Your main job and/or interest

[Tom Militano]

I'm 72, spent four years in the US Marine Corps, 16 years in the US Army, Vietnam Vet, spent another 20 years with the Dept. of Defense, and finally retired after a serious injury. If I had known how much I would like being retired I'd have done it when I was about 10 or 12. I started making knives a little over 30 years ago and still make some. I don't sell them anymore, I donate them to military types and for fund raisers.

 

[Dan Pierson]

Tracy, no turnover says a lot of good things about you as a boss and a person. Congratulations!

Me, I've been a software engineer for something over 40 years now. Currently working for Google.

 

[Dream Burls]

I worked for the Port Authority in New York for about 35 years. I started as an architectural draftsman and wound up as the Deputy Director of their Port Department. I was in the World Trade Center on 9/11 and, as you can imagine, that changed everything. So four years later I had enough of the BS and I retired and bounced around from one interest to another until I went looking for a Christmas present for my wife and fell into the world of custom knives. I fell in love with burled wood and decided to start my own little internet business, Dream Burls, and I never looked back. Aside from that I'm interested in photography, keeping in shape and keeping my wife happy.

 

[J S Machine]

One of the promises I made myself when I left the big box chain was that I would treat employees a lot better than I was able to in that environment. For both full time and part time, we pay our employees well above minimum wage, we have paid vacations, sick pay, monthly and annual sales bonuses and paid holidays. We are now working on rolling out a 3% match IRA program. For full timers we offer 70/30 health insurance. It takes months of training for an employee to even begin to grasp what we sell and how it is used and to meet the needs of such a wide variety of craftsmen. I intend to do everything I can to keep them here and happy. In our nearly three years of having employees, none have quit us. I am proud of that.

Boss,

This is something I deeply admire you for because I have the same sentiments. I always said the same exact thing.

I am 28, been doing machine work since high school. Over ten years in tool and die, CNC, and welding. I know my way around metal pretty well. I worked for a small job shop for around a year while going to school, and also worked for UPS at the time. Eventually I picked up the job I have now and was working three jobs and school. I quit the other two and was doing my current job and school until I graduated with an associates degree in machine tool / cnc. (Not that impressive..just a piece of paper - experience is what gets you up the ladder in this career).

When I started at my current job, I was 19 and single. I met my wife there (she was a receptionist) and since then have had one little girl who is now four years old and the wife is 31 weeks pregnant with another little girl..lol. Run for the hills, right? lol

Anyway, the one thing I never thought about in the early stages of my career was the nature of the profession. There are hardly no shops that work short hours or have many days off. When you are making parts, usually someone is waiting on those parts and that equates to long hours. I work between 65-80 hours a week, every saturday, and sundays happen more often than I'd like them too. The bad thing is that I have no schedule..never know how long I'm working because my schedule is dictated by what the production floor does and ultimately the orders they have to get out the door. I work in a tool room that supports production in a metal stamping and fabrication company, so if they are working, we are. Long story short, I was sick of it five years ago, and since my kid came along, I hate it. We worked straight through memorial day weekend and memorial day, and truth be told, I can't tell you right now if I have to work sunday - Father's day.

I've kicked around doing something on the side for a long time, and even tried fooling with knives a little, but the problem is that I work so many hours it leaves little time for anything. I'd like to do some machine work or something like that maybe. If I had a CNC machine at home I could make all kinds of parts for many different things, and sell them cheap..but I don't and that is a pretty expensive piece of equipment. I'd like to get into making flash lights and other types of lights. I built a helmet light for riding mountain bikes at night, and a bar light. You would not believe what poeple will pay for things like that. In the custom flash light world, small lights made of titanium sell for $500+..I'm not kidding. If I ever do run a business, it will likely be just me but if I ever have employees..I will be the best boss they will likely ever have. I've been through it at work and don't wish it on anybody.

I will be finding a new job soon, even if it is making half what I currently make. My family is waaay more important to me than anything else, and my kids mean the world to me. I can't continue to work like I'm doing or I am going to miss them growing up. I refuse to be the Dad that was "never around".

As far as hobbies..I play guitar and try to sing, Mountain bike and road bike as much as I can, I do a little custom paint work and paint correction on vehicles, and a few other things. I love to shoot. I run alot of guns and put alot of lead down range. And of course..I love to build knives and wish I had more time for them.

 

[Church & Son]

WOW, a variety of talents here...
Restored real old houses and buildings for years till the money ran out and the labor got real cheap.......
I was 48 years old the first time I had a realjob..Sure do miss the freedom...
For the last several years I build and exhibit trade show exhibits....It is a very fast paced, high tech glitsy bus and I actually love the pace but it is taking a toll on this old bod...Young guys game...
Here's a recent one at Cobo center, Detroit....Everything except the cars came out of our shop in NC...And comes apart to go in crates to the next show...



My Lovely bride and myself also run an organic farm called " the Redbud" with criters, plants, greenhouses, chicken houses and all kinds of groovy things running or growing....We live in a 140 year old barn on 60 acres and are completely off grid....The "Redbud Forge" is out in the woods where my Bride allows me to play around in about 1850...The dream is too be able to make a living here...
And Tracy, kudos to you taking good care of employees....The ONLY reason I have a job today is because of benefits....

I pick the banjo but am about 70% deaf so I can't really say how good....Sounds good to ME.....

 

[sicilian767]

Nothing else I rather be doing than making knives and running a knife store.

I have customers come in once in awhile, that start telling me that they think they have a problem?
I own so many knives! And I keep buying more! I usually just bust up laughing and say,
So you think you have a problem and may need professional help?

Why do you think I taught myself how to make knives and own a sharpening & knife store? :s12137:

I think 17 cats was the record when I was growing up along with a couple of dogs.
My childhood cat was a Calico and I have had a special place for them in my heart ever since. We lived on about a acre which is large for the housing track suburbia area we where in.

I also love to target shoot and have my own assortment of arms.

Watching the sunset into the ocean with the beautiful color hues you get from the L.A. smog is quite remarkable! We try to catch it as ofter as we can.

Our Bohemian apartment is on 3rd st and our store and my work shop are on 4th st, so you can guess that the sandy decline to the ocean starts very close.

Go to http://maps.google.com/ Then type in,
3rd St, Promenade Santa Monica, CA 90403‎ → ‎Acme Display

My wife and I along with our furry kids live about three blocks north of there.

Laurence

www.westsidesharpening.com

Hahaha, I'm the same exact way! Can't get enough of knives. I have a pretty big collection myself. In fact, I posted pictures of my collection in the collectors corner in case you're interested in seeing them.

Yep! Target shooting is one of my favorite things to do. I also own a lot of guns. Too many to count lol. I guess guns and knives go together like peanut butter and jelly. They work together perfectly.

Beautiful place you live at as well!! That's the kind of place I'd like to retire to some day

 

[sicilian767]

I have worked as a retail associate for two years, driving spray trucks and mowing lawns for the state highway department for three summers, Assembling bicycles, short stint in pre-fabricated steel building warehouse, hated that so I started working in healthcare. I was a CNA first, so basically a professional but wiper, then I worked with troubled teens, went back to CNA work, got my LPN degree and began working in nursing homes as a pill popper nurse. Recently I have learned that I don't like this anymore. I love people, I love being able to work with the elderly, but I am nauseated by the daily deluge of PC BS that controls my every move. It gets worse every year. About 5 months ago I was fired from a job for the first time in my life. I had just recieved multiple compliments from the family of a patient, I was feeling pretty good about myself, then found out I was being fired for a facebook post that my employer took exception to. I had to appeal to the state to get unemployment and I won, then i found out yesterday that the state Industrial comission reversed that decision, and now I have to appeal to the Idaho Supreme Court. All because of a Facebook post. I can't work in a field where such a small thing is such a huge frickin deal. I start school again in the fall, returning to my original major of English studies, with the aspiration of becoming an author, like I've always wanted. I have 3 kids, with the fourth due in september, so my life is a paradox of an overflowing quiver of joy at home, and continual dispair and self loathing at work. I thank God for my little family every day of my life. Without them I would truly be miserable. Making things has always been therapeutic for me, so this new hobby could not have come at a better time.

Man, that's rough. You'll be in my prayers for sure. But congratulations about your fourth child!! That's always a massive blessing. Glad to hear your family is there for you! And yeah, knife making is REALLY therapeutic. Really makes me feel accomplished myself.

 

[sicilian767]

really interesting thread, I hope others contribute their story...

Last January I quit (retired?) after 30 years from a big box store chain (you've heard of it) where I was a district manager for the last 18 years. During those 30 years, we moved 13 times around the Midwest in various assignments. We have lived in Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa (twice), Minnesota (twice), North Dakota (three times). That doesn't add up to 13 but some moves were back to back in the same state so I didn't count those. I am now full time at my knife supply business. I started the supply business with some extra sandpaper I purchased for myself 8 or 9 years ago. I was going to sell off the extra I bought to cover some of the expense of buying such a large quantity. My employer at the time started to make changes I didn't agree with so I started to look for an exit and decided to build up the knife supply business with the intent of getting into it full time. (At the same time, I looked into opening a pizza shop and also a coffee shop. I now make great pizza and roast my own coffee each week.) The knife supply business took hold and we ran with that.

My wife and ran the business from our house for the first 5 years. I did everything the first couple years. Around year 3 my wife joined in and started part time and then moved to full time. Neither of us took any pay or salary from the business for the first 5 years. At the end of year 5, we hired a part timer to help who quickly moved to full time. Basically, I was working two full time jobs for the last 7 years. One job paid for the other. The business out grew the house so we got an SBA loan and bought a 3800' warehouse and moved in a couple years ago last March. We now have 9 full timers and 4 part timers here. My 23yr old daughter and 19yr old son both work at least one day a week here - which is fantastic as far as I concerned.

Thank you to all of our customers for helping us make our small mom and pop business grow. One of the promises I made myself when I left the big box chain was that I would treat employees a lot better than I was able to in that environment. For both full time and part time, we pay our employees well above minimum wage, we have paid vacations, sick pay, monthly and annual sales bonuses and paid holidays. We are now working on rolling out a 3% match IRA program. For full timers we offer 70/30 health insurance. It takes months of training for an employee to even begin to grasp what we sell and how it is used and to meet the needs of such a wide variety of craftsmen. I intend to do everything I can to keep them here and happy. In our nearly three years of having employees, none have quit us. I am proud of that.

Wow, that is awesome Boss Dog!! Really amazing story. It makes me even more proud to be a supporter of your business. One of the things I noticed when I received an order from you guys is I had a "Thank you! " On every receipt. It's little details like that which really mean a lot to a customer, and I thank you for working so hard to make such a great business.

 

[oldknife]

Interesting thread, well I got out of high school in 1953 custom cars were a big thing at the time so served my time as a bodyman and painter, when I had to do it for a living all the fun went out of it. Went to driving a dump truck and doing excavation for houses and commerial buildings, then went into heavy construction, operated dozers from D 2s to D10s and a lot more dirt equipment. Also drove heavy haul transport, did welding and heavy duty repair. had a retail paint store for a year or so, then went on to get a general engineering contractors licence, Jimmy Carter took care of my construction Co. Got a California teaching credential and taught people to operate heavy equipment and also taught welding classes, am a self taught mechanist, have been retired for 16 years, spend a lot of my time making knives and doing machine work Deane

 

[Gahagan]

I went into the Army in 99 and served 5 years with the 1st Ranger Bat. When I got out I worked as a car and home audio installer, then moved onto working as a auto body tech. Later I got a job as a consultant for Lowes companies as a Data center engineer. When I finished with their 3 data centers I got a job as a COO for a local university while running my side business building rock crawlers. currently I work as a Principal at a large charter school. Through most of this I have been going to school full time and am currently working on my Second Doctorate.

 

[Gary Miller]

32 years in the land survey business. the last 22 with the city of Tulsa. had to retire because of health problems. was also a bull rider, boxer . went to college and studied machine shop tech got a degree worked at that for a while found out that i couldn't stand to work inside. got into surveying went to school at night got another degree. grow up on a farm in far n.e. Oklahoma . one of my granddads friends helped me make a knife out of a chunk of crosscut saw blade about 1968 been hooked ever sense.

 

[phatjohn]

I was a Deputy Sheriff for 20+ years. Got hurt in '08 which aggravated a bunch of old injuries and had to take a medical disability retirement. Chronic pain sufferer (knife making keeps my mind off that). I've hunted, fished, camped my entire life. I've got a pretty good gun collection and enjoy working on them and reloading my own ammo. I hunt as much as I'm able, and love to shoot coyotes. Got into knife collecting and enjoyed that. Then had the idea I would like to try my hand at making them (actually got bit by the bug BAD). Was lucky enough to meet a couple of other makers who let me hang around their shops. Been making them for a couple of years now. Just finished my NWG and am in the process of setting up a shop in my garage. I've got 3 wonderful kids and an understanding wife. My day job is taking care of my 3 yr old son (who most people mistake for my grandson). Taking care of him is the hardest job I've ever had but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

 

[smithy]

Great thread...very interesting. Myself, I put my self through college and law school shooting pool...along with every kind of direct sales you can imagine. Graduated from law school and passed the Ohio Bar in 1971. I hated the practice of law. Moved to Daytona Beach, Fl. as house counsel for the American Motorcycle Institute and that was the last of the legal jobs. I got mad and quit and that was it for the practice of law. I got obsessed with jewelry (you know, the way you feel about knives. )

I taught myself how to make jewelry (silver) and sold it in bars. I ended up having a permanent display at the Wreck Bar in Daytona (long closed). After 4 or 5 years of an unlimited bar tab and declining sales of silver and stone jewelry, I eventually moved to Cincinnati Oh where I still made jewelry and started using pre-made blades to make knives. I opened my own studio in 1978 or 9 and stayed at the same location for 25 + years. I didn't make knives during this time. Closed the store in 2012 and guess what...I decided to go back to making knives--a rekindled passion.

Physical problems have gotten me off to a VERY slow start, but they are working themselves out and everything will be wonderful (an eternal optimist)...Teddy

 

[percy]

I was raised on a small farm in East texas. Then joined the military for 7 years. Started traveling around gamblings on pocket billiards for 3-4years and made a lot of money one day and then it was gone the next, the life of gambling. After being shot I gave that life up and started a landscaping, lawn care business in Houston. Sold that and started doing custom jewelry and then in 1989 started making knives after a customer was looking at a blade mag which I had never seen. He was going to order a knife and I told him I could make it for him. He ask if I had ever made a knife and I said no. He ask what made me think I could do that and I told him simply that the man he was going to buy it from could make so I knew I could make it too. That started me out and have made knives mostly full time since 1990. Worked for Parks and Wildlife for a few years for the insurance. Hurt my back and decided that knife making had made me a good living so went back full time and that is the story. Even when working for TPWD I still made more off knives than I did from them so it was never a real loss. Really loved doing it though. My wife has never had a job other than baby sitting me and the kids and house. It is a lot easier to say YOU are full time when you have retired from something else with an income or your wife works and has income. I raised my boys and sent them to college on money from knifemaking. We have had several really good years along the way and some not so good, but the good ones have carried us through. Would not change it for anything. I have always been able to have a nice home and nice vehicles for my wife as I think she is the most important thing in my life. We just had our first grandbaby in March and now life really changes. We are thinking of selling our home and buying over close to the lake and opening a retail knife store and have other outdoor type hand made items too. Anyway we love it and it has carried us for over 20 years. You have to be willing to work at it 7 days a week. After church on sunday.
We thank God everyday for what he has given us with family and friends.
Good luck to anyone who wants to make it on the knifemakers income that wants to work only 40 hours a week.
Percy

 

[lerman]

great thread,
well, not allot of history here, i'm 23 years old, this year is my first year as a full time knife maker, i started making knives when i was 15 and learned the craft from master internet explorer , i worked as a carpenter in a big furniture factory for three years and saved money to build my knife making shop.