shtoink

That's a great idea! I have to admit that I may have eventually stumbled onto that idea, but only after trying out a half dozen other ideas that didn't work first. I seem to have an affinity for doing things the hard way.

A block wood and some time with a belt sander maybe? You may need to hit some thrift shops, otherwise. It looks like the edge of the brim may have been rolled with a AAA battery, too.

Tomorrow will be Revenge of the 5TH!

It's difficult to say without a bit more info. Though, I may just lack the experience needed.

I know that the mapping of the wood texture isn't quite right, but I wasn't aiming for realistic with this. I was getting an idea of how the hinges, the locking mechanism, and everything else will all fit together. I was thinking that it might be easier, and lighter, to construct the punch block from a few thin pieces of plywood rather than a solid block of wood. This means that I don't need drill press, but I will need to potentially place some tubes into those holes so the punches don't fail to align properly when inserting them. I may end up just getting a block of wood and borrowing access to a drill press if it becomes too much of a hassle.

I'll definitely be keeping the updated with progress pictures as the project moves along. If there are any idea that anyone might add, this is certainly the stage that they should be suggested. I'm still not 100% solid on how I'll be doing the locking mechanism for the punch holder or if I might need to account for any other tools/details that have yet to mention.

The part with the "U" shape and rollers along the left is the mouth piece, the angle makes it difficult to see, though. Multiple pictures at different angles would have help in that regard. It's pretty hard to do decent searching while on my phone, but I did find a guide for bit and spur types here.

I'm glad that you like the idea, Mike2. I was pretty sure there were people out there that might not want to transport their entire collection of tools if they didn't have to. This seemed like a simple and neat idea to solve that problem. What I think is great is that it's a standard sized student clarinet case. I have seen quie a few of them around without an instrument inside. They can be found in music shops and junk stores alike. I would recommend that anyone wishing to make a similar toolbox keep an eye out the older style case and make sure it has a minimum, or no, plastic in it's construction. I didn't get an opportunity to check out many other instrument cases, but this one wasn't too difficult to pull out the support system for the clarinet. It would make sense to keep an eye out for that, as the more difficult it would be to remove the guts and modify, the work that will be involved in converting it. I realized early on that it would be difficult to carry around just about any toolbox that has a granite/marble slab hiding inside. It'd be the equivalent of purposely putting bricks in you backpack, purse, or briefcase. I worked on the assumption that there is a great deal of variance in the types and sizes of slab one might have and it would be far easier to just have it carried separately, if it needed to be brought along at all.

I am using the exact same version of Firefox and not experiencing that issue. The first thing that comes to mind is either some issue with an add-on / plug-in that may be installed with your Firefox, or some strange popup blocking behavior that was added accidentally. It could also be malware. You can't ever seem escape the possibility of that one, but it certainly isn't my first guess in your case based on what you said. I'd say that giving a look at your installed add-ons to see what you have and then maybe running Firefox is safe mode to see how it behaves. This should let you see if it might be add-on related. If it works properly, then it's just a matter of figuring out the offending add-on.

Umm... That looks to be a very true statement... Is your neighborhood free of any stray critters after that?

Since I can't ever seem to turn off my brain, I find it interesting to see what it comes up with when I let it have some freedom now and then. The last time it was inspired by a very cool toolbox design that I have mostly worked out over here. This time I had discovered an old, but cool looking clarinet case for less than a five spot. I wasn't completely convinced that I should get it, but it seemed very likely that I could turn it into something else if I did. I walked around the store while holding on to it and ultimately decided that I'd spent more money on worse ideas and brought it home with me. The idea of turning it into a small toolbox for leather tools started to grow and I kept staring into it trying to envision how it would all be laid out. It was difficult to do that until I pulled out the felt cover insert that was meant to hold the clarinet parts. After that, it seemed like everything fell into place in an instant. I got some paper and sketched a rough idea of the layout while the ideas were flowing. After that, it was just a matter of hacking up some bits of cardboard to mock up the ideas, test, and adjust as needed with the actual tools that might be in it. This is what I came up with... The idea is to have one section that will fit a #4 Garland rawhide mallet and a few other various bits and the other area divided up to hold punches, modeling tools, a few swivel knives and a good number of other small tools with handles. The area with the swivel knives and modeling tools will have loop type straps to hold them all to that panel, which is also a lid for the area below it. With the lid lifted, you can see that it has a fair amount of space and keeps the contents relatively captive. The section next to it will have the punches, and the exact count is 33. That doesn't mean there isn't room to toss in a couple more, but that's about all that will realistically fit there. The idea I have for the part that hold the punches is that it will be hinged and lift up much like you see in the picture. I plan to have it lock in both the open and closed positions. This will keep them accessible while open, but also keep them from spilling out everywhere while closed. Here, you can see that it was originally intended to carry a few music books. This seems to be a great place to carry any pattern books you might have that will fit, or risk being folded to fit in it. All in all, I think it looks good and shouldn't be too difficult to make the necessary parts from a few bits of thin plywood. Maybe someone else in here will be inspired to cook up one of their own.

Welcome! You came to the right place... There's incredibly friendly and helpful people and a very large collection of information here that spans the entire spectrum of leather working. The hardest part is not being overwhelmed when trying to take it all in.

So, there's something wrong with using brute force...? Man, I must be doing nearly everything wrong.

I thought that a shot of the virtual progress might be fun. It's clearly not finished, but it's not a bad start. Also, I can generate 2D plans to for those who might want them. As you can see, I decided to make use of a whole lot of dovetailing, however that can be skipped and whatever joinery you prefer can be used. It'll be a chore, but I may actually have to modify those dovetails later on in lieu of the possibility to have some laser cut parts ordered to assemble at home. That'll be the easier solution for those that don't have the tools are skills needed to make one up from scratch, but still want to have one to assemble. Hmm... I'll have to think a minute on that one...

I could be wrong, but this seems to be one finger short. From what I have learned, the two finger draw is very highly discouraged due to control over the arrow during draw, holding, and release.

So, while winding down in the evenings, I have been working out some of the details for what would be needed to make the exterior of the toolbox. I started with a 14x14x24 box and might work up from there. I still have no idea what to add to the inside, though. I was thinking of having some various storage options that could be added in as needed to suit the person making it. Some help on those will still be needed. Here's some of the measurements I have so far. There's actually more progress on the toolbox than this, but I needed to work out exactly where the different parts were going to line up and such. I thought this was pretty interesting.

It might be the coloring on the leather, lighting, or something else, but it looks more like a Red Tail Hawk. It's bang-on, too! Looks all dangerous and might bite you if you get too close. Here's a Red Tail Hawk picture just so you guys don't think I'm nuts...

I suppose that this isn't exactly a tool, rather more of a tool storage solution, but I hope it is well received nonetheless. I seem to really enjoy the tool aspect of leather more than working with the leather, but we all have our strong suits. While I was digging around the Internet for whatever reason, I ran across a very (to me) done by one of my favorite woodworkers, Matthias Wandel. It was specifically about the four bar linkage hinge for his toolbox made by Würth. It started to see if I could find and further information on the topic, because it seemed like a great idea. I also knew that there were plenty of handy people in here who enjoy making their own stuff and a leather tool specific solution was the first thing that popped in my head. Mainly due to the fact that there really isn't any sort of solutions for the leather tools that isn't stupidly expensive or completely custom.On Matthias's own site, he has a video and a series of images of similar toolboxes made by a couple guys who live in Brazil that were inspired by the Würth toolbox. It doesn't provide any plans, but it seems like if those of you who were interested in making your own might have enough technical expertise that that detail wouldn't be a hindrance. There is a bunch of images that provide clear a clear view of all the internals of both toolboxes and how they function, too. It also occurred to me that I might not have enough experience with leather tools to know what the layout for the inside might actually need. Maybe one for the bench might need to be bigger than one that you plan to travel to shows or classes with. Maybe some tools will require a specific retention device because each manufacturer has a slightly different take on it. Maybe the larger one could have castors on one side to make it like a rolling suitcase and easier to transport. Maybe there should be more than just two sizes and some kind of modularity. The big reason for the post is to put the information out there for those who might be interested in making their own that wouldn't have ordinarily have stumbled onto it and to maybe spark some ideas on what should go inside the toolbox. I've also been needing a storage solution for my own tools.

Boy, was I off by a wide margin. My apologies. I had something far different in mind. I agree that making your own would be quite a bit cheaper. The bonus is that it'll have customizations that you want. I'm thinking that a decent motor, some pulleys and, a pair of pillow blocks, and an arbor, and you'll be in business. I also think that it'd even possible to build your burnisher and use it to turn your wood chunk right on it. I still a speed controller would be a good feature, but that's just me.

Not sure that this is a safe route. Unless you had a speed controller to bring the RPM's way down, you'll run the risk of it detonating in your face. The irregular nature of wood combined with very high RPM's in a large ( 7"-10") diameter disk is a recipe for disaster. I had a good friend share a story about a place he worked. One of the machine shop rules was that with the 15" grinder, it needed to be started and let run for 15 minutes before being considered safe to use. It was isolated in the shop and nobody was allowed near it until after the 15 minute mark. The general consensus with the younger guys was that it was a stupid rule to follow until the one day that it detonated in that warm-up period and punched a hole in the cinder-block wall behind it. Granted, a buffer isn't the same thing as a 12" grinder, but the type of danger is. I hate to sound like Chicken Little about the safety aspect, but I'd hate it even more to find out someone got injured, or even killed, from an over RPM'd wooden burnishing wheel. Just keep the RPM's down and the 80 MPH wood chunks from flying into your face.

Simply amazing!

AAARRRrrrrr..... That's an appropriate response to indicate my approval, yes?

Since it'll be a decorative item, maybe you can get away with stitching through half the thickness of the leather with a curved needle. You could then reenforce the stitching with a shot of wood glue afterwards. This is just a stab here, so I have no idea if this is a good option or not, but if the leather is sufficiently thick enough, the stitch might not need to come all the way through the leather. I certainly wouldn't suggest it for anything that would need to support any weight, but for something going into your hair or in your sweater, it's probably not an issue.

I, too, was very confused on this very topic. I looked all around in here and all sorts of other forums with no concrete or usable results, I was left with nothing more than rumors and more questions. Tired of all the controversy and confusion on the subject, I decided to purchase a Tandy ceramic blade for the express purpose of testing out this exact thing. I took pictures and outlined the results of my findings here. I also did my best to find a method to rectify the rough surface condition of the blades with cheap and easily obtainable materials. I hope you find the information there helpful.

I would be inclined to think that it may have been laser engraved with the consistency of the background texture. Also looking at the very precise symmetry and curvature on the outside of the design, it looks computer controlled. If you follow that up with looking at the areas that are beveled within the pattern, there is some inconsistency to the curves and the level of beveling. It's subtle, but still not quite the same as the exterior of the pattern. Specifically the spirals near the top of each leg. The texture of the background looks like the grain was removed from the surface, but it does not look like it was done by hand sanding or a dremel type tool. Taking all that into account, it looks like it was most likely laser engraved with other aspects added in afterwards. This isn't to say that there aren't those who could pull this off, just that it was the most likely.