How long does it take to make a custom knife?

RL

RL

Joined
Aug 24, 1999
Messages
2,286
Hi All,

I have three custom knives on order and I will have to wait several months for each one...so this got me thinking "how long does it actually take to make a knife from start to finish?" I realize that my waiting time is primarily driven by the huge number of orders that most top makers must fulfill and that times will vary according to method of production (forged/stock removal etc.), whether fixed or folder and probably another million variables but I'd like a ballpark as to the number of hours that go into the process.

Thanks,
RL

PS I'm not complaining but I can't deny that I'm anxious ;)
 
You are going to find that there are many different answers to your question. Some knives can be made in a few hours and some take a few days. You are right about the fact that most of the time that you wait for a knife is because of the backlog of orders.

I know how hard it is, but try to be patient. It will be worth it.
 
A few hours? Hmmm, I would have guessed a couple of days minimum.

My impatience aside, I'd love to hear replies from knifemakers.

Thanks,
RL
 
Sorry, I am not a maker and hopefully more will drop by to answer your question. There are makers that produce some pretty darn good knives for under $100.00. If you take the cost of materials, belts and other supplies needed to make the knife, you can see that if a maker wants to earn only $20.00 an hour for his time he must make the knife in 3 hours or less. I am sure that many makers out there are making knives for less than $20.00 an hour just to be competitive, but they shouldn't have to. This time may be spread out over a few days because of heat treat, but the actual time spent making the knife can't be more than a few hours.

This can be extended way out with the more difficult to make knives. Some makers forge their own damascus then make some very intricate designs and these knives can take days to complete. You will pay a high premium for such works of art.

There are many other types of knives that also take a long time to make, but believe me, many are made in just a few hours.
 
How long does it take to make a knife? I smile when I think of the question, there are many answers. My knives, no matter how many hours I put in the shop average about one week, and the 45 years it took me to get to the kind of knives I now make. There is also the time devoted to building up a supply of steel, handle material and equipment, most of which we have to make or fix. The knife is a wonderous thing, a man can enter, make one knife in a couple of hours and enjoy the same feeling of accomplishment that another could enjoy after putting a year into the development of his Excalibur. My accountant tells me that all things considered I may not quite achieve minimum wage, but if a knife maker sets his goals on the cash it brings in, he is missing what for me knife making is all about, living a life!
 
Hey Ed, I heard somewhere that you make about $2.00 an hour for the time that you spend making a knife. You must really love what you do.:)
 
hey~

when i make my blades i do it all ..
from forging & heat treating and embellishment .. and all the leatherwork .....

the last blade that i sold .. we figured it out yesterday that i got about 25c an hour from that blade.
due to the fact that it was damascus .. and a wooden hand carved sheath and on and on .....

working at a store here gives you about $13/hour or so..

it is for sure an eye opener when you actually see the figures..
now im looking at my workshop and trying to figure out how i can make things work quicker .. and what parts i have to really get better at so i can do them faster.

it generally takes me from a week -> 2 weeks to make a blade .. though i make them in lots of 3 - 5 ...
now i just have to get faster .. no wasting time.

thank god i dont have to sleep much
:D
i knew there was a reason i was created with insomnia.
oh, and before you ask .. there is no way that i am changing careers.

D.
 
Thanks Ed, that was great. I don't know that anyone could have put it any better or more simply.

When KMW speaks of making a knife in a few hours there's a fair amount of truth to that. And you can tell that he's not a knifemaker without his own admission :) But cranking knives out in that short of time requires quite a bit of coordinated effort and to my way of thinking, patterns, jigs, milling machines and prefabbed parts. Now, that's just one knifemakers opinion and comes from a lack of experience in the 'make a knife in a few hours' department. The knives I make, or more accurately, forge, in that short of time are usually gifts for visitors. Results from on the spot demo's for folks just wanting to see what this forging thing is all about. And I've made a great many of that type. They're good, useable knives, and great experience for me, but they come with the right price tag too. Free.

Like Ed said, it takes him about a week to complete a knife from start to finish. That's about where I'm at but most likely for different reasons. I'm just slower than most. And I'm about the most bass akward business man in the knifemaking world I'm sure. I don't worry about computing my $$/hour pay. For me, it's a matter of not just bringing in the cash, but winding up with the best knife for my customer's $$. That's the bottom line for me. Now I may eventually go bankrupt with that attitude, but that's my business and if that's the way it goes, so be it. When you choose knifemaking as a career, it's not just another business. Far from it. It's a journey that will last a lifetime. It's not just about dollars and cents. It's like Ed said:

"My accountant tells me that all things considered I may not quite achieve minimum wage, but if a knife maker sets his goals on the cash it brings in, he is missing what for me knife making is all about, living a life!"

How long does it take to make a knife? That's kind of like asking how long it takes to learn how to make knives. It's different for each individual. As far as waiting for a custom knife, there's one thing I'm sure of. It's worth the wait if it's worth having in the first place. Be patient, stay in contact with your makers and give them time to do the best job they can for you. It will make your buying experience much more rewarding. Patience is a virtue worth cultivating. If you need to learn patience, just go ahead and place an order with me. I'm a good teacher :D
 
Hi All,

Thanks for your replies....

Very interesting...I never really thought about dividing the price out into an hourly wage...I suppose the price (after you account for the material) could serve as a rule of thumb for how long it took to make the knife.

Dementia, you raise a good point...do most knifemakers make one knife at a time or do they make them in batches?

Thanks,
RL
 
RL~
once again that would depend on the maker in question.

for me i do not like to do more than a few blades at one time .. because i want to keep the feel of the blades i am doing...
if i do too many at one given time .. i end up with a greater chance of making a mistake ..
this is my opinion at least.
i like to give each blade the time and attention i think it needs.

but i know that many makers make blades in big batches ..
one maker friend of mine makes them in batches of 12.
and because he sends them away to get heat-treated he has figured out that by the time the batch of 12 he has sent gets back to him.. he would have had the other 12 ready to send ...
and then he can keep working on the newly hardened ones.

each to his (or her) own i guess.

D.
 
I used to do batch work all the time. 16 hours a day. But the flour kept making me sneeze so I gave up donut making and went back to school. I had quit school to follow my dream of being a full time donut maker. Didn't work out too well. Hell, I won't even work 16 hours a day now and I'm supposed to be mature (I've decided not to kill myself making a living). It don't work for me making knives in batches but it sure was a good deal with them donuts! Come 5:00 AM I was THE MAN! :D
 
Depending on the blade and steel, I'd guess it takes me anywhere from a day for a simple hunter to a week for something really exotic or a sword.

There is a surprising amount of overhead in this business though, even the time spent on the internet is part of that. You're always learning new methods and tricks, trying out new designs not all of which work, fixing things, ordering stuff, occassionally picking up a broom (not too often), paying bills, answering the phone, and the biggest overhead item of all - fixing your mistakes!

And it's all just practice, practice, practice for that one special knife you'll never ever make - the one that's perfect.
 
Its the broomwork that gets me every time...my workshop resembles the aftermath of a dust storm!:eek: :rolleyes: :)
 
Hi Al,

WOW, I'm such a big fan of your work! (almost bought an Urban Kukri last year...finances held me back...but it WILL be mine :D)

Can you tell me a little bit about your new Broadarrow (blade length, material etc.)?

Also, do you have a website?

Oh, and how long is the wait for one of your knives ;)

RL
 
not to start a flame war here...but recently at the NY show i was introduced to a very well known maker...who was very proud of himself that he could make a knife very quickly...one piece in particular he picked up and asked how long do you think it took me to make this knife?...it would take me... prob the better part of a day...he answered...20 mins:eek: but mind you this man has been making knives for years...and im sure speed come with excessive repetition, and his work is simply awesome, from fixed blades,to folders super fit and finish,a true professional, this man has paid his dues!
 
Clever is the concept that is often the difference between success and falure in any proffession.

My feeling on this subject is that part of being a successful knifemaker is streamlining your process to the point where your NOT working for peanuts..... At the same time turning out reasonably priced, HAND MADE knives. I feel that the more CLEVER a knifemaker is, the more profitable their process will become. At the same time, this will show in the craftsmanship of the knives. I don't think any maker can work very well while being stressed out by income, bills and money, etc.

Over the past year or so, I've had to change many aspects of my knifemaking in order to keep it afloat!! Among other things, I've had my folder "program" on hold so many times that it's become sort of a joke. I just can't stop everything in my shop for the time it would talke to get that process up and running EFFICIENTLY. Little by little, I make fixtures, add machinery and buy tooling. At some point I will be ready. It's already been almost two years, what's another year :)

OK, back to the original question. I NEVER work on one knife at a time from start to finish. If I did this, I WOULD be working for PEANUTS!! Breaking down hours per knife, my Small Hunters and Tacticals take between 3-5 hours. Fancier models like my Grifters and American Ninjas take anywhere from 5-10 hours. I allow 1.5 hours for each Kydex sheath. As many makers will probably agree, the last 15 minutes before packing the knife for shipment can sometimes take 3 or MORE HOURS!!:mad:

My wife who has worked as a scheduler for several manufacturing companies has done some much appreciated time studies for me. As Jerry mentiond above, we figure it takes ALMOST as much time to sell each knife as it does to make it. When I say selling, I'm including time spent responding to Email inquiries, order entry, photography, photo prep, website changes and updates, packing, shipping and travel to the post office. My situation in this regard is probably much different than most makers because I don't do shows....but you get the idea!!

I hope this made some sense?? I'm a better knifemaker than writer of business theory:eek:
 
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