Just finished my 100th commission knife and it hit me harder than I expected

I was updating my log book and saw the number. One hundred. I started this side gig five years ago in my garage in Boise, just trying to make a decent chef's knife. That first one took me a full week and the handle was a mess. Now, I just shipped out a hunter's skinner with a stabilized maple burl handle that a guy ordered from three states over. It's not about the money, though that helps. It's about looking at that line of finished blades and seeing the slow, hard change from someone who just hits hot metal to someone who can actually make a tool that works and lasts. I never thought I'd get here, honestly. Has anyone else had a number sneak up on them like that, where you just stop and realize how far you've come?

4 comments

4 Comments

gavin69218h ago

So you're saying the only thing that counts is building a whole company? What happens to the skill in someone's hands, the kind you can't just buy with a business loan?

harper6931d ago

I mean, it's just a number though, right? You made some knives, which is cool, but it feels like you're reading way too much into it. A hundred of anything sounds like a lot until you break it down over five years. That's like, what, twenty knives a year? It's a side gig. It's not like you built a whole company or changed your whole life. It's a hobby that got a little out of hand. The tools probably work fine, but it's still just making knives.

alice8918h ago

Maybe it's just a hobby, but that much practice has to mean something.

reeseperez23h ago

Look, @harper693, I get where you're coming from, but hitting a hundred pieces means you've worked through all the basic mistakes and figured out your own process. It's not about the company, it's about the skill you build when you have to fix a warped blade for the tenth time or finally nail a handle fit. That changes how you see making things, even if it stays a side gig.