Custom Knife Maker (Home Workshop)

Home cooks and chefs, hunters, campers and bushcrafters, gift buyers and knife collectors.

Selling finished knives at a fixed price, taking custom orders with a deposit, and selling through your website, craft fairs and hunting or outdoor shows.

• Patience and attention to detail
• Metalworking or woodworking
• Basic photography for listings
• Customer service for custom orders

• Check your municipality's zoning and home-based business rules for noise, dust and any forge or furnace use
• Check home insurance, plus product liability and commercial general liability insurance for a sharp product
• Canadian Criminal Code rules on certain knife types (such as automatic or switchblade knives) and rules on shipping blades, so check before offering them
• Metal dust, sparks and fumes need good ventilation, eye and lung protection, and fire safety
• Check rules on selling to minors and on shipping knives, including any restrictions by couriers and marketplaces
• Register for GST/HST once you pass the small supplier threshold

Startup costs are estimated at typically around $2,000 to $8,000, depending on the equipment, steel and handle materials you buy. A belt grinder, ventilation and eye and lung protection are worth factoring into your budget.

Check municipal zoning and home-based business rules for noise, dust and any forge use, your home, product liability and commercial general liability insurance, Criminal Code rules on certain knife types, shipping and marketplace restrictions, rules on selling to minors, and GST/HST registration.

Estimated monthly revenue is typically around $300 to $2,500, depending on how many knives you make and the price of each. The estimate assumes at least about 8 hours a week, and custom orders take patience and attention to detail.