How far do you THINK you will go in your knife making adventure?

T.A.DAVISON

T.A.DAVISON

Slip Joint Knife Maker
Joined
Oct 24, 2005
Messages
5,477
How far will you go?

Will you just be a part time hobbyist? Or maybe a part time blade smith?

OR maybe a full time Master Smith?

It's taken me years of hard work to get to were I am at now.
And if you would of ask me the same questions above when I started? I would never have thought that I would be were I'm at now?

I'm posting this just to show you new guys how far you can go - IF! You don't give up......

I'm not an ABS Master Smith, but I do make knives full time and it is my only income.
The knife below goes to another knife maker and he is a pretty good knife maker at that. It's kind of humbling that another knife maker would want one of my knives?
Actually this makes number three for him. So I must be doing something right? :rolleyes::confused::)

The photo is not the best, but it gives you an idea of what the knife looks like.
Don't give up guys - you never know really how far you can go? ;)

Thanks for listening to my ramble - carry on........

TA


830AA.jpg





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Good question TAD. Many of us aspire to be where you're at.

As for me, I started this journey not sure where I wanted to get. Since then I've made 180 knives or so over nearly 4 years as a hobby maker. My immediate goal is to keep improving my knives, and to keep upgrading my equipment. That strategy alone (better knives, better equipt.) ought to get me somewhere. Won't rule out the Guild or the ABS, but not aspiring to that just yet.
 
I think that it will continue to be what it started as for me- A hobby that I don't expect to make money off of, and that acts as a way to spend time productively and a way to use any vestiges of artistic talent that God gave me. if it starts paying for itself, i will be pleased. if it doesn't, it won't be the first thing that hasn't.
 
Todd, I always look at your work and think of you as an artist. I commented in another thread of yours that you have the best nail nicks in the business. It's that attention to detail to puts you so high amongst your peers. I'm serious about that. I've seen so many beautiful slip joints only to be disappointed by some washed out slit called a nail nick. It's part of the knife and should be treated with equal importance. Your knife above is as good as an example as I could give. Keep up the good work. It's a priority of mine to own one of your swaybacks one day.

As for me. I'm doing what I can to learn and progress on this journey. The more I read and study edge geometry and the more I work on the grinder the better and better my grinds are getting. I try and stay out of most of the discussion here as I'm just a rookie with a dream at this point, but I'm working hard and my work keeps improving. For me its a hobby and a labor of love. I need something to take my mind off the stress of the day and when I'm not coaching youth football making knives fills that role for me. I have a plan of what I would like to see this grow into. A hobby where I can make a few extra dollars doing what I love and making the customer happy by giving them a hard working tool that they can own for years. When it came time to sell my first knife I struggled buying the "Knife Maker" status. I know I'm a poser compared to makers like yourself and the master smiths that frequent this place. This place is however is who I'm apprenticing under. It's all of you who continue to teach me as I head down this path.
 
I am very new to this and see it remaining a hobby.
The knives I have finished so far work well, but aren't too nice looking.
I have made one trade so far. I made a knife for a friend that is a leather worker and he made me a few sheaths in trade.
Maybe it'll become more.
 
Some very good replies - and I appreciate the compliments.

You want to know the secret to making great knives?

It's not the forums, equipment or who you know?


It's TIME .......

A lot of times (me included) you try and rush something, it turns out half a$$ so to speak?
If you SLOW down (even a new guy) and take your time, no cutting corners...... and really pay attention to the DETAIL you can make a master piece.......

Knife Making is one of the HARDEST things you can do. And it is one of the most REWARDING things you can do? So take your time and perfect your skills and you can become a master of the blade......

And one last thing -DON'T GIVE UP! - IT TAKES TIME! :D:thumbup:

TA
 
John L said:
Todd: I can't believe the ele ivory got there that fast!!!

John Lloyd
Click to expand...

We wish..... :D:rolleyes:

Those set of scales are from the maker that I made the knife for. Like I said the photo doesn't show them very well?

TA
 
Todd, your work work always shouts, QUALITY to me. I know it comes from commitment and attention to every detail and knowing what your doing, I am sure that is the correct path to having a following and being able to post a knife in the for sale area and have it snapped up.
 
This will almost certainly never become my day job. It may become more than a hobby someday... but for now, I'm just happy to have a creative outlet.
 
I don't plan on ever having two nickels of profit to rub together, but you never know. I am definitely in it for the long haul and like to think that one day I'll be able to start a thread like this one, of course it might take me a few lifetimes to come close to your work! Ramble well received.
 
I've been doing it for 25 years and aroud 6 full-time, it has been my dream for almost the whole time to be a full time knife and damascus maker.
As for your knives Todd, I wouldn't mind having one myself. I have always loved slipjoints, but I have never made one.
Del
 
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Its been a very long road, did I ever think it would be my full time job? No. I always said
I'd never want to do it full time-- I have no idea where that dumba$$ thinking came from
I love it! Yeah it takes a lot of time.
Ken.
 
Hmm, I dunno.
When I started I had visions of supply chaining a line of knives and having them made in-state and sold in-state in local shops.
ok, so we know THAT hasn't happened!
I've learned a TON over the last year and love it. It's my primary recreation at the moment.
As far as where it will go? I want the hobby to pay for its own materials. That's my current goal.
Beyond that? Yeah, I've got fantasies, but I'll keep those to myself for now. I have other skills that are much more marketable, so this will never be a full-time thing unless there's a Great Collapse. Besides, that might make it "work".

-Daizee
 
I intend to go as far as I can without burning out, this is probably one of the most expensive hobby's I've ever had, just short restoring cars.. I've only been at this now for a few months, I'm in a major learning curve but I am seeing major progress.. I only have done fixed blades and couldn't imagine doing a traditional folder as yours. You know you've arrived when you start doing that kind of work:D

I've been in construction my whole life and lets face it, the last couple years have been HORRIBLE for many of us, and the building trades have felt its impact tremendously.. Being self employed hasn't helped matters either.. Although I'm a newbie I have the bug, and I'd love to see that bug grow wings someday and fly, I personally would like to see myself as a full time knife maker aspiring ABS MS, and a part time hobbyist contractor :) in the next couple years, if not sooner... I used to love my career and still do, but its wearing on me... I'd like to reverse things....

take care,

robert
 
for me it depends on my space and time constraints. I would love to forge, and have gotten into a little bit of mokume, but I live in suburbia right now, and so I cant have a forge or large shop. Certainly no power hammer!
 
If I can make this hobby pay for itself, then I would be very happy. Turning a profit, and getting an MS stamp would be extremely nice.. but I am just going to keep doing it until I don't want to do it anymore (hopefully forever), and wherever it takes me, is where I should be :).
 
I intend to stay a hobbyist. I've turned several hobbies into small businesses in the past and I've learned that I can't simply do something like this without going overboard. Both hobbies that I turned into businesses burned me out after a while because I became obsessed with growing them and making more and more money from them. After a while they became jobs that I was tied to and didn't enjoy any more. I don't intend on letting that happen to knife making.

Like others have said, I just want to make enough to cover my expenses (which includes buying better machines) and give some away to make others happy. If I can do that, I'll consider this the only hobby I had that I made money from!!
 
I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. This is something that I have wanted to do for so very long. The feel of a piece of steel shaping under your hands and becoming what you envisioned it to be, is almost magical. I can definitely see why metalworkers were held in such high esteem in the past. I too have always wanted an artistic outlet. My mother is a successful artist in oil paints, and my father worked in wood for several years. It's so humbling and amazing to find that one special thing that I can do. I want to ride this train all the way to the top. Whether that happens or not, who knows, but I intend to continue growing in ability and skill. This has become the only hobby that I have. I feel honored and privileged to receive the help and wonderful comments that so many have sent my way, especially on my latest work. Thank all of you!!:thumbup::thumbup:
 
im all in too full time
imm jsut glad my Kelly puts up with me being a poor knife maker (i could not be happer )

i had planned this from day 3 (or was that year 3 ) i was on my gettting out of this crappy job plan and the plan was makin gknives ful time
boy gettign your name out there and making any kinde of $ was harder then i thought but worth every hour spent (and ther were a pile of hours and im still buildign )
 
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