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Can you make a living making knives?

P

Paneb

Joined
Feb 12, 2006
Messages
4
I would love to be a full time knife maker. Is it possible for a custom knife maker to make a living?

Thanks for any replies! :)
-Paneb
 
There are many many knifemakers, only a very few actualy make a living at it. Most need to keep their day jobs but it is possible if you work hard and build a customer base. Offer good quality reasonable prices. If you can find a niche then all the better. it can take more than a few years of scraping by until you are able to say you are truely full time.

Chuck
 
I guess it all would depend on what you consider making a living?

I would take a wild guess that about 20% of the knifemakers make 80% of the money and 80% of the makers take their piece of the remaining 80%.
Most makers aren't fulltime, many of the fulltime makers have other sources of income. So it may be a good idea not to quit your day job.

If you're just starting out the first couple of years you're going to be putting most of your knifemaking income into building your shop. You're going to have to start building your name and reputation; advertising, website, tables at shows. They all take time and money.

I would say it would be very hard for most to make a living at making knives.There are exceptions, but not many.
 
I'm not a business man, but I'd say maybe it'd be easier to be a full-stime maker, but not necessarily a custom maker. Offer designs that you know you can do with consistent quality at a quick pace, give 'em a fancy model name and sell those cheaper then most custom pieces while keeping the quality at the same level. That idea's closer to trying to become a production company, and I bet Sal Glesser and Ernie Emerson have a much bigger income then your average full time custom maker. Offering one of a kind or limted edition knives would always be an option to challenge yourself and add variety to your work.
 
Not to throw a blanket on your dreams,but most full time makers start off as part timers.As they develop a trade and a following,they move into full time work.I see you are a student,so I would suggest some study work.
Take lots of business courses - many full timers fail not because they were bad makers,but because the were bad businessmen.
Study and read EVERYTHING on knives and knife making you can.Even take the ABS course at Washington,Ark.
Start small ,with 2-3 shows a year and see what sells.Develop your distinctive style and trade before jumping in the deep end of the pool.
Most of all - HAVE FUN - There is nothing worse than being in a job you hate to do.

As a addendum,remember that when you are self employed,you need to make about 30-50% more than you figure as a salary.This is to cover the additional taxes,Social Security,insurance,overhead,materials,accounting, etc.
Also there is a considerable outlay for the equipment necessary to run a full time shop (I isn't done on a $50 budget).
Stacy
 
How long does it take you to make a knife. How much can sell that knife for? Once taxes, administration, and other costs are in do you consider that a fair wage?

If you are still wondering after that caculation, start figuring the marketing aspects (time and cost) of keeping you busy full time.

Do your business plan. Then Decide.

Lastly, be careful what you ask for. You might get it.

Rob!
 
My plan is to do what I went to college for, and do the knifemaking thing part time for the extra cash. A person could make some nice extra money as a part time knifemaker. Like keep your good day job, and come home and relax by doing somethin you really love, and use the money you make from that to buy toys :D

Good working grade handmade knives that arent too fancy go for a couple hundred bucks on here every day. Knives that cost you about 20 bucks in material, and a bit of your time. I believe the only limitation to moneymaking potential is your production rate.
 
Sure it's possible. Many people do it full time but it's not easy. Do it because you love it and not for the money.
 
raylaconico said:
Sure it's possible. Many people do it full time but it's not easy. Do it because you love it and not for the money.
Click to expand...

This statement quite accurately describes my last 18 months. I was a part-timer for a lot of years then decided (after getting fired from a full-time position) to go for it. I was fairly successful for about a year and then the last 6 months have been hell.

My tapper business dropped off to a trickle of requests. My health faded rapidly. Things looked bleak. I now work at Sylvania making %$@-ing lightbulbs. :grumpy: Ah wtf... its a job... pay is good too. :jerkit:

I say if you are truly dedicated, talented, and crazy, you will succeed as a full-time maker. My major problem was and still is the "inner artist." Do you realize how hard it is to make something because you HAVE TO... not because you WANT TO? Oh my God, it was a nightmare. I felt that every danged knife I made and sold was a part of me, and that with every sale I lost a little piece of my soul. Is that just crazy-talk? I dunno. It got to the point that I would do anythng to avoid going into the shop.

Custom knives are great, and I will always be a knifemaker, but I will most-likely never make them for anything other than a few additional dollars here and there.

Not to rain on the parade, as Stacy said, but I think you got to have a lot of money, a lot of determination, and FULL SUPPORT from your wife and kin. If you got to rough it out yourself, you had better think again.

Remember this: We will always be here for ya. :rolleyes: Serious. Give yourself some time. There are a lot of my friends on this board who make fantastic knives, yet they have diversified income streams.
 
It's a lot easier if you don't live in a major city -where cost of living, rent, mortgage, etc. are so ridiculously high that it wouldn't be possible.

I personally wouldn't recommend it.

Better to be a part-timer first and see how it goes. Good luck.
 
Few more things to consider:

- as you find your niche, it be become more clear how and what amount of money you can make. Will it be crazy mosaic damascus museum-piece (see Darum's books) or a "simpler" hunter. If you learn how to engrave, that is another bonus, IMO.

- dont let "I just got this kind-of-similar looking knife for $5 at a fair" and "look at this German-steel 12 piece $20 kitchen set on Amazon" people get you down. Avoid people with this mentality like plague, they will never become your customers

- most importantly, have fun. With this hobby, there's never a dull moment !
 
i hate to keep track of my hrs into a knife, because it ends up being like 4-6 bucks an hr. my folder im working on right now has around 20hrs into it and i still need to do the heat treat. but like most of the makers we do it because we love it
 
First, marry a woman with a good job. Secondly, if that isn't possible, then work at a job for 30 years or more, retire, then make knives full time.

Actually, it is quite possible but it isn't as easy as it would appear. Plan on putting in 12 to 16 hour days, handling customers, paying bills, ordering supplies, keeping receipts, attending shows, joining the knifemaking organizations, network with other makers, get pictures made, go to Atlanta once a year, filing taxes, worry about health insurance, paying social security, etc.

Remember, making knives is only one of the talents required, selling them is another. The "name" makers not only know how to make a knife, they also know how to sell them. Selling is more than the gift of gab...you are also selling yourself.

JHiggins absolutely hit the nail on the head. It is not an easy task being self employed, each and every knife that leaves the shop takes a part of you with it.

Me? I have a good day job that I thoroughly enjoy. It is where I want to be right now. I am nothing more than a part time maker that enjoys making what I want to make AND I can tinker when I want. Full time? Not much room for the "inner artist".

To do it, it takes a given amount of passion...some have it, some don't. Only you can answer that question.

Craig
 
I probably do not deserve to post an answer to your question since I have never completed a knife, but your question hit a nerve with me. I dream of making a living making knives. Right now, I still dream of making my first knife that I am proud to show someone and say 'I made this'. I have gotten 17 to the point where they would need heat treating, but I have not taken that step yet. I am still working for the one that I believe is worth taking to the next level and getting heat treated and finishing. I believe that I will get there. I dream of making a knife that I can look at and not believe that I could have made something so beautiful. I hope to sell one someday. First I need to make one that I can truly be proud of. I believe that if I keep trying, I wll get there. First, I need to make some that I really like and am willing to sell. I am not young anymore, so I may not last long enough to become good enough to ever make money from making knives. I need to make knives that I am proud to say that I made. If I ever get to that level, I will continue and see what happens. Whatever happens, I will enjoy the trip. I love the time that I get to spend working toward seeing my dream come true. If I never make a penny from making knives, I will have enjoyed every minue I spent working on my dream. If I ever get my first knife finished to my satisfaction, I will give it to my son. Any after that will be gravy.

I hope that you can get to where you want to be. Others have made it. So can you. Good Luck.
 
I make knives because I love to make knives. If it ever becomes a business then I will quit. For me there is no better way to ruin an enjoyable pastime then to make it a business. I say that with all due respect to the full time makers here. That is just me in my own situation and each to there own. I know the full time makers love what they do and they do an amazing job of making beautiful and functional knives. And if they can make a living as a full time knifemakers then they are also the best businessmen(ladies) in the world. I have nothing but respect and admiration for a full time knifemaker. The best at what they do in any other field are celebrities often seen on television talkin about their craft. The best knifemaker in North America is mostly unknown to the general public and an everyday joe that you can talk to at any knife show any time. I wouldn't want it to make a living but good for them that can.
 
I am full time again. Its not an easy life though. I truly love my job but still need a manager. There is way more to this business than making knives. I think that if a person could just stay in the shop and work a full 10-12 hr. day, 6 days per week and let somebody sell them for him, it would work out best. Of course they have to be good knives! I found my own niche with the cutnshoots and am getting really busy there but if you look around at the shows there are way too many knives not sold on the tables. The big name makers are in demand but they are few compared to the growing number of makers now. My advice is to make them for a hobby and when they sell take the little lady for a vacation somewhere nice.
 
I'm pretty much fulltime but still work my regular job leaving early from there most of the time. Like Roger said, 7 days week. There is alot more to running a knife business then just making the knives. You have to find a niche or market area you want to sell to. I've been in the knife business almost 10 years and have learned alot the hard way. Customer service and communication are paramount. You need to develop a style or a way of making your knives you feel comfortable doing. Don't try doing it all. It will lead to frustration. Take it one step at a time and if it's meant to be it will happen.
Scott
 
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