How Long Does It Take to Make a Knife?

Peter Atwood

Peter Atwood

Joined
Oct 26, 2000
Messages
2,468
Curious how long it takes, once you have a pattern to complete a folder or fixed blade. I'm looking for details like Day1- grind profile and rough out blade, Day2 heat treat, Day3 asssemble, etc.

Can you complete a knife start to finish in one day? What is the quickest, what is the slowest?

I decided to make a couple of silly little neck knives yesterday just so that I could actually complete something and also to practice my grinding. The first one came out OK and I even made a primitive kydex sheath for it. The second one is a little more ambitious and will take me a couple of days. Grinding is definitely much easier now that I have a rubber contact wheel!


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Peter Atwood

email:fountainman@hotmail.com
 
Good luck on that answer. It depends on the knife, steel, your equipment, your skill, luck, etc, etc.

I'm far from a professional but I have never built a good knife in a day. Mine generally co weeks and I have one that's at the 8 month stage.

An average I guess would be about 4 days if I worked on it a little each day.
 
Too darn long!
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Actually, it all depends on the pace you work at, the experience you have, the machinery you have, how complex the knife is, and how often the phone rings!

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Tom Anderson
Hand Crafted Knives
 
Peter is right, it depends on lots of things. More importantly, I think, it depends on how long you've been making knives and how proficient you are with the processes, i.e. forging, grinding or filing, whether you can get a guard filed to fit perfectly the first time, etc. I still consider myself a rank beginner but I seem to pick up skills fairly easily. Still, making a knife probably takes me 4 or 5 times longer than what it should simply because I'm assimilating new skills. I also seem to spend more time tinkering than I should. I would think that someone who has been making knives for a living for 20 years could probably finish a fixed blade knife, including heat treatment, in a day. -Guy Thomas
 
I'm an absolute beginner but what I have learnt is that trying to figure out shortcuts takes a long time and (for me anyway) usually set you back 5-6 hours so attention and plenty of serious work is the best way to go. (In my opinion that is.)
Good luck!
 
Making a knife takes as long as you want. You keep working until you are happy with it. Only you can say when your goals have been met. Only you can set your goals.
 
I AGREE about the how long on a knive takes.i am a beginner but my knive seem to take a long time cause i am my worlds worst crit,,well u know what i mean.oh by the way guys,on your platen, how is the best way to sand your siab handle square???? royboy

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I also want to say that this site is great,,,,,you might not hear my 2cents worth much.But everyday i am on this site reading what uya say or ask.I have learned alot from here.keep on keeping, royboy.. junglebooge lou
 
Hours days months years.

When you start - Anticipation
While you work - Determination
When it's done - Satisfaction
It's all worth it.
Take Care
TJ Smith
 
my little 3.75" drop point hunters with a sheath and not including JB hardening time , normalizing time , tempering time....but from startig the forge to forging to grinding , to heat treating , to sanding an polishing the blade , to fitting the handle and finishing the handle , and sheath making + sharpening ....takes about 8 to 10 hours all depends on screw ups that need to be fixed and stuff the part i find a pain in the a$$ is fitting of the guard!!..my 2 cents
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i keep grinding and grinding and it is still too short!!
 
Usually about twice as long as I think it should take. Fortunately, I now realize this and pad my delivery time accordingly.
 
There's some good replies there and certainly some stuff to think about. But how about the big boys? Come on Kit, Darrel and all you other professional makers. How long on average for one of your regular folders? And I'm not begrudging you a fair rate of compensation for your fine work, but I guess what I'm asking is can you earn $50-100/hour making knives or have all the matchbook covers been lying to me?
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Peter Atwood

email:fountainman@hotmail.com
 
Peter, I am not one of the big guys but I have made about 300 knives. So I guess I know enough to get me in trouble. A drop point with no guard goes like this: From bar stock to heat treat 35 minutes, when it comes back from heat treatt putting on the handles and pins, polishing etc, another 60 minutes. Then you make the sheath. I know of a very well known maker who can take a blade from profile to heat treat in one minute and two seconds, timed, we have witnesses! But it is not about time. It is about getting into what you are doing and becoming (as corney as that sounds) part of the knife. Go where your heart is and the money will follow. I guess what I'm trying to say is, you have to look at it from a money stand point to some degree, but please don't let that be your motovation, it will show up in your work.. Make knives for the love of it. Another 2cents worth, Don't spend time correcting mistakes, strive to make a knife you don't have to re-do. That helps your bottom line and helps you learn how to make a knife you don't have to waste time correcting. It will make you a better maker.Folders about 10 hours. Take care Mark Hazen
 
fountainman:

$50-$100 an hour? Man! Too many people are wasting their money on college!
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Tom Anderson
Hand Crafted Knives
 
Well, if you work on it for about 15 to 30 minutes every other week like I do, a long time. I don't have much spare time, at least not in chunks long enough to get all the stuff out and actually do much.
I've been working on the same 2 folders for close to a year now. I'm doing it with all hand tools aside from a grinder, dremel, and drill press so that slows me down some. I've also taken time out for other projects too.
I'll be sending the parts for both for heat treat soon, after that things should go together a little faster.Filing and fitting locks by hand is a pain sometimes
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I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer... but I've got the sharpest knife in the room.
 
$50-$100 dollars an hour seems to be a little unreasonable but I can tell you once you have made your own knives you will think thats not enough! I have had the pleasure of learning from both Kit and Darrel and can tell you they are both very kind and generous with there time and knowledge! I also have alot more respect for making knives than I used too.

Also when trying to put a time frame into making knives there are alot of variables. Alot has been covered already and alot hasn't. I think experience and the proper machinery are the key. Each knife gets easier and quicker from all your learned mistakes. Did I say mistakes? Oh I meant modifications!
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(Kit taught me that one)
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I have about 40-50 knives under my belt now, all folders. I can make a plain Jane in one day. About 10-14 hours, that's starting from scratch thru heat treat and finishing. All my knives are benchmade from pattern templates that I designed from CAD. All the metal/Titanium is bandsawed out from flat stock. Sometimes my wife has to drag me out of the basement/shop to eat dinner.
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Now you throw in a satin finish or polished Blade/hardware, color the Ti and file work the Blade/screws and liners and I can easily take a 10-14 hour plain Jane and run the time up to 30-40+ hours. Make it an auto and tac alot more time on!

Here is a pic of my last fancy folder that was made for a close friend for Christmas.

http://members.nbci.com/Tsmyth/cj/Mxmas.htm
 
I think you should familiarize yourself with the names of a few of the men that already posted....Tom Anderson, Rob Simonich, AT Barr, those are some names with experience and time behind them.

You have to take everything into account before you can figure an hourly wage. When I work at the gym and get paid, I get paid for my services, not much else has to be figured in.

As a knifemaker when I get paid, I have to take into account wear on equipment, and a myriad of supplies...not just steel and handle materials, but things like belts and bits, etc.

If you were to look at a dagger I make, see a price of I don't know, let's just say $750, and I tell you it takes me 38-45 hours to make it, you will probably see me making $15-18/hr, but after you consider ALL materials, it widdles that down to dirt really fast.

Really this is the most loaded question I've ever seen on here...not that I'm saying that's bad at all. I just mean that I don't think any knifemaker can give you a real answer, especially when attempting to frame the time in days.

Interesting idea.
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Nick
 
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