Joe D

Hi vhoang, I also make dress shoes with a minimalist toolset. It depends a bit if you are making welted or cemented, but I would strongly recommend cemented for you first few pairs of shoes. Trust me, it will save a lot of frustration! So here's what I use: Curved knife (I use this one: http://cordwainertools.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=190) Cement (Barge's is great) Whetstone or other sharpening stone Lasts (I use ebay and measure feet on a Brannock) Basic sewing stuff for upper: fine thread, small sized needle, scratch awl, compass Pattern making: Masking tape, posterboard, pencils French hammer (a regular hammer can work too) Wire nails 1-1.5" Rasp Broken glass (2mm framing glass if possible, a broken beer bottle can work too!) Sandpaper, 100 grit and 150 grit Lasting pliers are optional, but really do speed up lasting If you want to welt, you also need: Heavy thread and heavy curved needle (you can just curve it with pliers) A curved awl 1/4" brass nails or wooden pegs and a pegging awl And of course leather: 1.5-2.5oz kip or calf for the upper 3-4 oz shoulder or belly for the heel stiffener 5-6oz shoulder or belly for the toe puff (optional) 5-6oz belly for welt if welting, otherwise any weight is fine 8-10oz shoulder for the insole if welting, otherwise any weight is fine 5-6oz shoulder or belly for the leather shank Metal shank is optional, good for weak arches or heavy people Cork sheet (optional, can use more belly or shoulder) Sole bend. 10-12 iron is standard, I think that's around 14-16oz Two great blogs that helped me immensely are http://shoesandcraft.com and http://carreducker.blogspot.co.uk. http://cordwainertools.com has a great dvd on cemented construction if you order $100 of tools. Andrew Wrigley on YouTube also has a good video series, but with a few flaws (he is a hobbiest, the others I mentioned are professional shoemakers). If I were to start all over again, I would follow Andrew Wrigley's tutorial for the upper only, go to shoesandcraft.com to look up how to do a toe puff, and follow the cornwainertools.com dvd on how to do the rest. Hope that helps and good luck! Joe

I would also be interested in buying a few pairs. Please PM me when you talk to your friend.

I've never made an unlined shoe. My Clark's desert boots from before I made my own shoes were both unlined and had eyelets. Without a lining, you won't be able to use a toe puff or heel counter. That could work with a heavier leather, which will hold more shape on it's own. And riding definitely justified a heavier leather! Probably the most important reason to have soft leather, counters, and lining is to minimize creasing along the vamp, which you may not care about. Perhaps someone who's made an unlined leather shoe before can jump in...

Hey Meinshnake, The most common weight for the upper is 2-3oz, which will be kip rather than cowhide (kip is steer between six months and one year). Nice dress shoes often use 1.5-2oz calf (closer to three months). A more rugged shoe can use 3-4oz cowhide. Also keep in mind, softer leathers, like kip, are easier to work with than cowhide for you first shoe. I would definitely recommend against utility leather for the upper; it would be tough to last well. Suede splits can be a bit heavier, since they are softer without the grain side. As it happens, I just started my second pair of desert boots last night, and I used 4oz suede split for each. Anywhere in the 1.5-3oz range is good for the lining. A lot of quality shoemakers use veg tanned for the lining because it keeps the foot drier, but many use chrome too. Either is fine. Hope that helps! Joe

Thanks for the great advice! I will give these a try.

Hi all, I am trying to sharpen a curved shoemaker's knife using a 1000/6000 grit whetstone. Here is the type of knife I'm talking about: http://cordwainertools.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=190 I have been able to get it fairly sharp, but not quite as sharp as I need it. The challenge is, due to the curve, I can only sharpen one side of the blade on the flat stone. I'm not sure whether to sharpen the inside on the corner of the stone, or what. As a follow up question, how do I know when it is sharp enough to go from the 1000 to the 6000 grit side? Thanks! Joe

Hi Everyone, I am making my first pair of shoes, following Andrew Wrigley's YouTube guide and using a pair of used lasts off Ebay. The lasts come with a metal plate on the heel, as it seems many lasts two. I am now at the point where I am lasting the upper, and am running into a problem. The metal plate is preventing me from nailing the heel into the last. So two questions. First, what is the metal plate there for? Second, should I be removing it before lasting the upper? Thanks! Joe