There is another question that might be added to the original which is very pertinent: How long does it take to get good enough so you can make a knife start to finish over and over in the same amount of time.......and the answer is ... a bunch of years and a lot of grinding, that is something very few outsiders consider. A knifemaker has to get to a certain level, as George explained above...before his work is consistant enough and unique enough to find a place in the marketplace....only then can he look at his skill as a viable means to make a living.
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KNIFEMAKERS! How long does it take?
- Thread starter Elvislives
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I can relate to that! I tell my clients that the finished script I just handed them is FREE. The $1,200. that they're paying me is for the 6 previous versions that ended up in the trash can.
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Holger :c{{{<
AKTI Member No: A001324
CKG-F
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www.cockroachfarm.com
Rob!
That is one of my favourite stories, although the variation I use is an old engineer who taps in exactly the right spot to get a big ship fired up and moving. Cost for tapping - free; for knowing where to tap, $1000.
If I wanted to buy a Simonich or, say, a Moran, would I expect the price to be computed on the cost of materials and hourly labour? Is that why the waiting is so long orders aren't accepted and is that the basis upon which such knives are valued? Obviously not. Some things can't be valued on an hourly basis.
That is one of my favourite stories, although the variation I use is an old engineer who taps in exactly the right spot to get a big ship fired up and moving. Cost for tapping - free; for knowing where to tap, $1000.
If I wanted to buy a Simonich or, say, a Moran, would I expect the price to be computed on the cost of materials and hourly labour? Is that why the waiting is so long orders aren't accepted and is that the basis upon which such knives are valued? Obviously not. Some things can't be valued on an hourly basis.
- Joined
- Nov 6, 1999
- Messages
- 419
This is a very tough question for me, mostly because I hardly ever make a single knife through from start to finish without doing anything else.
Even if it is a one-of-a-kind custom, I almost always make two (the customer gets the best one), and I also have a number of other jobs going on concurrently.
Still, I can say with some authority that I have yet to reach the level of proficiency that would allow me to make a knife in one hour as a couple of you have suggested. I think 5 hours is about my minimum, and the average is 10-15 hours. Some have gone much longer, though.
Don Cowles
www.cowlesknives.com
Even if it is a one-of-a-kind custom, I almost always make two (the customer gets the best one), and I also have a number of other jobs going on concurrently.
Still, I can say with some authority that I have yet to reach the level of proficiency that would allow me to make a knife in one hour as a couple of you have suggested. I think 5 hours is about my minimum, and the average is 10-15 hours. Some have gone much longer, though.
Don Cowles
www.cowlesknives.com
larry harley
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- 516
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Elvislives:
My original post was:
"A question for the many great knifemakers here at bf.c (are your posteriors sufficiently kiss'd?)
If you made 1 of your most popular knife from beginning to end (I figure you do them in batches, but let's just say...) how long would it take?
basic materials to assembly and final fitting. What, a couple of hours????
Brandon"
However there is another thread in which I'm accused of being a troll. So, here I paraphrase:
Knifemakers:
It would appear from all of the discussion as to the cost of particular knives being unreasonable, that a great number of people here at BF.C do not realize how many hours you put into a quality piece. If it is not to intrusive into your personal life, would you mind sharing with us an estimation of how long it would take to make a one-off of your most popular knife? If my thinking is reasonable, it would seem that people here will be quite surprised to find that although many knives fetch a healthy price, the hours that go into that knife make knife making as a career seem insane.
Respectfully,
Brandon
Bastids!
[This message has been edited by Elvislives (edited 05-20-2001).]</font>
40yrs and 5 hrs
harley
darth possum
www.lonesomepineknives.com
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larry harley
BANNED
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hey tom
mashville is 6 hrs away
anytime u r close feel welcome to stop by.
harley
space possum
www.lonesomepuneknives.com
larry harley
BANNED
- Joined
- Mar 19, 1999
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hey tom
mashville is 6 hrs away
anytime u r close feel welcome to stop by.
harley
space possum
www.lonesomepuneknives.com
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Well, I'm not a knife maker, but I know someone who is, or rather is in the process of becoming one. I won't mention names here, since I don't know if he wants this story told, but it is VERY pertinent to the discussion.
I have always wanted to make a knife. When i found out what the investment is in tools, etc (thanks, Bladeforums!) i went with the next best thing. i found someone who had the tools, and I gave him my design. The knife is OAL 15" with a 9.5" D-2 blade and large micarta handles with some serious rounding and fitting required. He told me he would do it for $250, in between his regular job, working shows on weekends, etc. He told me that it would take about 8-10 hours total start to finish, but due to lack of spare time on his part, it took about 3 months to finally get the knife from him
I met him at the show, and he told me that he wasn't happy with the orignal grind I had proposed since it didn't translate well on his grinder (I had envisioned a drop point with the dropping curve back relieved. it was a fairly complicated series of angles to grind) so he tried tidying it up the day before the show...and ground the point off. in trying to regrind the profile, he had weakened the tip so much it practically came apart. So he stayed up most of the night (he had promised me he would have it on that day) making a second copy of my design. I must say, it was absolutely beautiful...more than i had hoped for. he showed it around to several other dealers and a few makers at the show, and they all loved it.
Now here's the catch...the price of $250? Yep, it was still $250. he told me he had burned up two belts on the D-2 (which was much more difficult to grind than he thought it would be) and took much longer to make than he had anticipated (even without doing it twice) he told me he would not make the same knife again for less than $450.
Knowledge is expensive.
Tom
I have always wanted to make a knife. When i found out what the investment is in tools, etc (thanks, Bladeforums!) i went with the next best thing. i found someone who had the tools, and I gave him my design. The knife is OAL 15" with a 9.5" D-2 blade and large micarta handles with some serious rounding and fitting required. He told me he would do it for $250, in between his regular job, working shows on weekends, etc. He told me that it would take about 8-10 hours total start to finish, but due to lack of spare time on his part, it took about 3 months to finally get the knife from him
I met him at the show, and he told me that he wasn't happy with the orignal grind I had proposed since it didn't translate well on his grinder (I had envisioned a drop point with the dropping curve back relieved. it was a fairly complicated series of angles to grind) so he tried tidying it up the day before the show...and ground the point off. in trying to regrind the profile, he had weakened the tip so much it practically came apart. So he stayed up most of the night (he had promised me he would have it on that day) making a second copy of my design. I must say, it was absolutely beautiful...more than i had hoped for. he showed it around to several other dealers and a few makers at the show, and they all loved it.
Now here's the catch...the price of $250? Yep, it was still $250. he told me he had burned up two belts on the D-2 (which was much more difficult to grind than he thought it would be) and took much longer to make than he had anticipated (even without doing it twice) he told me he would not make the same knife again for less than $450.
Knowledge is expensive.
Tom
- Joined
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- 641
Exactly! I know this is an old one, but this is exactly what I was trying to express to a friend of mine. He wants me to make him two knives. I proposed several designs and he chose two to modify to his needs. Then he wanted to know how much money to send to get started. I told him these two will be free, and this is exactly why! These are my first two forged knives and only my 4th or 5th ever. I don't have all that knowledge that an experienced smith charges for; he is accepting that he's getting the best I can do right now and accepting my part-time schedule. In exchange, he deserves a price break. If I ever get to a high level of skill, I will demand that people who want my skills translated into knives compensate me accordingly.
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2001
- Messages
- 8,474
Is one really finished with a knife?
To bad money is a barrier..
Try timing that last scratch you have missed
...Dan
***I think this thing is going in more than once??***
Good thing my knives are sharper then my spelling.
...Dan..
.<A HREF="http://www.kynd.com/~graydg/kniveslist4.html">Gray Knives</A>
[This message has been edited by Graymaker (edited 06-29-2001).]
To bad money is a barrier..
Try timing that last scratch you have missed
...Dan
***I think this thing is going in more than once??***
Good thing my knives are sharper then my spelling.
...Dan..
.<A HREF="http://www.kynd.com/~graydg/kniveslist4.html">Gray Knives</A>
[This message has been edited by Graymaker (edited 06-29-2001).]
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2001
- Messages
- 8,474
Hey George
Would that one-hour knife be Tempered???
just kidding!! I know what you mean..
Hands On time..
But that's cutting it close even on a simple blade small Small with NO problems
at all. Right?
and with out a sheath..
I don't know if I could do it in that time, maybe if I did 3 at a time and divide it by 3
Real close.
By the way Nice site..
...Dan
Good thing my knives are sharper then my spelling.
...Dan..
.<A HREF="http://www.kynd.com/~graydg/kniveslist4.html">Gray Knives</A>
Would that one-hour knife be Tempered???
just kidding!! I know what you mean..
Hands On time..
But that's cutting it close even on a simple blade small Small with NO problems
at all. Right?
and with out a sheath..
I don't know if I could do it in that time, maybe if I did 3 at a time and divide it by 3
Real close.
By the way Nice site..
...Dan
Good thing my knives are sharper then my spelling.
...Dan..
.<A HREF="http://www.kynd.com/~graydg/kniveslist4.html">Gray Knives</A>