Job and Hobby Align for Toolmaker Apprentice

Justin Lehman, toolmaker apprentice at Sharonville Transmission Plant, recently launched a new business, Makers Knives, offering handmade custom knives. Lehman credits the apprentice program for allowing him to develop the skills needed to make his company a reality.?

“I couldn’t do it if it wasn’t for the skills I’m learning in the apprentice program. I mean, we’re the best in manufacturing. [Journeyman toolmaker] Marcus Wolter helped me out quite a bit with how to go about making everything. He was super helpful with the whole thing.”?

When Lehman applied to the UAW-Ford Joint Apprentice Program in 2019, “Toolmaker was the first thing that was offered to me,” he said, “but it was the last thing I picked.”?

Taking a chance, Lehman accepted the position and found that it worked out for the best.?

“I fit in it like a round peg,” he said. “It was built for me. I definitely landed right where I was supposed to be.”?

Lehman hired in at Sharonville Transmission Plant on Nov. 26, 2012, as a manufacturing technician. Over the years, he was a team leader in many different areas, and in July 2019, he started in the UAW-Ford Joint Apprentice Program.?

During the initial three weeks of core skills training, Lehman decided to try to make a knife.?

“It sounded like something fun to do while we were up there [in Dearborn],” he said. “I went to Barnes & Noble to try to find a book and couldn’t, so I watched YouTube videos.”?

Lehman was instantly hooked on the challenge and used all the skills he learned from his toolmaker classes to refine his knife-making process.??

“A lot went into it,” Lehman said. “A lot of trial and error. I took my time.”?

When the time was right, Lehman turned his knife-making hobby into a business.??

“I had this idea a long time ago, and I’m finally going to try to see it through,” he said.?

The website for Makers Knives went live in November 2022.?

“The knives that I sell are modular,” Lehman explained. “There are four different blade profiles, each used for a different task. They’re made so that all components are interchangeable.”?

He continued, “My business model is to always have everything in stock. You pick everything, and I can ship it to you the next day. At other custom knife companies, there is a four- to six-month wait list. My goal is to get to 20 sales a month. Now, I’m averaging about 10 to 12 a month.”?

Lehman has plans on expanding his business, as well.?

“I have a few things in the works. The idea and concept have been proved out. The business is healthy and staying steady. I want to get that in front of more people. I’m going to refine a couple of my processes and start on folding knives.”?

Lehman hopes to get into the three major blade shows in the country that are held in Houston, Atlanta and Salt Lake City.?

“It’s fun,” he said. “It’s a hobby, and it pays for itself. I enjoy every aspect of it, even the business side. I never did a lemonade stand. This is kind of like my lemonade stand.”?