I made a belt for myself and laced the buckle on just like dbusarow said. I've been wearing it daily for about 5 years now. Never had to tighten the lace. Make sure when you punch the holes that they are small enough. The laces should fit snug in the 'top' hole where both laces go through. The only time I've ever had an issue with latigos coming loose was when the holes were too big for the lace I used.