Thinking of a small knife sharpening business

So-Lo

So-Lo

Joined
Jun 12, 2006
Messages
5,364
I'm thinking of starting a small knife sharpening business, I'm mostly a freehand guy and first thought I would just get the whole set of 8 inch DMT DiaSharps and a cardboard wheel set up. With a little research I can see most pros use power tools. I know DMTs cut fast, but probably NOT fast enough to make money.

Now I'm throwing around the idea of going Tormek, and DMTs. :eek:

So the start up costs would jump about $700, its a LOT of money at this time, but would do it if it's "worth it." Should I be looking at other systems? EdgePro is out, Already had one and didn't care for it.


Thanks for your time,
Randy
 
So-Lo said:
I'm thinking of starting a small knife sharpening business, I'm mostly a freehand guy and first thought I would just get the whole set of 8 inch DMT DiaSharps and a cardboard wheel set up. With a little research I can see most pros use power tools. I know DMTs cut fast, but probably NOT fast enough to make money.

Now I'm throwing around the idea of going Tormek, and DMTs. :eek:

So the start up costs would jump about $700, its a LOT of money at this time, but would do it if it's "worth it." Should I be looking at other systems? EdgePro is out, Already had one and didn't care for it.


Thanks for your time,
Randy
Click to expand...
Do it So-Lo knowing your mirror edges it will spread like wildfire through out the forum. Also, I would suggest power tools there a lot faster than by hand, and it would be easier to create more consistent edges through out people. I would suggest a belt sander or a bench grinder using muslin wheels to finish the edge.
 
Do you need investors for start up capital? I want to be a major share holder when your company goes public. I am very good at armchair quarterbacking.:D

On the other hand, I can see you got marketing already covered.;)

Go for it man. You really got skills. :cool:d

It still takes a steady sure hand, and you got that.
 
Most of your business will be kitchen knives not fancy folders or sheath knives. A cheap belt sander from Home Depot or Harbor Freight would do well. The real money is in doing professional scissors, but that takes special training and equipment to do right.
 
I've got a Tormek 7 and it's very good for v-edges. However, the stones are really expensive and the SG-250 (main stone) has lost about 1cm in diameter since sharpening up and regrinding like 15-20 blades.
The stone becomes uneven pretty fast, so one needs to regrind the stone quite often, which always takes away like .5-1mm at a time;
so if you plan to set up a business around the Tormek, I'd not only prepare for the initial costs, but also the future ones.
 
Jeff Clark said:
Most of your business will be kitchen knives not fancy folders or sheath knives. A cheap belt sander from Home Depot or Harbor Freight would do well. The real money is in doing professional scissors, but that takes special training and equipment to do right.
Click to expand...

Yes, I would be promoting/handing out business cards at restaurants maybe setting up a table at the local farmer's market. The DMTs would be for smaller pocket knives... like we mostly talk about here :D

Any business from the Internet would be great, but I would be going for local business. I'd also like to do all my work on site, and the cheaper belt sander would be even better.

CJ, yes a small down payment of $10,000 will get you in the door at 30% :D :D :D (could also be persuaded with Edys mint chocolate chip ice cream) :D
 
I use the complete set of DMT 8x3's for the sharpening I do and while its faster than any other hand method its not nearly fast enough to make money. I sharpened a rat 1 folder today and to rebevel to 10 degrees per side and run through all the stones it took about 45 minutes, that's about 40 minutes longer than you want in a game where volume is your main priority. I also used the aligner tool, if done completely freehand it would have taken longer.

Now if their mainly soft steel cheap kitchen knives then its not that bad. It takes me all of 3 minutes to sharpen my mom's kitchen kinves but I still think power is your best bet. Like J Clark said sissors is where its at, the machine is about $500 but you could make some good money doing that.

Good luck, my suggestion would be paper wheels and a large coarse SiC stone.
 
When I first started sharpening for money, I did it freehand and it went slowly. But being in the remodeling business, I found a market in chisels, plane irons, jointer and planer blades for carpenters. So I bought the Makita 9820-2 flat grinder, and found it worked well on knives and scissors too. Also, if you're in sheep country, shear blades. If the sheep are rolling around on the ground, a lot of grit gets into the fur (don't say fur to them, they call it wool) and a hardworking shearer will dull a pair of blades in a day. New blades can cost 30-50 bucks. I imagine pet groomers have a similar situation.

Parker
 
So-Lo said:
I'm thinking of starting a small knife sharpening business, I'm mostly a freehand guy and first thought I would just get the whole set of 8 inch DMT DiaSharps and a cardboard wheel set up. With a little research I can see most pros use power tools. I know DMTs cut fast, but probably NOT fast enough to make money.

Now I'm throwing around the idea of going Tormek, and DMTs. :eek:

So the start up costs would jump about $700, its a LOT of money at this time, but would do it if it's "worth it." Should I be looking at other systems? EdgePro is out, Already had one and didn't care for it.


Thanks for your time,
Randy
Click to expand...

hey sorry if i'm getting off the subject of your post, but i gotta ask - what did you not like about the EdgePro? i'm curious because i would like to work towards owning one, but the price tag is high enough where i need to be sure it's what i want.
 
To start, I would suggest:

a 1" x42" belt sander/8" disc sander combo if you can swing it

http://www.grizzly.com/products/1-X-8-Belt-Disc-Sander/H8192

abrasive belts from Lee Valley (personally I would not bother with the leather belts, I have two and have only used them once)

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=48040&cat=1,43072

and

a bench grinder

http://www.grizzly.com/products/8-Buffer-w-5-8-Arbor/H4380

and

10" wheels from (get the deluxe grit pack at the same time to save future shipping)

http://www.sharpeningwheels.com/products.html


...alternatively, you could get just a belt grinder in place of the other two machines.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Knife-Belt-Sander-Buffer/G1015
 
I second the belt grinder idea. You can do the entire thing on 220 grit belts, and build your own angle guide. It is super fast. Just be careful not to overheat. It's about 1 minute per knife, and you could do a touch-up on stones if you have the time.
 
Get a machine! LOL. I sharpen for money on the side. Got a couple of restaurants that bring me the their knives. Most people won't pay more than a few bucks per blade. You need a one time investment and cheap upkeep. That's a belt grinder. With all my belts and such I wound up spending $300.00 total and I can do an endless number of knives. You can sharpen a box of knives in an hour. And still have nice polished razor sharp edges. But don't expect to get rich LOL. I do it on sundays and only make an extra 100 bucks or so a week.
 
I've been using a Sharp Shop Machine Belt Sharpener for about 4 years and it has paid for itself several times in less than a week. It is a horizontal belt sharpener with a belt speed of less than 900 ft per minute. It utilizes a knife clamp similar to the Lanske to insure precision sharpening every time. Spring loaded belt tensioner for quick belt changes. Uses 100 or 120 grit ceramic belt for the first step, 600 grit silicon carbide belt for second step & a felt belt with white rouge to finish up. Most customers agree that their knives hold a better edge than with other sharpeners. Very mobile unit, only weighs about 25 pounds. For more info, check out my website at http://sites.google.com/site/thesharpshoponline/
This is a very easy machine to master, and the start-up cost is only $400 delivered to your door. In this economy, I think it's the best value sharpener on the market. It has the potential to pay for itself with one good event. I'm a knife vendor at motorcycle rallies, swap meets, flea markets & farmer's markets. I can usually make at least $500 in a weekend in good weather with good event attendance. The knives move slowly, but the sharpening is what brings in the traffic.
 
Wow, lots of great info to research :thumbup:

I truly thank you, I'm really looking at powered equipment. Sure DMTs should be in my arsenal too, but the bulk of the work will be done on a belt system.

Thanks again! :)
 
Going with power tools is a necessity, I only sharpen for family and friends, but I've gotten knives so dull and crapped up that the tip was blunter than a sheepsfoot and the blade couldn't even hurt you if you tried hacking at something. I'm talking about an edge that has been rolled and dulled soo bad that the edge is nearly as thick as the spine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top