Makers: how do you schedule your orders?

[mikeymoto]

I would very much like to hear from other makers who make knives or sheaths on a per-order basis. I will understand if you don't want to talk about this, but I've been wondering about this for some time and talking with another JD member today I got to wondering how other makers manage orders.

I'm a part-time sheath maker; it's a hobby that takes up as much of my free time as I'm willing to put into it. Generally that includes a full day on the weekend and 4 out of 5 week nights. Since I started it as a real business I've consistently had 10 or more orders at any time.

My order processing is a FIFO - first order in, first order out. I call it my queue and as orders firm up they go into the bottom of the queue as of the time the first inquiry about the order came in. I generally make about 2 sheaths a week.

Sometimes, such as around the holidays and in some special cases, I work on orders that were not in the queue, but I feel bad doing that and it is something I try to avoid. But for e.g. Christmas gifts for my family it just doesn't make sense to put them in the queue.

In some cases I work on several projects at a time, but I've found that more than 3 is way too much for me.

How do you manage your orders? I feel my process is pretty darn simple and I think there could be some other ways to go about things and I'm just not there yet. Any thoughts, or is this something you consider a competitive advantage you don't care to share?

Thanks!

:gotroasted:

[mikeymoto]

Dang, everyone's too busy working on their orders instead of yakking about 'em. There's my problem!

[J. MacDonald]

I am a hobby knife maker, not a sheath maker, so my circumstances are a little different. As a hobby maker, I make knives for fun and to give me a creative outlet and an escape from my day job.

I saw a thread recently here about a collector that was mad because he was having a hard time finding makers that would take special orders to make customer specified knives. That guy would probably never buy one of my knives. I do not take commissions, customer designs or deposits. I make what I want to make and if someone wants to buy it, cool. I maintain a waiting list and when I get a knife done, I contact the first person on the list. If they pass, #2 gets the nod. I've never had to go beyond #3 so far, but I'm kind of new at this and only have about a dozen folks on the list. Of course at my rate, that might be a two year list!

Making sheaths for existing knives presents a whole different challenge IMHO. I am in a bit of a quandary now though as I've been working off a single pattern so far with variances in materials, but I'm about to go public with my second design. Do I start a second list, or offer the first completed knife to the first guy on the existing list that wants to buy a knife from me?

What do you guys think?

[tmik]

when I took orders, it was FIFO and I didn't work on anything else if I had an order outstanding. That's one of the reasons I quit taking orders. The pressure of getting the next one out before I could do something I wanted to became unbearable.

[Steelshaper]

For the most part I do it as you explained. Some things will be a little different as I am a knife maker and I forge most of my knives. They way you are doing it sounds good.

My process is based on the same idea only more steps are involved. I will finish a simple order ahead of the others sometimes. I also work on more than three knives at one time. If I have to start up the forge I will forge a few things out. I also work on inventory knives as time permits while I am working on orders.

[PatrickKnives]

I really try to do FIFO but sometimes one or two sneak ahead. The main thing I try to do is finish orders before I offer any other knife for sale. Many time expecially with my drop point I will work on 3-4 even if I only have one order, knowing the others will be sold.

[Cote]

I'm a knifemaker, I put in my full day working on orders, I reserve an hour or two in the evening for my special projects.

Gill

[cardoso5fr]

I'm a part time maker (i'm senior accountant in the other life)

My way of working is totaly aleatory.
I can make the order i received 15mn ago before one which is waiting since 5 month.
It's totaly in function of my mood.
Sometime i want to make balisong, and if i have order from balisong that will that one that will be honored. (if i have no order from bali, i will make a balisong and the order will wait.)
That is by cycle, generally i make one or two balisong, after it's a friction folder time, kiridashi, neck knives. That is the big advantage to be not a full time maker.
And between order, i make very often some idea i have in the head, test, or other totaly crazy thing that i have in my disturbed brain.

That is why i say often to the customer to remember me very often i have to work for him :).