Sjm1027

Thanks K-Man, I appreciate your taking the time to help. This is strictly a hobby for me but your right, expansion is key... I want to make this purchase knowing I can expand. I will call the sales rep soon to chat about the future plans for this machine, accessories and what ever else they can tell me. I know one thing, guys like steveb and the rest of the people in this forum have helped me grow so quickly. This forum has been the best source of help for anyone interested in leather. Steveb and I are from the east and we both know there is nothing here for us to go to or learn from. I thank you all for the help Steve

Does anyone have any experience with this tool? I am looking at it and the Osborne Model 84. To me they almost look the same but the price of the Osborne Model 84 is higher by over $100.00 Thanks Steve

Hi Steve, Really nice of you to offer. Your right, not to much going on around here as far as leather. I really can't believe it. Lets keep each other informed if we hear of anything. As far as me coming over to test drive those machines, sounds very good to me. If you don't mind, lets talk again after the holidays. That will also give me some time to do some research too. I am leaning towards that 3000 but won't be ready for that for a few months. Appreciate your help and maybe we could think about a Leather workers group some time. Really be nice if a few of us could get together to see how others do the craft. Happy Thanksgiving, Steve

I will look to see if there is anything close to Boston, a place to go and try a few out. Living in the East and loving to work with leather makes it tough. Hope to meet some people from around my parts. Thanks for your help Steve

I am looking at The Leather Crafters and Saddlers Journal on page 2 and see an Artisan ad. This ad shows sewing machines with and without tables. Looking at the Toro-3000 and the 618-1 SC LTHR machine and I notice a huge difference. The Toro-3000 has no table and it looks to me like easier access to sew tighter or smaller pieces. I may be wrong because I know nothing about the machines but would like to know if this is true. What advantage do either machine have ? I would really love to get a machine but need to learn much more before I can make a purchase. Are there any good articles or do any of you have some opinions? Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving, Steve

Thanks for the update, I'll keep checking from time to time

I can't seem to get that link to work

Looking for some feedback on the Grabowski's SIT-N-Stitch. I hae supplied a link: http://www.grandpas-pastime.com/stitch.htm Or if anyone knows of a different tool that also works please let me know. Thanks Steve

Thanks, makes sense... I think I will do some experiments... Very nice work, thats a beautiful bag. Steve

Thanks for the critique, Looks like a have some work to do. Is there a guide for thread vs. leather thickness? Appreciate the help Steve

No I didn't glue the joint first, when you say finer stitch do you mean thinner thread or closer on the holes? Do most of you glue the joint first?

Yes that's right Don. See attached picture. I am pulling tight but this is 8 oz leather with 2 oz pigskin Steve

I am really enjoying working with leather and noticed some really beautiful work on this web page. I made a leather box last evening and made many beginner mistakes but that was fine with me because I learned quite a bit doing it. I cut 45 degree edges, sewed the whole box and pig skin liner and added a snap. One thing I noticed was my stitching... Looks like it puckers up between stitches. Am I pulling to hard? What may be causing this? It actually made the project look bad... Usually the stitching in my eyes makes the project look really good and showcases quality. Using a machine usually looks very uniform and clean. Can one learn to do the same thing by hand? How much can someone sew using a machine? I know belts and wallets... usually flat things... But what about at a 45 degree like the box or in tight places, sharp corners? Sorry for all the questions but inquiring minds want to know! Thanks Steve

Sure, I am making a small box, picture the end and the side meeting. You could have 2 joints a butt joint or a miter joint. I have seen in books that the miter joint is easier to sew but I don't know. Looking for advice. Please see a few pictures to help clear this up. See the 45 in the picture to the right... Thats what I am talking about. The butt joint you usually place against a block of wood to hold it steady. What do most use? Is the 45 necessary?

Because I have not done much fabrication yet I would like to talk about the order of getting things done on a project. I have posted a question on dying before gluing the liner but I want to start at the top and capture everything if I could. This is a cell phone case, Very basic and I hope this thread helps other beginners. • First I cut the leather and the liner • Slightly bevel all edges (grain side) of the leather to give it a finished edge. • Groove all pieces that will be sewed (depression for thread) • If tooling wet leather and tool design • If you need a miter joint cut 45 degree joints for sewing • Dye all pieces of leather • Glue liner to pieces of leather • Trim liner to fit • Sew around each piece to attach liner and leather • Sew project together • Add snaps either before assembly or after depending on the room you need to get the snap on. • I think think that’s it Let me know if you agree with these steps Thanks Steve

I am making a simple cell phone holster and was going to line the leather with pigskin but was wondering if you dye the leather first then line the project or does it matter?

Thank you Johanna Steve

I was surfing the other night looking for ideas on back packs or bags... There was a post of a guy riding a bike with a goat on his back. If anyone can direct me to this picture I would appreciate it. I wanted to use this as a joke with a friend of mine. Thanks Steve

Does anyone know of a no fail way to bevel an edge? I am using my French Edger and am doing ok but is there a sure fire way to get a perfect 45 on 6oz leather?

Very nice idea, I will stop by later this week. Searching to see if there is a tutorial for making a bag... getting hung up on shaping pieces and visualizing how they get sewn together. I will keep searching Thanks again Steve

I picked up the book today, Looks like I should do something a little easier... Perhaps something like Rayban was looking at... Maybe something like that to get my feet wet. I love the book, I have Vol.1 and use it quite a bit. Vol 2 teaches quite a bit more. Thanks for the idea Steve

I like the old Mail Bag.... what ounce leather do you think it is? I am guessing 6 to 7 ounce?

I have been poking around this great Web Site for a while and noticed I do not see much in the making of leather bags. I am not in this for business but for a hobby. I am somewhat new at the leather craft and have to thank many of you for answering the many questions I have had since I started. I have done a lot of tooling, getting pretty good at it... and made some small cases, book marks and just playing with leather to get the feel of molding and sewing... I believe I am ready to start a project I am really excited about. I have always loved the look of a leather back pack or a leather toiletry bag. I also always have a need to bring some kind of a bag to put all my small stuff in for the day. I work 41 miles away from home so there is no going back once I get there so I tend to bring more than I need for the day. I usually take a backpack and sometimes it seems to be overkill. I would like to make a nice middle size bag with a handle like the following: http://www.llbean.com/cd-15/51632/4525.shtml I use this bag and it is really nice but I want to customize it, making it about 5 x 3 inches larger add more pockets... and so on. My question is, how does one figure out how this bag is built? Is there a book that I can get or are there patters out there? I would really love to know how to figure this out so I can start designing my own bag and eventually make it. Next question is leather, what ounce leather would one use for this bag? I would imagine the zippers would have to be a certain type or strength matching to the leather? Are zippers to difficult to do? Do most people had sew these or do it by machine? Well I could go on for ever But am really excited to start this project... at least the planning phase... I would really be interested to hear from you all about the difficulty with bags in general. Thanks in advance, Steve

I was wondering what others use for drawing patterns? I think it would really be nice to draw using the computer and print out the pattern Thanks

Yes I am using a diamond awl, think I will sharpen it. Looks like I will try unwaxed thread too. Thanks for the help Steve