Jake907

Hey some of us still use a bag of tools at the kitchen/coffee table, your space looks great to me. Although, I'm working on something that I might be able to post on this thread very soon, wheelin' an' dealin' with the wife.

very nice!

@shock these are like the boots I want to make

you can find clips like that at Tandy Well done on the holsters guys, thats a difficult style of gun to make one for

Another vote for ziplocs here

When I first started, one of my biggest challenges was setting snaps, I don't know why, but I would constantly screw up the dome side that you crimp the spring piece onto. So, instead of learning how to do it right, I came up with a whole range of crutches to help me get by. The funny shaped piece of steel that vaguely resembles a section of rail road track has a snap setter installed into the top of it, the small brass thingy clips into the spring of a snap and guides the mandril that peens the tube to make a perfect set every time. I can't claim that one, copied it from one that a friend had, don't know where you can find them. And the divided leather box was made by my wife as a birthday present.

I really like it, especially how you kept the tooling simple and tasteful. And those loops look spot on.

well, that was awkward, sorry ma'am. I'm still new here.

Maybe he just has a proclivity toward small mechanical contraptions...

And now a story on redneck ingenuity.... I like it, simple, repurposed, easily repeatable, earth friendly...cute? lol. Can I steal your idea?

@impulse @Hawk Scarbrough if you haven't already, you should post your workshop photos on the Show Your Shop thread, you both have very well thought out and organized work spaces.

@shock but you can be a smarter man if you hang out with guys like this, the first time I saw his clam project, I was blown away, like "holy crap, how did he do that!" Did you notice that I changed my leather specialty? lol

thank you!

@Mjolnir a friend of mine has one of these presses, they work great. you can adjust the depth of the stroke so that it will cam over and apply steady pressure while you walk away. the arbor press is more versatile but this one is designed specifically for using with stamps in leather. https://goo.gl/images/TMynyw

@SheltathaLore so, now what? do you know how long until the dvd comes out?

@Sanch You haven't told us about that nifty looking little tool thats clamped next to the bench mounted stitching pony

she has a bunch of videos on YouTube, I'm gonna check them out first. But finding videos on lace up work boots is turning out to be difficult.

you must be trading with someone on the bondage forum then, good luck with that man

I don't know what you mean, its just a piece of steel that happens to look like RR track. something I found while hiking :-)

@Mjolnir if you ask around your area, you should be able to find a small piece of railroad track thats been ripped up, then all you have to do is slice off a chunk with a metal bandsaw, and voila! a little grinding, a little polishing, you have a mini anvil

@eglideride yes, the railroad track anvil is the best, I drilled and pressed one of those little snap setting dies in the top, works like a charm.

this looks great! thank you for sharing, I live in Alaska, but my in-laws are near Portland, so now I have a good reason to go and visit.

ok, I've finally worked up the courage...I'm gonna show you all my "workshop". I get to occupy the kitchen table (usually) but I can go anywhere, thats the good part. The bad part is I don't have storage and a dedicated working area. I also have two rubbermaid totes that I keep some supplies in, and my rolls of leather are kept in another corner of the house. I somehow manage to get the basics done with these few tools, and almost everything fits in the range bag to the left, music and copenhagen are what keeps me going though, lol

Thanks for replying Tim, I've been watching some videos on YouTube recently, but I haven't come across Lisa Sorrell yet, thanks for the tip. There is a boot shop (retail and repair) in Anchorage, but thats a 4 hr drive away, I should ask if I can shadow them for a day or two.

Hi all, I'm looking for assistance from all of you who make shoes and boots. By trade I'm a welder and heavy equipment mechanic, so I go through boots like nobody's business. Every 6-12 months (if I'm lucky) I'm looking for new boots, I've tried almost everything from White's to Brahma's and all the brands in between. But recently I got the idea to make my own boots. I think I can do it, but I don't know where to start. I already make leather goods on the side as a hobby, but you all make me look like a beginner. Please tell me how you got started, what resources you used to learn, books, tools, videos, supplies, etc. I'm not looking to start a business or anything like that, I just want to make them for myself and maybe my family. Can I make them by hand like the they did in the old days? Thanks in advance, this is the most helpful forum I've ever been on.