Tae

Thanks! By the way, on the lazy susan, I ended up putting some leather on the bottom so it won't scratch and slide easily. The mfd was the cheapest solution, but I think I will find a nice wooden frame for my next one. Originally, I had put super sheen on the borders and stained it with antique stain, but the stain had bleed through from the side of the cuts. I ended up mixing some cova colors to touch it up. Is there a way of preventing this? cheers, Tae

Okay, after 6 months, here is the final product. I ended up hand carving everything. But I did buy a 1" aluminum square pipe and am sharpening it on a grinder for the "next" one. Scrabble board Thanks for your advice about the punch.

Hello, My name is Tae from Northern California. I've posted a few things here, but never really introduced myself. I stepped into the Tandy Leather Store in San Mateo in California last November and turned into a leathercraft maniac. I'll share a few things I've given away as gifts so far 1. A pencil pouch, kit from Tandy, with my friend looking stupid. Bday gift. 2. Handbag, kit from Tandy, for my gf, with a butterfly which I got off another Tandy kit. 3. Two fancy glass water bottles, for my friends, with M.C. Escher's "Drawing Hands" and Michaelangelo's "Adam touching God" sketch for the Sistene's chapel. It was made on scrap pieces of leather. I also posted two items in "Show Off": Scrabble board and eye glasses case. I've also made a small stitching pony 15" tall and am really excited about my current project of making a larger one at 30" with a foot pedal to close it. Tae

Hello, I made this Scrabble board for my friend as a wedding gift. I mounted it on mfd and installed a 6" lazy susan at the bottom. I also made tile from veg tan leather. It's a bit sloppy, but it was fun! Tae

Wow that is AWESOME! I have a stylistic q though: why did you choose the right side to have a black border and not the left?

Hello, I posted a few months ago asking if anyone had a eye glass case template. I appreciate those of you who sent me your own designs. Well, I ended up taking apart a case I already owned and used the plastic frame inside it. The image is supposed to be a marathon runner coming out of Leonardo Da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man." I found something similar on the net and modified it to my purpose. I made this for a friend of mine who made the US Olympic trials in NYC for this summer's marathon (he didn't make the final cut). I made it in a bit of a hurry for his bday, but I think it turned out okay. Let me know what you think! cheers, Tae

here are some photos i took of the bag. the straps they put on it is not very functional...

hello, i'm not sure which forum is appropriate for this but here goes. because i do leathercraft, my friend thought it would be cool to bring back a leather good from his trip to west africa (dogon country in mali). it is a thin leather bag without any seams (i can locate where the belly button, legs, etc., used to be). it looks like they gutted out a goat or something and made it a bag. i can post a pic if anyone would like. the problem is that it smells. bad. i asked around and someone suggested that it is because it is probably tanned using urine. now it started to make sense. i was wondering if anyone knew how to get rid of the smell. should i just air it out? should i put it in front of the fireplace or heater for a long time? should i treat it with some chemical? i don't know how to deal with this since i only carve into veg tanned hides. any ideas would be great. tae

Hello, I'm thinking of making a Scrabble board with a leather surface. I was thinking of making it with leather glued on a wooden board. Since I'd like the letters to sit-in, it might be nice to make it with two pieces, one with the square holes cut out (with cardboard glued below for structural integrity), and the other leather glued below that so the tiles can sit on it. I can even embellish the special squares with patterns and color on the bottom surface. This all begs the question of where I get myself a square punch. Scrabble tiles are about 7/8" x 7/8", but 1" x 1" will probably do. I can't seem to find square punches in the normal catalogues or websites. Does any one know where I might get myself one for a reasonable price? Since the board is 15 by 15, I need to punch-out 225 squares. The best idea I had was to get a square aluminum tube at OSH and file it down. Dunno if this will work, but I'd be willing to buy a nice punch if they are available. Thanks a bunch! cheers, Tae

I'm also trying to build my own stitching pony. I saw the design in Al Stohlman's Hand Sewing book, and I see the Sit-N-Stich, which I really like. Interestingly enough, I just ran across this one http://www.ubuilderplans.com/?q=node/10 on the web. Does anyone have opinions for a foot-operated version? cheers, Tae

I just started carving leather a few months ago and made a few things so far. This design would be perfect for my dad. I better get to it before x-mas. Thanks so much! Tae