Writing

On the business of making knives

Money, pricing and sourcing. Not heat treat — there are better people than me on that.

Temperline

What a custom knife actually costs to makeMost makers price off materials and instinct. Here is the arithmetic — materials, consumables, overhead and your own hours — and the hourly rate it usually produces. How to work out your shop rateNobody knows their shop rate off the top of their head. Three numbers you already have, the trap in the third one, and a worked example.

Temperline

Temperline does this arithmetic for you — materials, consumables, overhead and your hours — and tells you what a knife actually made you. It's invite-only while it's in beta. The first 50 makers to log one real knife with its real costs keep it free for life.

Join the waitlist

The knifemaking supply map is free and needs no account — 26 suppliers across five continents, every address checked against a primary source.