rodneywt1180b

Nice work! It's obvious you play a lot. That bass wears it's experience well. I love the patina of honest use.

this

I agree with @JLSleather that 1/2" wood is excessive for anything you would want to carry. 3/8" is about as thick as you would need for a large bag and much less bulky looking. What kind of wood working tools do you have? If you have a table or bandsaw I would recommend making thick (like 1/16") veneers and laminating them to the desired thickness. It will be stronger and less prone to splitting and warping than solid wood of the same thickness. Also-like others have mentioned-be sure to predrill your fastener holes. A good second choice is a high quality plywood like aircraft or marine grade plywood. Look for something with a lot of thinner veneers for the same thickness. If you go this route I would seriously consider screws instead of brads or tacks to hold the leather. Plywood edges typically don't hold nails well.

I think an entire book (maybe series of books) could be written on the subject and still not cover everything. A general guide about different broad categories of leather and their common uses and properties would be a good starting point though. It would save at least a few beginners some grief and cash.

My close vision started going a few years ago. I'm getting by with dollar store reading glasses for close work. They might help you until you get your prescription glasses.

Welcome aboard. SCA is Society of Creative Anachronism if I remember correctly. There should be at least one group near you.

Nice looking job and more importantly, it works well.

Apparently I should be bending paperclips.

Great looking work!

Nice!

I like the white. Given the size of that buckle there's no such thing as "Too much". Great looking belt!

Cool! Recycled boots for a recycler. Seems fitting.

Really nice wallet!

If you plan to go into it as a side business then it makes sense to get a machine. Hand stitching is arguably the best method due to the nature of the saddle stitch but it's not the fastest and it takes a lot of practice to make them look good. Use the right leather for the job. Others here can advise you on that far better than I can. I wouldn't use too thin a leather though. It won't do the job it's intended for. If you plan on selling, your product needs to be right from the start. Using the wrong materials will eventually come back to haunt you. My advice on a machine would be to plan to spend significantly more for the right machine the first time instead of trying to get by with something that just isn't designed for leather. If you go used I would recommend finding a reputable dealer in industrial machines who offers repair services too. There are too many Craig's List and Ebay sellers out there who claim domestic machines are industrial and will sew leather. There's also a big difference in an industrial machine set up to sew silk undergarments and one that's designed to sew leather. A good dealer won't sell you the wrong machine. I'm the wrong guy to ask "Which Machine?" I have experience with domestic machines but not leather machines. Take a look around on the forum. There's a lot of good info here on which machines are right for the job.

The others have given you good advice. Unless you're going into production your best bet will be sewing them by hand. No domestic sewing machine is going to be suitable for thick leather. Even if you could find one that can feed multiple layers of thick leather you will be limited by the thread sizes it can handle and the stitch lengths they are made for.

Are you making a cotton webbing belt with leather ends? 1 1/2 inches isn't very far. If it's thick veg tan you should be able to get reasonable results with a sharp utility knife and a little patience. Just watch your fingers. Another way would be to use a thinner leather on both sides of the webbing. Maybe add a middle layer so the leather doesn't have a big bump where it covers the webbing. No splitting required and you can have the smooth side out on both sides.

Sweet shoes! And you know no one else has a pair just like them.

Thanks! I might want to give one a try. A light texture like that might be good on my cane handles.

A huge improvement between the two.

Very nice! I like the texturing on the leather. How did you do it?

Beautiful work! It should make for some great advertising for you.

Wow!

YinTx chose his handle. It's mounted and shaped to fit the shank. I'll be able to start making the pattern for YinTx so he can get started soon. No, I'm not saying which one he chose yet.

Welcome!

I think it's a good idea. I'm one of those beginners who has ordered the wrong leather. When I started I didn't know the differences between different leathers, in fact I'm still learning. Pretty doesn't necessarily mean it's right for the project. I do think it's a huge undertaking. Be prepared for it to take some serious time.