7thhorsesoldier

Well, i'm a beginner leather worker and I got some cheap tools today so I decide to try making a leather belt (nothing fancy, just sewing a buckle on). Halfway through I noticed the $0.99 Awl I was using was bent. Not too upset knowing I couldn't expect too much from somthing that cheap I continued on. Nothing could have ever prepared me for what happend next. I doing a saddle stitch and as I was punching a hole into the leather I I heard CrAck... Next thing I know I had a awl needle all the way through my hand. The wood handle on the awl had broken away leaving the back of the needle open and the force of my hand trying to push the awl through the leather and...well you can guess the rest. Trying not to yell a bunch of nasty words I slowly made my way to the tool box and grabed a pair of plyers and yanked it out. My hand is alright and healing but I'm definitely ready to buy some GOOD tools to avoid the same experience . Where are some good supplier's with good tools? Thank yall! OUCH...

Hey thanks Rick for the choices! I'll check them out.

Hey all! I'm pretty new to leather working so please forgive all my dumb questions LOL! Anyway I'm in the process of building my own saddle. Everything's coming along beautifully but where do you all get the steel heavy duty D-rings and buckles? You know, like the large rigging rings and smaller D rings. Is there an internet supplier or do I check out the local Hardware store? Thank's for the help! Chris

Hey thank you both for the reply! I certainly will look into Al Stohlman. I'm planning on starting on a two weeks so I'll keep you updated.

Hey all! Hope I'm posting this in the right area. So here's the deal, I've been goofing around with making leather belts, saber belts, simple saddle repairs, ECT. And now I want to try making a saddle. After looking around I decided to try making a Mexican half seat saddle. I wanted to make a M1859 McClellan but couldn't find a tree. So I just need some advice and tips since this is my first saddle. Here's my list of questions: 1. Where can I get good Harness leather? 2. What tools wilI I need? ( I lack a sewing machine) 3. Patterns? I'm sure there are MANY more questions I'll be asking that those three. I'm not going to put conchos or tooling on because that's pretty well over my head. So it'll be a plain saddle, but it's a start. I'll keep you posted and I start building it. Thank yall for your help. Chris Clark