How many full time custom makers?

Hmm i guessing maybe...10? hah, good question
 
I think the question should be broken down in order to get a more accurate understanding of what I think you are asking. I would say the categories that exist are hobbyist makers, hobbyist makers that sell their work, part time makers, full time makers where that is their only income, and full time makers receiving other income. I don't care what anyone makes money wise and this question does not take into account the skill of the maker. For example Nick Wheeler or Mike Quesenberry are some of the best makers out there that produce and have produced a lot of work and do sell their work but they are not full time makers without other revenue streams. Another way to look at the question is what are we defining as a knifemaker? Would Begg knives be one or would we count every person that works there? The same with Murray Carter, some of his people are part time some are full time so how do we count that? I'm basically trying to say the question is complicated. I would guess that the total number of people making knives in some fashion in the US right now would be more than 5,000 and less than 10,000. Of that as full time makers (working 40 hours a week for a standard year) I would say 1,200 or fewer. If anyone has better estimates I would be very excited to hear them.
 
That's a tough one considering if you narrow that down to knifemaking being the primary income of the household I can think of only around 10.
 
I quess im asking about guys that knife making is there primarily source say 75% or more of their “earned” income.

or guys who make knives as more than a hobby or “side hustle”

a very hard question to answer

if I had to guess I would say maybe 500ish. But that totally a guess
 
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I'd guess 100 or less.

It's difficult to make knives and turn a profit.
 
It's morning and this is a good topic in hard times. Here is what I observe:

Makers learning and outputting their skills to make a quality knife are a SMALL part of what it takes to earn a living through this.

To do so requires a continual source of cash flow. So pre-orders should to be in place. That means you would be TAKING orders.

Fortunate are those who have built up such a following that the need for 'books' is eliminated. I get it. No artist wants to make the same knife three years down the road. Unless... they enjoy an income stream more than unbridled artistic freedom.

Methods need to be streamlined and one has to be aware of output. You are a one person 'factory' now.

What's 'fresh' can get stale. ALL handmade knives are luxury items, so it has the be desired. This artist NEEDS to have fresh ideas and offerings. (This competes with the sentences above.) NEW development of ideas and skills.

To be fresh one needs to have an awareness of what the current knife PURCHASING climate is looking for. Who are your competitors? What are they doing? Are you as exciting and desirable? Uh oh....

So one MUST also have a social presence to remain out in the forefront of the purchasing clients. THIS is very foreign and time-consuming. There is a LARGE variety of sources: Here, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Etsy, other forums, and on and on.

Or.... just trust that you will still have followers because of your existing quality and current (short term?) desire.

Knifemaking and running a successful business are two different skill sets. (So is photography, BTW. I'm with you.)

Those who have figured out that 'full-time knifemaking' is a difficult slope, and supplement (or completely invert) their work income to another source are diversifying their portfolio.

Please add what I've missed or correct me.
 
I jokingly called myself a 'full-time knifemaker' for the 6 month sabbatical (it was in actuality the 7th year) I took off between professional gigs to recharge my deeply depleted spiritual batteries. I worked about 4-5 hours in the shop most days and still didn't generate significant income. I don't know how you full-time guys do it. Much respect.
 
i took the OP's meaning of the word "custom" to mean a knifemaker who makes ONLY custom knives ie. made to order per a customers wishes, basically commissioned works only. I think theres a few but who knows
 
I personally know fewer than thirty full time makers where that income is their majority, myself included I had to do a mix of production and full customs in order to make the numbers work for several years but I have been doing this full time for 10 years now and made 50% of the income in my household. One maker that I really respect that comes to mind is Karl Andersen he has been solely supported and full time for years and is going strong. But the people like him are certainly about as rare as hen's teeth.
 
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