Basic tools

[barra]

As Ashley (Snakehorse saddler) mentioned in the advice on first saddle thread, there was an old thread pre crash where we listed what we thought were the basic tools needed to build saddles. I will kick off the thread but bare with me as this time i am thousands of miles from home and trying to picture the workshop back home from memory. I think a lot of tools can be either home made or procured/adapted from other trades and purchased at the local hardware or picked up at garage sales. This will cut down the expense on purchasing saddler specific tools. As the money situation improves you can upgrade the tools.

Home made draw down stand

Homemade stitching horse or saddlers clams

boot knife with good steel for keeping sharp

short pointed boot knife for trimming in tight corners, bleed knots etc

Leather strop or various grit emery boards

compass divider

racer for gouging stitch grooves (can be home made)

roll of hemp thread (can roll any sized thread your heart desires)

round knife or head knife (buy the best you can afford) used to cut/skive and can be used to cut straps if no draw knife/plough guage is available

a few edge tools

wad punches of various sizes

cutting out bench (made to suit your height)

screw driver set (el cheapo hardware bargain bin)

various sized awl blades (handles can be cut off broom sticks at a push) find wooden things that feel good in the hand to you then tap in the awl blade. The locking hafts are not essential.

Various bones from the butcher (free) to make slickers/burnishers. Throw them outside away from the dogs and the house to let the ants clean out the flesh. Then done you can cut, shape polish to your desired shape.

Single creaser/tickler. can be home made at a push from an old screw driver that has been shaped on a grinder and then polished smooth.

broken glass for shaving leather edges smooth

mallet/maul. mallets can be had from the hardware store

shoe hammer (antique/second hand store) you know the old box of tools in the corner from deceased estate actions

nail claw

side cutters/various pliers/multi grips from hardware

slot/crew/bag punches can be done away with by making 2 round punch holes and cutting between (not ideal but at a push can be done)

copper rivets and setter

lump of old railway track (handy anvil) and various lumps of old iron. The bases from old fashioned steel irons are good.

various seat/scratch awls (home made with the grinder and old screw drivers (for drawing up leathers tight

rasp

nippers (distract your farrier)

saddlers hammer can be home made with a good handle or strong dowl and then get some steel rod, heat up one end and then flatten. Attach the rod to the wooden handle with a metal band

If you crease strapping then you can cut slots of varius widths into the ends of your knife handles or peices of wood to make creaser grooves

Bees wax

egg eyed needles

dyes/burnishing goops (all home made) eg PVA glue disolved in a jar of warm water or boiling bark to get the tannins out (DO not do this in the kitchen or within 2 days of wife entering the house. The stink will outlast religion.

I'd go surfing ebay and rummage around garage sales. You will be surprised what you can tun into a leather tool with a little imagination.

As said this list is off the top of my head. I could probably cull the list if I was going to make it a BARE BONES list and I would definately add to make life easy. As you can see lots can be scrounged from elsewhere.

Forgot the coffee pot and beer fridge.

Barra

Edited February 1, 2008 by barra

[barra]

On the subject of single creasers/ticklers. A really nice one can be made out of bone using the method listed above.

don't forget a straight edge/steel rule and sometimes it is handy to have a tape measure attached to the bench (pester the sewing machine mechanic or store for one of those advertising adhesive tapes they stick on sewing machine tables and stick it to the bench