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As with any tool, there is a range of prices. RMLS sell Kyoshin Elle Pro Grooved Edger; I have one but I don't think much of it Start with a Tandy Craftool Edge Beveler size 2 #8076-02. It is cheap, easy to use, easy to sharpen, and will do the job. You can always move on from that as you gain experience Again, there are YT videos on using & sharpening edgers, and as you watch videos of people making items you'll see what & how Some people follow up edge beveling with abrasive paper Similarly, just get a simple, cheap edge burnisher; they get better as you use them; might try polishing them first, with very fine abrasive paper, say 1,000grit You can use gum tragacanth for edge burnishing, but IMO Tokonole is better

I think 8oz is about 3mm. I would use size 002 needles and 0,6mm dia thread, and stitching chisels with 4 to 4,5mm spacing Like any craft or hobby, sooner or later you just have to start somewhere and adapt as you gain experience, sure in the knowledge that whatever you get, a couple of months later you'll wish you'd chosen something else.......welcome to the fun!. Oh, and a couple of other things -- There are all sorts of knives for leatherwork but a Stanley/utility/boxcutter is cheap and easy to use to start with. In fact if you watch videos by Ian Atkinson you'll see that he produces excellent work and mostly uses a Stanley knife. You can re-sharpen the blades; in fact even new blades work better if they've been stropped Make yourself a strop, it's one of the easiest items of leatherwork you'll do; there are several videos on YT. Get a proper stropping compound, like green chromium dioxide Here are some YT Channels to look at - Geordie Leather.....Ian Atkinson.....JH Leather.....Nigel Armitage....plus many more

OK, here are a few comments -- I assume you've stitched fabric, even if it's just to sew on a button or mend a tear? You've probably never thought about it, but a needle does two things -- it pierces the fabric, and passes the thread through the cloth You can't do that with leather as it is too thick & tough so we do the sewing in two stages - make the holes with a heavier, stronger tool, then pass the threaded needle through them......firstly you must set the distance & spacing of the holes, which can be done with a chisel with a set of short blunt teeth (called a pricking iron), or a stitching wheel to mark the positions, then make the actual holes with an awl. But this is quite tricky to do properly, so now that method has been mostly replaced by chisels with longer, sharper prongs, and they both set the spacing and make the holes in one go; these tools are called stitching chisels. Then you sew with blunt needles so they do not catch on the sides of the hole You will need to mark the line of the stitching parallel to the edge of the leather. You can use a stitching groover, which cuts a small channel, or mark the line with dividers, which is becoming more popular Like yourself, and, I think, many other people I started leatherwork to make sheaths, and here are some recommendations based on that Watch videos........I started with a groover but now I use dividers Yes, Tandy have a mixed reputation, but their Craftool Diamond Stitching Chisel is as good as any to get started; a 2 prong 4mm spacing #88046-02 is all you really need to get started. Lubricate the prongs with beeswax and use a soft hammer - wood, nylon, hide - or you will damage the chisel if you use a steel hammer Typical leather thickness for sheaths is 3mm, so a front, back, & welt will be about 9 or 10mm, and a stitching chisel may not go all the way through. Complete the holes with a diamond/saddler's/harness awl Traditionally you bought the blade & haft and fitted them together yourself, which is a fiddly, tedious job, so get one that's already made up, like a Vergez-Blanchard from Rocky Mountain Leather Supply, or an Osborne blade and an Osborne haft with a chuck or collet. I'd say medium for the V-G or #43 for the Osborne blade. You will need to sharpen & polish the awl, see YT videos And speaking of awls, get a round awl aka scratch awl, they'rte cheap enough. It is used, as the name suggests, to mark out a pattern, but also for general prodding & poking. It is used to temporarily make stitching holes bigger by stretching them without cutting them; then the hole closes up afterwards Choice of thread is a subject in itself. The usual diameter of thread for most sewing is 0,6mm. Synthetic thread is stronger, doesn't rot, and you can finish the sewing by heat sealing the ends. Although you can use hemp, silk, or cotton, natural thread almost always means linen. As a traditional industry, linen thread manufacture has developed its own way of doing things, which is quite complicated to explain. but all you need to know is that you want size18/3 linen thread, or 432 in the French system to be about 0,6mm diameter So why use linen at all? Some people prefer the way it feels/handles, and think the colours look better....and they prefer sewing a natural material like leather with natural thread No, linen is not as strong, but the point is that it is strong enough. I use synthetic for belt loops on sheaths and linen or synthetic for the body of the sheath Ritza 25 is popular thread; it has a picture of a Tiger on the label so it is often called Tiger Thread. It is expensive as you must buy into a full reel, but some suppliers, including RMLS sell shorter lengths Fil au Chinois is very good linen thread, if a bit expensive RMLS sell their own linen and synthetic 'Twist' thread, and both are good. It is Yue Fung thread re-labelled for RMLS There are other makes, enough altogether to confuse most people! I'm afraid the only way to find out what you like is to try some.......but the Twist or Tiger will get you started John James make excellent needles, but their sizing system is confusing. I don't understand it, in fact I don't think many people do, but all you need to know is that for 0,6mm thread, John James Saddlers Harness Needles code L3912 size 002 is a good choice. If you want a smaller needle such as for 0,45 to 0,55mm thread, then size 004 is OK. NOTE - make sure you get size 002, and not 2/0, which are too big Somewhere on RMLS website there is a comparison of thread sizes, diameters, and needles If you have any questions, contact the suppliers - after all, it is in their interests to help you The same sort of techniques, like saddle stitch, edge beveling & burnishing, are used on most leather items, whether it is sheaths, pouches, belts, or wallets, so watch as many videos as you have the stamina for, and see what other people use, and how they do things

You don't necessarily have to make a full size round knife. Search around on YouTube, Google, and Etsy. There are various types of mini round knives, single point head knives, and other asymmetric shapes

Yes, the leather is being stretched as you come to the end of the cut at the edge of the leather. Various options to prevent this are - Press down hard on the ruler in the area at the end of the cut to hold the leather more firmly Make a short cut, say 2" in from the end first; then make the main cut all the way from the other end, so it runs into and joins up with your first short cut Use a round knife, or a head knife, or a Japanese leather knife. As you get to the end of the cut, say the last inch or two, instead of continuing right off the edge of the leather change from a horizontal cut to a sort of rolling or chopping action so you press down on the leather instead of pulling it along Use a rotary blade knife, which uses more downward pressure than horizontal In any case, an Exacto knife is OK for thin leather, say up to about 1,5mm thick, bit for anything thicker use something heavier, like a Stanley/Utility/Box cutter knife; and strop it frequently, even if the blade is new Have a look at this video. He shows how continuing off the end of the leather stretches it, but a chopping action to finish does not. If you watch other videos of people using a round/head/Japanese knife to make various finished items you'll see them using a similar chopping action. JH Leather's videos show this technique in many of her videos

I treated myself to a proper straight edge. It's heavier than a ruler, and doesn't move around as easily. It does cost more, but it's the sort of thing that once you have one you wonder how you managed without it https://www.maunindustries.com/pliers-tools/steel-straight-edge-metric-500-mm/ There are longer or shorter models, priced accordingly Veritas & Starrett are probably the most usual makes in the USA, but I expect if you search around there will be others

Ah!! It never occurred to me! Yes, I saw that you wrote you were using a fork, but I just assumed you meant a stitching chisel because you didn't know the correct name....are you actually using a fork, as in cutlery, for eating?! If you are, no wonder you're getting poor results....yes, you could flatten the fork and use it as a pricking iron, but you would still have to make the holes with an awl, which takes a while to learn to get good consistent results, so get a stitching chisel! There are loads to choose from, and lots of advice on this forum and videos on YT Diamond prongs with points, sometimes called Japanese style, are easier to use than those with flat prongs & flat tips, sometimes called the French or European style. For thicker leather such as knife sheaths get 4mm spacing; for thinner leather such as wallets get 3 to 3,5mm spacing. A 2 & 4 prong will get you started, or you can get chisels with more prongs, or sets In the Sewing Leather section of this forum there is a Pinned Thread - Stitching Chisels/Irons and Pricking Irons and Information by Dangerous Beans, who is Nigel Armitage. Reading that will give you a good start.

Welcome to the Forum and welcome to the fun! You've had a lot of good advice; I expect mine will be similar, but here it is anyway I assume you are working on a strong, firm desk or bench and using a self healing cutting mat. You'll need an aluminium or steel ruler, the stronger, thicker, and heavier the better. 12" minimum and longer as the work requires A round knife is the traditional leather workers knife, but they are tricky to use and need practice. Also traditionally, leatherwork tools like knives and awls are only supplied with a basic cutting edge to keep the cost down, and you are expected to do the final sharpening & polishing yourself. It is only the most expensive tools that you can use straight out of the box, and even those will need to be resharpened sometime.............So I suggest that for the moment you use simpler knives and leave the round knife till you've got used to cutting & handling & working with leather........A head knife is similar to a round knife but has only one point A snap - blade knife will do the job, though it might struggle a bit on thicker leather, say more than 2mm...........a rotary knife is good for straight cuts on thinner leather, say up to 2mm. You could think about getting a stronger, heavier knife......a Stanley/utility/box cutter knife is cheap enough and you may well have one already.........a Clicker Knife is purpose made for cutting leather; it is a bit more expensive, but not impossible.....replaceable blades can be resharpened, and seem to be better than new....in fact even new blades work better if you sharpen them first Use fine abrasive paper like wet & dry, working from about 800 grit to 7,000 grit in increments, followed by a strop. Make your own strop from oddments of wood & leather...........use a proper stropping compound, green chromium dioxide is as good as any.......a small bar isn't expensive and will last for ages Make a light first cut to mark the line of the cut and make a start for the knife to follow; them several more cuts as needed, but with medium pressure. If you try to cut in one go with a very heavy cut you may distort the leather and move the template or ruler, plus making it hard work for yourself I started with a stitch groover but changed to dividers. I suggest you stay with the groover as this will give you a more definite line to work with..........change to dividers when & if you feel like it Support the leather on something that is firm, but soft enough not to damage the tips of the chisels......this could be a piece of thick leather, a plastic chopping board......an old magazine. If it's difficult to pull out the chisel, don't twist the chisel & struggle as this will distort the leather; hold down the leather with a block of wood, and pull straight up...........polish the prongs with wet & dry, and lubricate them with beeswax............hold down the chisel with your fingers and press down so that the tips of the prongs make marks into the leather; continue to press down as you hit it with the mallet. If you only hold the chisel loosely it may shift & bounce when you hit it Yes, go slowly & carefully till you get it right; then speed up There is a lot of advice & demonstration on YouTube, both for techniques, such as cutting leather, edge beveling, saddle stitch, and finished items The same sort of techniques are used for most items, so the same sort of methods will be used for belts, wallets, pouches, knife sheaths, and so on Search for how to make a strop; cutting leather; stitching leather; sharpeninga head knife, the things you'd like to make, and anything else that interests you, and you'll see how other people do things. These channels are good - Ian Atkinson; JH Leather; Nigel Armitage; Geordie Leather, and of course there are many others.......watch as many as you have the stamina for and you'll pick up ideas Apart from that, all I can suggest is that you practice on scrap leather till you get the line of holes as good as you can

Nigel Armitage's Vimeo Channel has videos on left, and right handed saddle stitching It is an excellent source of advice & instruction, with about 120 videos covering all sorts of things, including making a sheath, belts, bags, and techniques such as dyeing and edge finishing. And more videos are added regularly Cost is about £6 per month = $8-33

You could try Etsy. Search Google for 'Etsy - leather edge bevelers'; Etsy - skiving knives' 'Etsy - stitching chisels' and so on I have bought edge bevelers & knives that way, and it works well enough. There is usually a wide range of items and prices; the prices are clearly shown in £ ; also a delivery time. I expect similar thing would happen if you were in other countries It helps if you have a bit of experience and knowledge of what you want, but the original supplier is shown so you can go to their Website or look for reviews

5mm stitching chisels are a bit big for the thin leather that you are using; you could go down to about 3 or 3,5mm For needles & thread you have a choice - For most average leather work a good standard is John James Saddler's Harness Needles item code L3912 size 002 and 0,6mm diameter thread. That would be OK, and is about the thickest/bulkiest thread that would still look reasonable However, for the thin leather you are using you could go to a smaller size of needles & thread, which would, as you might expect, produce a finer look. In that case choose John James Saddler's Harness Needles item code L3912 size 004 and thread that is about 0,45mm diameter The size 002 & 0,6mm will do the job, but needles & thread are not that expensive, you could try both. Oh, a correction. Ritza 25 thread will be expensive if you can only buy it in large reels, but Rocky Mountain Leather Supply have smaller reels, plus other makes, such as their own Twist linen or polybraid threads, which are Yue Fung under their own name And finally, John James needle sizing is a bit confusing. Make sure you get 002 or 004, and not 2/0 or 4/0, which will be too big Search YouTube for 'how to make leather bible covers' and 'how to make leather book covers' there are several videos. You could also look at videos on making wallets, which will show how to use & sew thin leather

Search YouTube for 'baseball stitch' There are several videos

Ritza 25 (often called Tiger Thread as there is a picture of a tiger on the full size reels) is braided, but it looks like very narrow flat tape or webbing. Cost is $6-75 for 25m. It is very popular and is recommended by acknowledged experts such as Ian Atkinson and Nigel Armitage. I don't like the way it feels/handles, but many people are happy enough with it RMLS polybraid is also braided but has a more circular cross section. It is Yue Fung thread re branded by RMLS as their own 'Twist' thread at $11-99 for 50m. I've used both, and prefer the RMLS Twist make, though they're both strong enough Tiger thread is normally sold in full size reels which makes it expensive to try out and buy into. I think the smaller reels from RMLS are priced reasonably enough to try out. The pro rata cost is very similar for both types, and really the only way to decide which you like is to try both. In fact I think that when most people get started they try a few different makes of both synthetic and linen before they settle on what they like, sometimes using different types of thread for different items. Use John James Saddler's Harness Needles item code L3912 size 002 for both types, also from RMLS

I had a leather covered armchair that was worn and battered, so I salvaged the leather and scrapped the carcass I unpicked any stitching, flattened out the leather and wiped it over with a rag dampened with white spirit (that's the British term for mineral thinners) to remove any old leather grease and polish, especially from the cracks & folds Then washed it in an automatic washing machine on a gentle/low temperature/wool cycle, with a small amount of soap I rigged up a line in my spare room and let it dry naturally indoors, which took 3 or 4 days Some parts of the leather were too worn to be used, but there was quite a lot of good stuff, and the washing didn't appear to have done it any harm I use it for wallet linings, but after I've made it up I give it a light treatment with leather grease But I recommend that you try a test piece before doing the whole lot. I expect you could wash the leather by hand if you haven't got a machine Play around with the Search Box on Google and YouTube for Reuse/reclaim/recycle/salvage old leather furniture/jacket and so on

A Japanese Leather Knife is usually held so the bevel is facing away from your palm, and the trailing edge of the asymmetric blade is facing away from you That's because it's not so easy or comfortable to hold the knife perfectly vertically, there is a tendency to tilt your fist and the knife slightly away from the vertical. For a right handed person the thumb tends to move outwards to the right; and similarly a left handed person will tilt their thumb outwards towards the left Try holding, say, a pencil or a ruler or a screwdriver in your fist and extending your arm. You will find it's not very easy to hold it vertically; if you relax your hand slightly, the tool will naturally assume this tilted attitude This explains why there are left and right handed Japanese leather knives So for a Japanese leather knife this will bring the bevel to the vertical. If you have the bevel facing inwards with the straight flat side facing outwards there is a tendency to undercut the leather when you make a cut Have a look at this video, he explains it well - 'How to Use Japanese Leather Knife' by Leathertoolz. Watch other videos on cutting with a Japanese leather knife and you'll see they use it with the bevel facing away from the palm I think you'll find it is easier to use a Japanese leather knife with the bevel away from your palm whether using a ruler or freehand; and if you do use a ruler this will usually mean having the bevel against the ruler. You're not deliberately holding the knife at an angle, it just comes naturally For skiving you can use bevel up or bevel down, whichever suits you and the type of leather used. Have a look at videos for Chartermade, Vergez Blanchard, and similar skiving knives as well as Japanese leather knives

My Dad was a carpenter, and I was brought up on oil stones. I inherited one of his, and bought another from a second hand tool stall on the market. They are both double sided, but different, so I have 4 grades from coarse to very fine. I cleaned them by soaking in paraffin/kerosene overnight, and made a bench hook for them Sometimes I use wet & dry paper on a sheet of glass, covering grits from 1,000 to 7,000 in a few increments. I lubricate them with water containing a drop of washing up liquid. Remember that with wet & dry paper you should only pull backwards, away from the cutting edge I follow this with a strop made from 2mm natural veg tan leather, flesh side up, and green chromium dioxide stropping compound I've tried Japanese water stones, and diamond plates, but I didn't take to them - you might. There's nothing wrong with them, and they are used by many people, but that was just my choice There are loads of videos on YouTube about sharpening all sorts of tools - knives & chisels as well as leather working tools; also on making a stop. Watch as many as you have the stamina for, you must be able to find something useful and helpful Again there are several videos about sharpening edge bevellers. You can make a stropping board with strips of leather glued flat or edge onto suit the tool, and/or pull through with some cord loaded with compound

You've had some good advice in these replies. Something you will quickly realise is that the same sort of tools and techniques are used for most items, whether it be belts, wallets, or bags & pouches; and that there is a lot of information on YouTube Search it for beginners tools and you will see that each leatherworker has a slight variation, though they all follow the same sort of ideas. Also Search for methods such as saddle stitch, edge burnishing etc, and items, both those that interest you and some that might not at the moment, and you'll see what other people use, and how they do things Search on Etsy for tools that interest you, maybe Japanese leather knives, leather edge bevelers, stitching chisels, and so on. There is a wide range, from the cheapest to the best and most expensive Hadrada's video channel suggestions are good, but I can also recommend J H Leather. Her videos are clear and well made, and she has several on making dog collars

Stohlman's book is good, but it's a bit dated now. You can still follow his advice if you wish, but things have moved on a bit -- Synthetic, polyester threads, both braided and twisted, have become much more popular, though you can still use linen if you wish. For both types ready waxed is widely available, though you can give it an extra rub if you want. And there is a wider range of colours available Have a look at Rocky Mountains Leather Supply. they have Ritza 25, aka Tiger Thread, which is a very popular braided polyester thread. Normally it is sold in large reels which makes it expensive to buy into, but RMLS sell smaller reels at reasonable prices RMLS sell Twist thread, both linen and twisted polyester; it is the Chinese Yue Fung make sold under their own label, and it's very good I have used all three types, and can recommend them Search YouTube for 'how to saddle stitch' and 'thread for leatherwork'

I had a cheap block plane that was fiddly & awkward to use & adjust, and I never used it. But the blade was quite good, so I scrapped the body and turned the blade into a Japanese style leather knife. Now I get much more use out of it

By chance, someone on a knife making Forum has been asking about the choice of thread. Besides the usual sorts of thread and sup[pliers, one suggestion was Marlow Whipping Twine, which is used to whip or bind the ends of ropes It looks interesting; Search google accordingly

I'd never heard of lacing twine till now. A quick Search of Google and YouTube shows that it is used to bind, secure and tie down electrical and optical cables used in the electrical and aviation industries I've just Searched Google for 'lacing twine UK' and there are several suppliers. But it seems to me that any similar large diameter thread or thin cord would do Also Search Google for 'lacing cord'

Ah! I never thought of that, I'll try it on my next sheath. Thanks

I have polished my Tandy Craftool and Seiwa stitching chisels, and it does improve them Glue some fine abrasive paper intended for use on metal, like wet & dry, to a strip of thin wood, aluminium or stiff plastic, and then just polish the corners & sides of the prongs. Depending on how rough they are start with 400 grit and work through a couple of steps to 1,000 grit. Clean off any grease or dust with alcohol It does improve them, making them easier to pull out. It also helps if you lubricate the prongs by rubbing then with beeswax occasionally as you use them, and holding down the leather with a small piece of wood; this prevents the leather from being stretched or distorted as you pull them out Try the single prong first, and see how you go. Search YouTube for 'polishing a stitching chisel', there are several videos

Yes, this is an old Thread, but perhaps this will be useful - Try https://www.jwoodleathers.co.uk They sell various types of leather and hide, including hair on cow hide. They also have a Highland Dress Department; sell offcuts; Fiebings products; and a cutting service

Like many other things in life, I tried it once but didn't like it Was it Bernard Shaw? who said that you should try everything in life, except incest and Morris Dancing?