Beaverslayer

I'm really considering getting one of those now that I see they are less than $1000.00. I bought an Alps MD5500 printer last year, and it cost $2300.00 and it won't make stamps, just prints on pretty much anything that will fit in it. I can see endless possibilities with one of these. You could make fancy stamps for outlining "inlays" and such. Real fancy Celtic designs, intricate borders for wallets and such. As time goes on, my ability to use tools for tooling has been dwindling as I have a hard time holding them, being able to make intricate designs and just pressing them into the leather would be so much easier.

Never mind the stamp....can I have the printer? That is cool, as you will be able to make pretty much any stamp you desire, the possibilities are pretty much endless. What would a stamp like that cost to make?

The flexibility of the belt is what makes it far superior than a regular belt. I designed and engineered car washes for 20 years in a past life, I spent a lot of time designing drive systems for them. I used to know by memory the formulas to determine the horsepower transfer from the motor to the item being driven, but all that eludes me today, not that you would need to know this. Glad to be of help in your quest to make your shop more efficient.

Yes an "A" section belt is pretty much the same width as a 4L belt, there's a good chance the tractor supply place will have them. If you've ever looked at the belts on your car engine, you'll notice that now-a-days they are all "cogged", a far superior design over the solid belt. Here's a picture with a bit of information on a cogged belt: If you ask for an AX37 or an AX36 either one should be a stock item. Good idea about the dust guard, that way the motor wont fill up with flammable particles and cause some unwanted reactions.

Billy, if the pillow blocks have bushings rather than bearings, then you do not have to oil or grease them. Over time, depending on the amount of use, the bushings will get worn and your shaft will wobble. Once this happens then you can replace them with sealed bearing pillow blocks and they will outlast your leather business. If you put a few more screws into the base it should reduce the flexing of that plywood. One of the main reasons you would want the belt tight, is to reduce belt wear (kind of like wheel balancing/alignment) if the belt bounces while rotating, then the belt will wear in a funny pattern, then the whole thing will vibrate over time. By using an "A" section belt with the cogs the belt will compress smaller and contact the pulleys on more of the surface and allow for less belt tension.

That looks real good Billy, well done. I would say that the main reason your old motors burned out, was because your burnisher was "direct mounted" to the motor. What this does, is cause side thrust on the bearings causing extra load and increasing the temperature of the motor, as well as prematurely killing the bearings. You won't have a problem with this setup. One thing you may want to consider is a bigger pulley on the motor. This will increase the speed of the shaft that the burnisher and sanding drum are on, and will speed up your production time. I also noticed that your belt isn't that tight and there is not real easy way to tighten it as time goes on. If you were to change that 4L370 belt to an "A" section 37 inch belt, it will grip the pulleys a whole lot better even if it is a bit loose. An "A" section belt is "cogged" on the inside and has a much better power transfer ratio than a 4L belt. Again, good work, it's nice to see ingenuity in the shop. Just took another look at the "Business" end as immiketoo mentioned it. I see there are no grease nipples installed on the pillow blocks, unless they are "sealed" bearings on those, you should put grease nipples in them and keep them greased up, otherwise they will burn out in no time.

First off, welcome to the forum albertacountrygirl.... It's all about confidence in your own abilities to take on a project like this. There is quite a bit involved whether you machine sew or hand lace these seat covers together. The first thing you need to know, is it a "Bench Seat" or "Bucket Seats", is there a "Console" between the buckets? Once you've found out what kind of seat is in the truck, then you'll want to purchase a set of "Manufactured" seat covers from Canadian Tire or Wally World. You can then disassemble them and use them as a pattern. (Be sure to include the price of the seat covers in your cost) The head rests should not be a problem, even if you tool and carve them. You can lace them together and they will become an outer skin for the factory material. Have him leave the head rests with you, so you can use them to measure and fabricate the pieces. If it were me making the seat covers, I would use a veg tan leather on the sides and about three inches from the sides on the "Seat" part as well. This will allow for the "Wear" that usually occurs on the side of seats in pick-up trucks. It may be advisable to actually make the sides and fronts from veg tan leather, this will also allow for easy cleaning of the fronts of the covers...(we both know how muddy guys get the cabs of their trucks)... So now that you have the front and sides made from veg tan, his elk hides can then be used for the seat and back rest areas, this should greatly cut down on the amount of hide you need to use from his hides...and allow for a mistake or two....lol...You can cut your own lace from his elk hides and use this to lace the covers together. You could also make some tooled/carved centre pieces for the top of the seat back and lace them in as well. You'll have to use the "Securing Straps" that are attached to the covers you purchased, and machine sew them into place the same as they were on the store bought ones. This way he'll be able to remove them as needed. I see no real problems with you taking on this project, as long as you feel you are capable with doing them. It's not like your making a saddle for a working horse. As long as you get the right seat cover as a template, disassemble it and make templates of the pieces, mark the templates as to which part and how they align, I see no problems. The issue of what the cost would be, depends on whether you machine sew the entire thing, or if you hand lace and machine sew. Myself personally, I would most likely charge in the neighborhood of $500.00 to $800.00 per seat if they are buckets and $700.00 to $1200.00 if it was a bench seat. The low end of the price range would be if the "Back of the seat does not need to be covered fully, the high end would be if the front and back was completely covered. I just checked, and a set of leather seat covers for a 2010 Dodge Ram (which has bucket seats) retails for $499.95 and they are only available in black. So that's basically $250.00 per seat and they are not "Custom Hand Made" or "One of a Kind" seat covers.

here's a picture that may help a bit.

Cyber, there is one that likes my page that is a "Hutterite", all his "Friends" are also Hutterites. I didn't even think that they were even allowed to have computers or access them.

In the 2 1/2 months I've had the Facebook page for Beaverslayer Custom Leather, I've garnered 153 likes. The first few weeks it rose pretty steadily, now it's tapered down to only a couple a week. The newest "likes" I have no idea who they are or whence they came, as they have no likes or friends in common with me, so somehow in Facebooks vast reach, it is being seen.

Odin, the site I posted has it all, here's the page for the boards for covers. http://www.hollanders.com/supplies/BrowseCategory.aspx?CategoryID=5ad1f6e1-9151-4454-94b0-fbe566c65c6f I've been doing quite a bit of research into making leather photo albums, and this place looks like the best place to get what is needed. You may also want to Google "how to sew book signatures" a signature is the pages used in making books/albums etc.

Yes I also use Facebook, none of the other ones though.

Here's a place that sells the photo album inserts. http://www.hollanders.com/supplies/BrowseSubCategory.aspx?CategoryID=2943b1a0-7bfa-4bcd-bce8-d036601a49e0

Another thing regarding the look of the leather in the picture and the link...they are most likely "Proprietary" leather supplied "Only" to Hermes, just like Louis Vuitton and other Haute Couture lines.

I'd suggest not getting another rotary punch and go with a good set of single punches. My reason for this is simple...you are relying on the strength of your hand and wrist to punch the holes, as well as the strength of the handle of the rotary. With single punches, you are relying on the weight of the mallet that strikes it and that is all. If your going to be punching lots of holes (as I do) why not use something that's going to be far easier to use?

Nope, got no ideas either...I used to save all the little leather dots from all the holes I punched out making things, thinking the same thing, I'll use them some day. I had about a gallon jar of them once I finally decided to throw them out.

Hey Spin, that looks real cool and you did an excellent job on it, I only have one question....is that gun legal here in Canada?

Well, I sent Louis Vuitton an email in regards to "Re-purposing" their products, this is the reply I got back. Dear Mr. Clark, Thank you for contacting Louis Vuitton. Due to an e-mail issue, we were unable to reply earlier to your message. We would like to apologize for this delay. In order to preserve the luxury and discretion of the brand, Louis Vuitton does not sell any of our proprietary materials, or authorize re-purposing of these materials for other uses. We thank you for your interest in Louis Vuitton, and apologize for any disappointment this may cause your client. For further assistance, please contact Client Services at 866-VUITTON (866-884-8866) or visit us at www.louisvuitton.com. Best regards, Stacy C. Client Services LOUIS VUITTON 866-VUITTON contact_us@louisvuitton.com www.louisvuitton.com By their answer, I take it they will not "Authorize" but do not say it it would be considered an infringement on their "Trade Mark" . I'd still not want to take the chance of receiving a letter from their lawyers though....that cost would far surpass any profit made from re-purposing any of their products.

Yes the top 2 are pelican hooks with slides, the bottom one...not sure.

What I would do is to wet form a piece of veg tan 8/9 oz around your jaws. Use a clamp and piece of wood to hold it in place. Once the leather is dry and formed to the jaw, you can remove the clamps then just tack it in place. If you glue it, then you will have a hard time replacing it should the need arise,

Here's a place just down the road a riddle from my house that also sells them. http://www.longviewl...ener-sets-1144/ And here's Zack White, more in your neighborhood, also a few pennies cheaper. http://www.zackwhite.com/5in-Bronze-Collar-Fastener_p_3045.html

Here's the link to them at Ohio Travel Bags. http://www.ohiotravelbag.com/FlipBook/P212_BOOK_1.indb/index.html#/191/zoomed

Yep, I'm from Calgary, what's up?

Here's a silver one for $13.00 http://www.gemavenue.com/Fish-Hook-925-Sterling-Silver-Dangle-Pendant-p/LWPS141.htm Google is our friend...

I believe that's a leather creaser.