Just hit 500 custom knives made in my shop outside Asheville

I was cleaning up the books last night and realized I've made exactly 500 finished blades since I started keeping track. It felt weird because I still think of myself as the guy who just makes stuff in a shed. Has anyone else hit a number that made you stop and think about how far you've come?

4 comments

4 Comments

hayden_ramirez24d ago

The Christopher story makes 500 knives sound like a real job.

paulw5325d ago

I always thought keeping count was for factories, not for people making things by hand. But seeing a number like 500 makes you realize you've built a real body of work, even if it still feels like just messing around in the shed most days. It gives the whole thing a different weight.

rileygarcia3d ago

Count the wins. My buddy restores old radios and hit 100 last month. Said the same thing, like a switch flipped in his head.

the_christopher25d ago

My uncle used to restore old tractors in his barn. He kept a chalk tally on the wall for every engine he got running again. I remember the day he wiped it clean after number 200, said it was starting to feel like a job instead of his quiet place. Your post about 500 knives made me think of that. It's a big number that sneaks up on you. The work changes when you see the total stacked up like that.