail-overlay"><div class="rbsIcons"><i class="fa fa-search-plus rbsZoomIcon " ></i></div></div></div><div class="rbs-img-content">From petty knives to nakiri and kiritsuke (left to right), Lee ensures every blade she crafts is of top quality.</div></div></div></div></div><script>var rbs_gallery_696c37ba91b23 = 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Jane Lee turns raw steel into precision Japanese knives

Leaving her software engineering job after experiencing burnout, Jane Lee now forges exquisite custom Japanese knives for a living.

craft

Cutlery

Knifemaker

knives

The Quiet Forge