That guy was me! Just like to say thankyou for the heads up on not needing a kings ransom to start out and to beable to get good enough results with out a big budget s reassuring. You have a good heart bud keep up the good work 👍cheers M
No problem I have had others who have also mentioned feeling like they need to get a tun of gear and I just wanted to get the message out that it's not necessary to go broke starting a sharpening service. I like to test sharpeners so I also enjoy buying them and seeing what I like. I know some people may be doing this as a source of additional income that they need. Maybe for their kids , family or many other important needs. I am fortunate that I am not in that situation so for me the money my sharpening brings in is for fun, buying gear to review, and going out to dinner with my wife, getting fun toys, but I would feel bad if someone who wanted to do it as a way to make some needed extra income didn't try because they thought I need all that gear. You don't and if you plan it out and really look at your market you can start for a very affordable budget and be profitable. When I started I originally thought it was going to take me 2 years to pay off my equipment. I paid it all off in one and a half months. Every market is different but everyone in the world needs things sharpened, so there is no lack of customers out there it's just finding how to get them.
I love sharpening. It’s one of my favourite hobbies. But I don’t know if I could make enough money consistently to do it full time. I work construction here in Australia the money is good but I hate the work so much, i make $2400 a week before tax, I would have to sharpen like 300 knives a week to make that much.
Well you could always do it as a side hustle to work less at construction and there are ways to scale it up to make a living at it. I don’t do any of that because I have more business than I can handle and I don’t want employees or a brick and mortar store but plenty of people make a good living at it. Also commercial sharpening in the USA is wide open and you can definitely make a living if you want to sharpen things like commercial saw blades and Carbide tools. I am a retired cop so for me this is a very nice additional income to my pension. But that’s one great thing about sharpening is there are many ways to make it what you want.
Great info. There was a guy who shapened out of his garage for years. Sadly he passed away. As soon as I get some health issues fixed I`m hitting it hard. No one else does it in my home town. Had a lady ask me if I could sharpen her apple corer. I smiled and said it would be cheaper to but a new one. One thing I`ve learned is you dont get busy over night. I`m retired so time is not a problem.
I am retired also but I have so much business now I sharpen every day M-F 8 hrs Sat 9AM to noon it can grow fast especially if you are the only one so be ready you may get busy fast
Word of mouth is 80% of my biz. Most of the time I`ll ask owners of cafes etc. after a meal. My wife tells everyone. Dont forget lawn mower blades almost everyone cuts grass. Riding mowers have up to 3 blades.@@pt0407
I definitely want to work for myself before I hit 30 and this video definitely helped. Only thing I wanna know is where do I go or who do I talk to in order to get all the liscencing and legal stuff squared away? I live in Laconia NH and plan to work out of my apartment.
It’s different in every state so you will have to check on a few things in your area both State and local this is where the Guild of Professional Sharpeners can be very helpful as well in my area I had to apply for a business license with my county since it was home based I had to do a drawing of the space I intended to use and the sq footage. (Easy they did not need professional drawings literally a hand sketch) Had to tell them about parking availability. I had to get an Federal Tax ID number-Very easy go to the IRS website and apply that’s what you use to open a business bank account. Now I don’t sell anything just my sharpening service so I don’t have to deal with state tax I just have to pay state tax on the money I make from sharpening. If you want to sell things like Knives or knife accessories you will have to charge State Sales Tax I don’t have enough space so I don’t sell anything other than my service so I don’t have to deal with State Sales Tax. I also don’t have employees so no kinds of concerns with unemployment tax or insurance because it’s just me. I do have a umbrella policy that’s in case of any lawsuits but that wasn’t expensive and is just in case let’s say a customer fell in my driveway picking up their knives. My small business license from the country I have to renew every year and it’s based on income from the business but here in Fairfax County it’s very reasonable mine was around $60 this year. Some guys in the Guild have started LLCs there are some advantages and legal protections an LLC provides like if you get sued they can only go after the business assets not your personal assets. You can do that yourself it also has different tax reporting and if you have it all done for you probably going to cost around $1000 or more. Since I am the only employee and don’t intend to ever have employees and plan to stay just a sole proprietorship I am ok not having an LLC but it’s worth considering many areas have great small business associations and also there are many that will help you for low cost or free. I got help from one for veterans and it was 100% free. They provided me a check list of all the things to do to start a business and the order to do them in.
Agree many start out doing friends and family. I went to a few thrift stores and Goodwill stores to get knives several gave them to me for free because they don't sell them. I started out telling them I was starting a knife sharpening service and needed knives to train on and they were very helpful I think I only spent about $8 and came home with around 25 knives to train on. I sharpened them all then dulled them and did it again. After about 50 knives I felt pretty good. These where some really dull knives so it was actually easier when I started doing customers knives. They are also good to keep for breaking in new abrasives especially if you are using Diamond or CBN. They need to be broken in and you never want to take a new stone to a customers good knife. They always start out very aggressive and then after 4-5 knives they start to reach their normal sharpening grit. Same with aggressive belts. They don't need 4-5 knives but it's good to dress a belt on an old knife or some steel first. Regular Sharpening Stones or the Tormek Standard stone you don't have to break in. They are pretty much good to go out of the box.
@@ALXSHARPEN Good tips on breaking in the abrasives, I didn't know that. I think I started sharpening as a hobby in 2015 and every week I trained a bit. I feel pretty confident on my work now. What upped my game too was getting a small 30/60x loupe so that I can check the knife's edge, specially the tip. Also a tip for the newbies: on your good knives, you should sharpen it, then maintain it with a wooden leather strop. One side with abrasive paste and one without. Make one yourself with veg tan leather, wood and contact cement if you can't afford to buy one. Leave the stones only as a last resort, I ruined a good knife by sharpening it on a stone every time it was getting dull.
@@pinarppanrapir9489 good point I hone my kitchen knives regularly but I only sharpen them 1-2 times a year if you have nice knives don’t shorten their life by over sharpening them. I ask my customers what do you do to maintain your knives then I show them how to hone if they are interested. Many are surprised and ask me. Paul aren’t you hurting your business teaching me how to maintain them and I always say I have plenty of customers, and when honing stops working that’s when you know it’s time to come see me. Because the other question you will get all the time is how often should I get my knives sharpened. I reminded them that honing isn’t sharpening and it just helps maintain the edge. When your no longer happy with the results the hone gives you then it’s time for sharpening. Almost all my customers come back with more things like scissors and gardening gear and recommend me to friends and family. I have never found it to be negative to share knowledge with customers. If the want to know how to sharpen I’m happy to talk about it with them.
Hello ! I'm from Romania and started as an necesity , hobby , and now I want to start an bussiness in of sharpening! I am passionate by freehand whetstone sharpening .
@@maxverstappennonofficial awesome good luck with your Business it’s very hard to keep up freehand so you may want to consider some tools and powered sharpening options.
Nope that's one of the amazing things about CBN it was designed to repel heat unlike carbon (Diamond Wheels) that attracts heat. Yes just the wheel moving through the air keeps it cool and the slow RMP of the Tormek keep the heat super low there no noticeable heat at all.
Hello and thank you for the information on your channel. It is very interesting to watch a real proffessional. Me and my friend decided to open grinding services in our country. Could you please recommend a machine for hair salon scissors. Maybe with manipulator. So far we plan to start with tormek t8 Thank you in advance
For Hair Salon look to a Twice As Sharp Machine I would not go to a Tormek for Hair Sheers you want an Ookami Gold Scissors Sharpener by Wolf Industries. wolffindustries.com/products/ookami-gold-scissors-sharpener
Currently I have Ken Onion Elite Grinding solution, TSPROF biltiz, worksharp professional precision adjust sharpener, I just registered my business this year, and I am currently getting jigs etc for Tormek T8, like centering knife jig, large centering knit jig, knife angle setter. In March 2025, I plan on getting Tormek T8, then start handing out my business card to businesses that need knife sharpening. I plan on getting jigs for carving tools so eventually I can expand business sharpening tools for carving businesses.
Thanks for the info! What would you suggest for scissor sharpening. My daughter is starting out cutting hair and my mom retired after 40 years Austin is a hot market. I have a T 8
For scissors I use a Twice as Sharp Machine by Wolf Industries they make several models I have one for Barber and Salon sheers and I have another one for regular household scissors that one I put a custom CBN wheel on it from Wood Turner’s Wonders. They now sell the wheel I had made Its nice to have to not use the aluminum oxide wheels that come the regular model as they make a little mess the CBN cuts down the mess significantly
Thank you for the inspiration and information. Could you give me an idea of what initial pricing should be? I live in the country and there is absolutely no competition. I love sharpening, I sharpen everything in my house and that of my family. I absolutely love doing it. I want to begin a business but I have no Idea what to charge. Thank you in advance.
Well Sharpening pricing is often a regional thing and I have seen it from $5 a knife to $12 also take into consideration what type of service you are providing are you picking up and dropping off or are they dropping off to you. I would look on Google maps and see if you can find someone in your region. I would also consider joining the Guid Of Professional Sharpeners we have lots of great info for both new and experienced sharpeners I can send you a link. We have a free trial but it's very reasonable and will help you get started and save you wasting money and we have several good discounts for members. I do a flat rate I don't price on size or measuring I keep it as simple as possible if you want to see my pricing it's on my website at alxsharpen.com but keep in mind I am in a very high priced region of the country for Sharpening... I would say $6-8 a knife would be a good start you can always raise them up if you feel you can get more.
Yes for the Tormek T-8 I have the SG250 and the Japaneses water stone. I also have several 5 inch flat stones in the shop a 4000 and 10,000 grit but don't need the often sometimes for scisors
No I haven’t as a professional sharpener of many different things it wouldn’t be for me it’s meant for professional kitchens mostly who I guess don’t have a sharpener or want to sharpen their own. But if Tormek makes it no doubt it fantastic. It’s guid is made to make it easier for a kitchen to just sharpen a knife up fast.
@@ALXSHARPEN I can sharpen any knife my dad taught me on a stone when I was 10 said you can’t carry a knife if you can’t sharpen it so I figured that out like Jonny on the spot and I just wondered how much to charge to sharpen knives
That guy was me! Just like to say thankyou for the heads up on not needing a kings ransom to start out and to beable to get good enough results with out a big budget s reassuring. You have a good heart bud keep up the good work 👍cheers M
No problem I have had others who have also mentioned feeling like they need to get a tun of gear and I just wanted to get the message out that it's not necessary to go broke starting a sharpening service. I like to test sharpeners so I also enjoy buying them and seeing what I like. I know some people may be doing this as a source of additional income that they need. Maybe for their kids , family or many other important needs. I am fortunate that I am not in that situation so for me the money my sharpening brings in is for fun, buying gear to review, and going out to dinner with my wife, getting fun toys, but I would feel bad if someone who wanted to do it as a way to make some needed extra income didn't try because they thought I need all that gear. You don't and if you plan it out and really look at your market you can start for a very affordable budget and be profitable. When I started I originally thought it was going to take me 2 years to pay off my equipment. I paid it all off in one and a half months. Every market is different but everyone in the world needs things sharpened, so there is no lack of customers out there it's just finding how to get them.
I love sharpening. It’s one of my favourite hobbies. But I don’t know if I could make enough money consistently to do it full time. I work construction here in Australia the money is good but I hate the work so much, i make $2400 a week before tax, I would have to sharpen like 300 knives a week to make that much.
Well you could always do it as a side hustle to work less at construction and there are ways to scale it up to make a living at it. I don’t do any of that because I have more business than I can handle and I don’t want employees or a brick and mortar store but plenty of people make a good living at it. Also commercial sharpening in the USA is wide open and you can definitely make a living if you want to sharpen things like commercial saw blades and Carbide tools. I am a retired cop so for me this is a very nice additional income to my pension. But that’s one great thing about sharpening is there are many ways to make it what you want.
Great info. There was a guy who shapened out of his garage for years. Sadly he passed away. As soon as I get some health issues fixed I`m hitting it hard. No one else does it in my home town. Had a lady ask me if I could sharpen her apple corer. I smiled and said it would be cheaper to but a new one. One thing I`ve learned is you dont get busy over night. I`m retired so time is not a problem.
Awesome sounds like a great opportunity to fill a void I had a similar situation when I started
I am retired also but I have so much business now I sharpen every day M-F 8 hrs Sat 9AM to noon it can grow fast especially if you are the only one so be ready you may get busy fast
@@ALXSHARPEN How did you market yourself? by WOM - neighbors, friends? Or facebook, local papers, etc? I don't know anyone in my area.
Word of mouth is 80% of my biz. Most of the time I`ll ask owners of cafes etc. after a meal. My wife tells everyone. Dont forget lawn mower blades almost everyone cuts grass. Riding mowers have up to 3 blades.@@pt0407
Thank you for all your great videos
Really motivating and knowledgeable guy. I enjoy your content every time I dip in to it.
I appreciate that!
Very encouraging. I am starting a sharpening business up here in Leesburg. Love your videos!
Awesome I don't see any sharpeners listed in that area you may be the only game in town.
how is working for you so far ?
@@dilandrenova8748 very well, thanks!
I definitely want to work for myself before I hit 30 and this video definitely helped. Only thing I wanna know is where do I go or who do I talk to in order to get all the liscencing and legal stuff squared away? I live in Laconia NH and plan to work out of my apartment.
It’s different in every state so you will have to check on a few things in your area both State and local this is where the Guild of Professional Sharpeners can be very helpful as well in my area I had to apply for a business license with my county since it was home based I had to do a drawing of the space I intended to use and the sq footage. (Easy they did not need professional drawings literally a hand sketch) Had to tell them about parking availability. I had to get an Federal Tax ID number-Very easy go to the IRS website and apply that’s what you use to open a business bank account. Now I don’t sell anything just my sharpening service so I don’t have to deal with state tax I just have to pay state tax on the money I make from sharpening. If you want to sell things like Knives or knife accessories you will have to charge State Sales Tax I don’t have enough space so I don’t sell anything other than my service so I don’t have to deal with State Sales Tax. I also don’t have employees so no kinds of concerns with unemployment tax or insurance because it’s just me. I do have a umbrella policy that’s in case of any lawsuits but that wasn’t expensive and is just in case let’s say a customer fell in my driveway picking up their knives. My small business license from the country I have to renew every year and it’s based on income from the business but here in Fairfax County it’s very reasonable mine was around $60 this year. Some guys in the Guild have started LLCs there are some advantages and legal protections an LLC provides like if you get sued they can only go after the business assets not your personal assets. You can do that yourself it also has different tax reporting and if you have it all done for you probably going to cost around $1000 or more. Since I am the only employee and don’t intend to ever have employees and plan to stay just a sole proprietorship I am ok not having an LLC but it’s worth considering many areas have great small business associations and also there are many that will help you for low cost or free. I got help from one for veterans and it was 100% free. They provided me a check list of all the things to do to start a business and the order to do them in.
I think you could even do small jobs for people you know on a stone freehanding it for starters. Maybe one day I'll do it.
Agree many start out doing friends and family. I went to a few thrift stores and Goodwill stores to get knives several gave them to me for free because they don't sell them. I started out telling them I was starting a knife sharpening service and needed knives to train on and they were very helpful I think I only spent about $8 and came home with around 25 knives to train on. I sharpened them all then dulled them and did it again. After about 50 knives I felt pretty good. These where some really dull knives so it was actually easier when I started doing customers knives. They are also good to keep for breaking in new abrasives especially if you are using Diamond or CBN. They need to be broken in and you never want to take a new stone to a customers good knife. They always start out very aggressive and then after 4-5 knives they start to reach their normal sharpening grit. Same with aggressive belts. They don't need 4-5 knives but it's good to dress a belt on an old knife or some steel first. Regular Sharpening Stones or the Tormek Standard stone you don't have to break in. They are pretty much good to go out of the box.
@@ALXSHARPEN Good tips on breaking in the abrasives, I didn't know that. I think I started sharpening as a hobby in 2015 and every week I trained a bit. I feel pretty confident on my work now. What upped my game too was getting a small 30/60x loupe so that I can check the knife's edge, specially the tip. Also a tip for the newbies: on your good knives, you should sharpen it, then maintain it with a wooden leather strop. One side with abrasive paste and one without. Make one yourself with veg tan leather, wood and contact cement if you can't afford to buy one. Leave the stones only as a last resort, I ruined a good knife by sharpening it on a stone every time it was getting dull.
@@pinarppanrapir9489 good point I hone my kitchen knives regularly but I only sharpen them 1-2 times a year if you have nice knives don’t shorten their life by over sharpening them. I ask my customers what do you do to maintain your knives then I show them how to hone if they are interested. Many are surprised and ask me. Paul aren’t you hurting your business teaching me how to maintain them and I always say I have plenty of customers, and when honing stops working that’s when you know it’s time to come see me. Because the other question you will get all the time is how often should I get my knives sharpened. I reminded them that honing isn’t sharpening and it just helps maintain the edge. When your no longer happy with the results the hone gives you then it’s time for sharpening. Almost all my customers come back with more things like scissors and gardening gear and recommend me to friends and family. I have never found it to be negative to share knowledge with customers. If the want to know how to sharpen I’m happy to talk about it with them.
Hello !
I'm from Romania and started as an necesity , hobby , and now I want to start an bussiness in of sharpening!
I am passionate by freehand whetstone sharpening .
@@maxverstappennonofficial awesome good luck with your Business it’s very hard to keep up freehand so you may want to consider some tools and powered sharpening options.
Just about to start a sharpening service appreciate the advice your page provides.
Thank you!!!!!
Great motivating vid. What is a good starting knife sharpening machine these days?
@@EricsWormPlayground tormek
What do you do with your 1x30?
Good morning,
I see you are doing high end Japanese knives on your Tormek and I see that you went to the waterless CBN wheel,
Is temperature an issue?
Nope that's one of the amazing things about CBN it was designed to repel heat unlike carbon (Diamond Wheels) that attracts heat. Yes just the wheel moving through the air keeps it cool and the slow RMP of the Tormek keep the heat super low there no noticeable heat at all.
Thank you Paul for the fast reply and thank you for your service. I appreciate you sharing your skills and knowledge.
May God continue to bless you.
Love your videos. If you had to invest in one or two machines to start your business, what would they be? Belt sander? Tormek? Something else?
To start #1 belt sander #2 Tormek it's really nice to have both or multiple over time I have 5 Belt Sanders and 3 Tormeks total
Great video.
Hello and thank you for the information on your channel.
It is very interesting to watch a real proffessional.
Me and my friend decided to open grinding services in our country.
Could you please recommend a machine for hair salon scissors. Maybe with manipulator.
So far we plan to start with tormek t8
Thank you in advance
For Hair Salon look to a Twice As Sharp Machine I would not go to a Tormek for Hair Sheers you want an Ookami Gold Scissors Sharpener by Wolf Industries.
wolffindustries.com/products/ookami-gold-scissors-sharpener
Currently I have Ken Onion Elite Grinding solution, TSPROF biltiz, worksharp professional precision adjust sharpener, I just registered my business this year, and I am currently getting jigs etc for Tormek T8, like centering knife jig, large centering knit jig, knife angle setter. In March 2025, I plan on getting Tormek T8, then start handing out my business card to businesses that need knife sharpening. I plan on getting jigs for carving tools so eventually I can expand business sharpening tools for carving businesses.
Thanks for the info! What would you suggest for scissor sharpening. My daughter is starting out cutting hair and my mom retired after 40 years Austin is a hot market. I have a T 8
For scissors I use a Twice as Sharp Machine by Wolf Industries they make several models I have one for Barber and Salon sheers and I have another one for regular household scissors that one I put a custom CBN wheel on it from Wood Turner’s Wonders. They now sell the wheel I had made Its nice to have to not use the aluminum oxide wheels that come the regular model as they make a little mess the CBN cuts down the mess significantly
@@ALXSHARPEN Less mess is almost always better! Thanks Brother ✌🏼👊🏼
Hi Paul. Do you use any work sharp gears?
Yes I own A Ken. Onion Elite Sharpener
Thank you for the inspiration and information. Could you give me an idea of what initial pricing should be? I live in the country and there is absolutely no competition. I love sharpening, I sharpen everything in my house and that of my family. I absolutely love doing it. I want to begin a business but I have no Idea what to charge. Thank you in advance.
Well Sharpening pricing is often a regional thing and I have seen it from $5 a knife to $12 also take into consideration what type of service you are providing are you picking up and dropping off or are they dropping off to you. I would look on Google maps and see if you can find someone in your region. I would also consider joining the Guid Of Professional Sharpeners we have lots of great info for both new and experienced sharpeners I can send you a link. We have a free trial but it's very reasonable and will help you get started and save you wasting money and we have several good discounts for members. I do a flat rate I don't price on size or measuring I keep it as simple as possible if you want to see my pricing it's on my website at alxsharpen.com but keep in mind I am in a very high priced region of the country for Sharpening... I would say $6-8 a knife would be a good start you can always raise them up if you feel you can get more.
Do you have any stones?
Yes for the Tormek T-8 I have the SG250 and the Japaneses water stone. I also have several 5 inch flat stones in the shop a 4000 and 10,000 grit but don't need the often sometimes for scisors
Have you looked into or have an opinion on the Tormak T-2 for kitchen knives?
No I haven’t as a professional sharpener of many different things it wouldn’t be for me it’s meant for professional kitchens mostly who I guess don’t have a sharpener or want to sharpen their own. But if Tormek makes it no doubt it fantastic. It’s guid is made to make it easier for a kitchen to just sharpen a knife up fast.
@@ALXSHARPEN thank you!
How much do I charge to start
No competition in my area
And I live in a mountain town big hunting area and I’m a maker as well not a known one but what so charge
Well if you keep at it you can be well known
@@ALXSHARPEN I can sharpen any knife my dad taught me on a stone when I was 10 said you can’t carry a knife if you can’t sharpen it so I figured that out like Jonny on the spot and I just wondered how much to charge to sharpen knives
That was the most longest introduction I have ever heard. Please stop repeating yourself!
Who is forcing you to watch it I want their name LOL FYI you can skip ahead