trav71

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Well, I have a machete, with no sheath... so I decided to start with making a sheath for it. It is something practical, and a project I can define. I found an article on "The Art of Manliness", for making a simple sheath... It looks like the things I will need are : Awl Overstitch wheel Stitch Groover Waxed Thread Needles I thought that I was supposed to use a diamond sewing chisel for punching the holes, but I guess this guy suggests using an awl. What would you recommend for this handful of items? And how do I match thread to awl size?

I am going to try my hand at making a plain sheath for my machete. I wondered if someone could recommend what size needles and what weight thread I should use. I have no idea what I am doing. Thanks!

Hey Raven, So my list should include : stitch groover divider edge beveller stitch marker stitching chisel/pricking iron rotary punch tool I dont really know what half of these things are, lol.. I am sure I can find them on my own, but I do not know the sizes of some of the tools. Do I need an awl? Are these the dividers you are referring to? http://www.traditionalwoodworker.com/searchprods.asp What is a "good" rotary punch tool? I am asking this one specifically, because I saw some posts advising against "bad" ones.. so I am a little more paranoid about that purchase than the others. Thanks again!

Thanks so much guys, now I need to figure out brands and sizes!!! I am pretty stoked to get started!!!

Hey all, brand new to the forum, and looking to get into the craft. My end goal would be to make nice costume masks... Typical plague doctor, gargoyle, etc types of things. So I would imagine I would need to learn most aspects of the hobby. Before I spend money on it, I wanted more seasoned minds than mine advise me on purchases. I went to the Tandy site, and looked at their beginner kits. I was turned off because the kit I was looking at ($139) looked like it was very basic. I was afraid of buying something with tools that are really too cheap to use, and precut leather that really doesnt give me a good start in learning. I wanted to hear what your opinions were... Would you recommend one of these kits for a beginner, or would you recommend buying a handful of "decent" level tools, a piece of cheapish leather, and to try to get started with some actual patterns? If so, what tools would I need to pick up? I really appreciate any advice you all can offer me. Trav