IMAGE INTENSIVE: New tools and a first try at knife grinding

bjalongi said:
BTW: incase you didn't know, Stellar tool by Lowes in Everett carries 2x72 belts. Last time I bought some there, all they had was 36 and 80 grit Nortons. They can do special orders of different brands/grits that they don't stock.
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Really... that's great. I'll have to check them out. I visited there for the first time on Friday to pick up some Dykem. They were the only place I found that sold it locally.

Erin
 
Erin those are some beautiful Wing Chun dummies! Seems like I remember seeing some of your work before. That's awesome. No reason not to continue with that too! :D I expect you'll find that your avocation will begin not only paying for itself but adding a little to the general coffer.
 
Great looking small shop! Everytime I look thru this type of thread I'm getting ideas for my work space and the knife making tools I need to populate it.

Patrick
 
Dave,

Thanks for the compliment on the dummies. The ones pictured are numbers 5 & 6. As I have gotten more tools, built jigs and refined my technique, the results have improved and taken less time. And I do make a decent amount on each dummy (even after the massive material costs). But (and I assume that this is very similar to knifemaking) if I were to break profit into dollars/hour... earnings are pretty slim.

Plus, being a hobbiest, it can sometimes be a trick to come up with shop time. Between the day-job and spending adequate time with my lovely wife and awesome little girls, shop time is not as frequent as I would like.


Patrick,

Thanks for the kind words. Good luck with your shop.:)

Erin
 
Erin I sure understand about the shop time, like many here I expect. I'm fortunate to work four (long) days, so get three weekend mornings in the shop, which has been a real boon for me. Luckily, my wife is not a morning person and our kids are loooong gone. :thumbup: :D

And yeah, the hourly wage part - just figure you're not paying taxes on it, that'll make it all better. :)
 
ddavelarsen said:
Erin I sure understand about the shop time, like many here I expect. I'm fortunate to work four (long) days, so get three weekend mornings in the shop, which has been a real boon for me. Luckily, my wife is not a morning person and our kids are loooong gone. :thumbup: :D
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Hey Dave... I work 4-10hour days myself (Tuesday-Friday).:thumbup:

I don't know what I'd do with only 2-days for a weekend.;):D

Erin
 
Hypocrite said:
Hey Dave... I work 4-10hour days myself (Tuesday-Friday).:thumbup:

I don't know what I'd do with only 2-days for a weekend.;):D

Erin
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Ain't that the truth man? Mine are M-Th, but same deal. When it's a holiday on Monday, yeah I get one 4-day weekend, but that following 2-day weekend somehow doesn't make up for it. That's gotta be me, but two days just ain't a real weekend anymore. :D
 
There's never enough time. I've got a 40 hour a week job, Fun time in the basement working on fun stuff, mostly hand soldered silver and fine silver chains (10 to 20 extra hours) + armor when my hands don't fall asleep and for the last couple of years collecting stuff to make knives. My wife isn't always thrilled with me.

I use up vacation days to get stuff done.

Patrick
 
How'd we get from a great new grinder to our wives? :D I sure know that one too. I'm lucky that my wife has finally gotten on board with my shop time, but it was dicey for many years. I think giving her money from knife sales might have helped... ;) That, and keeping the shop clean enough I don't track curlies of steel all over the place. Heh.
 
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