Update on my Startup

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Matthew Gregory said:
I got the grinder and a number of other things that I'm using right now from a guy that invested heavily in knifemaking equipment before actually making a knife.

Didn't work out so well for him, worked out pretty okay for me.
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Lucky you! Yeah I don't plan to go out and buy it all now, or even in a month depending on how things go. I just want to know what it will take when the time comes. It's important for me and how I function in the thought process. I can't be mad that not everyone agrees.

Great knives. Just shared your page with a friend.
 
12345678910 said:
Try 1-8"
It's plenty strong. Thin is in.
It's better to go thin, especially by hand.

Read all the links in my Standard Reply

There's a whole lot there for you.



As I said, making some will be a huge learning experience.
See if you're good at it, or like it.
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I have read over MOST of those links on separate occasions. It is a wealth of information. I have to make a funny here though... I technically did make a knife for a SERE class. They had a bunch of junk metal and I made a makeshift hatchet and skinner. Had a great time doing it... but that was back in 2008 and even though the idea stuck, hard, I was knee deep in the Special Forces Qualification Course and I don't think they would have appreciated any sort of setup in a barracks room that was constantly inspected and thrashed at 4am.
 
You certainly must have the money to spend! Your desire to go ahead seems strong enough. But, for one thing, what about your physical strength? Are you a bigger person with strong shoulders, arms and legs ?
Can you do lots of repetitive work - day after day after day? You will need the strength to control the position of bar of steel you are going to grind. If you are a fat wimpy guy like me the boat may have already sailed or add a couple of more years on to your Basic grind learning time. Are you artistic and put out quality the BUYERS not your friends and family like? What are these shapes and even sizes for such? Do you believe that your first knives will easily and quickly sell at an amount that will allow you to find this to be profitable enough to provide you with an sufficent income for your life expenses?
Well,now, after all of that I wish you well and a 48 hour working day. I have found the knife making "thing" to be exciting and most challenging. I hope that happens for you too.
Say, did you have a surface grinder on that purchase list ?
All my best and hope to see you making fast progress as does happen for a few.
Frank
 
Frank Niro said:
You certainly must have the money to spend! Your desire to go ahead seems strong enough. But, for one thing, what about your physical strength? Are you a bigger person with strong shoulders, arms and legs ?
Can you do lots of repetitive work - day after day after day? You will need the strength to control the position of bar of steel you are going to grind. If you are a fat wimpy guy like me the boat may have already sailed or add a couple of more years on to your Basic grind learning time. Are you artistic and put out quality the BUYERS not your friends and family like? What are these shapes and even sizes for such? Do you believe that your first knives will easily and quickly sell at an amount that will allow you to find this to be profitable enough to provide you with an sufficent income for your life expenses?
Well,now, after all of that I wish you well and a 48 hour working day. I have found the knife making "thing" to be exciting and most challenging. I hope that happens for you too.
Say, did you have a surface grinder on that purchase list ?
All my best and hope to see you making fast progress as does happen for a few.
Frank
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This is a fair statement. I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2010. I suppose that is a testament to strength. While I am not in thru-hiking shape anymore, I have worked through 4 years and 3 Virginia Tech football seasons at the biggest bar in Blacksburg. Game weekends include 12-16,17,18 hour back to back shifts with the only breaks being when the customers aren't there and a break generally means prepping for the customers to get there. I am no stranger to long hours even on the regular shifts. The physical side of this does not worry me.

To say that my first knives would sell quickly and easily is counting chickens before they hatch. I don't foresee hitting the point of making sales until 6-12 months. Who knows, maybe longer if at all. I originally started with a $1000 budget, as I said earlier, and in another thread was told to shoot for the 2x72 only. The spreadsheet is designed only to see what it would take to start.

As far as the surface grinder. We have a 1990 Shop Smith in the barn, as well as pretty much every woodworking tool necessary. The Shop Smith has a 12" disc grinder... 1HP I believe? It also has a drill press. That may or may not fit in the shed, so we may be wiring the barn and moving up the hill to start there. Those things are kind of in the air. If so, I wouldn't need to buy a drill press either since it has one. I am just unsure if the drill press on there could be controlled to a slow enough speed.

Thanks Frank
 
knife-making purchases don't make me feel grandiose...it typically makes me want to quit. :)
 
How do you know you will even like making knives?
 
I've got so much wrapped up in knife making I'll never recover my investment. But that's ok. I'll keep buying tools and keep making knives, cause I know I like to do it!
 
I hear you, but I really don't think you're hearing any of us, and we ARE in point of fact attempting to help you.

Without experiencing what I have, most of the machines I've purchased might be pointless. It was only after making a few things that I learned what the next machine needed to do. To make a list based on consensus and observation without experience and practical application will likely lead to a LOT of wasted expense, and perhaps failure and frustration.

No one is trying to dissuade you from making - instead, we're trying to get you to make a knife! Go do it. Your list is well thought out, detailed, and through.

And, perhaps pointless.

Go make a knife and figure out how YOU make knives.

Thanks for the kind words regarding my work, btw. I hope you learn faster than I did! :)





caseyfulp said:
Lucky you! Yeah I don't plan to go out and buy it all now, or even in a month depending on how things go. I just want to know what it will take when the time comes. It's important for me and how I function in the thought process. I can't be mad that not everyone agrees.

Great knives. Just shared your page with a friend.
Click to expand...
 
Making a few knives will tell you which pieces of equipment to prioritize, and probably suggest some that hadn't occurred to you. 12 months is pretty quick to jump into doing it for a living, though. There's a lot of experimentation and testing that (should) happen before one starts selling-you could make ten knives and have one lemon, and THAT's likely the one everybody and their dog will remember
 
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