JKos

Thank you JLSleather for the candid reply and information. I appreciate you taking the time to type that up. I'm a bit intimidated, humbled and inspired by what you wrote. Please take those as compliments. You've given me a lot of information in the context of five paragraphs and it's going to take a little re-reading and time to digest all of that.

Thank you everyone. I appreciate the replies and concerns. We will take safety into account. Love the horse related ideas, especially the browbands, spur straps, and headstalls. I think we've got some good ideas to move forward.

I have a daughter who is very much interested in horses. She's very very young but the interest is there. She's also constantly at my side trying to be involved in whatever project I'm working on whether that be woodworking, metal, painting. etc. I'd like to find something, a series of projects so to speak, that we can both 'connect' on and learn together. We have access to some basic leather working tools that I've collected over the years but never used. I'm not opposed to buying tools as we progress and I understand there's a getting started cost with everything. We also have access to a Pfaff 345-h3 cylinder arm walking foot machine, which I suppose could be used for some basic light weight leather projects. My question to you: What are good starter leather working projects that have something to do with horses? Where do we start? I read somewhere that starting with some belts or straps, maybe even a headstall would be a good start. Then progressing to chaps. Is this true? If you were starting out and hoping to gain the skills, where would you start? Where would you start if your end goal was to say make a saddle with your son or daughter in a few years time? Rather than jumping into the deep ended and losing the interest of my daughter, I'd like to slowly build our skills together and create things that she would able to find useful and relate to her interest in horses. I also wouldn't be opposed if we learned to make something that she could sell to her friends or family members while learning the craft. I did some quick searching and found a few books. I was thinking to purchase the following books, please let me know if you think that I'm way off base here. How to Make Cowboy Horse Gear by Bruce Grant Saddlemaking Construction and Repair Techniques Set by Johnson The Stohlman Encyclopedia of Saddle Making by Stohlman. Thank you for your help and I appreciate you taking the time to reply. We're American, but living overseas, so taking a class or learning from someone in the states is not an option this year. Let me know what you think.

**I realize I posted this under machinery instead of sewing machines. Would a moderator be able to post this in the correct forum please** First off thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this thread. I am a novice when it comes to leatherworking and also a novice when it comes to machines. My use case: -I am looking to make bags, tactical backpacks, rucksacks, and handbags. Possibly the small wallet from time to time. -The materials I see myself using are Cordura, canvas, and leather. My Available machine options: I'm an expat living abroad and currently located in Singapore. I don't have access to a lot of machines and I'm hoping to avoid crazy shipping costs by purchasing a machine that's already in the country. My options for machines are below. I know people recommend different machines for different materials and jobs. I'm hoping to find one that will help get me started and allow me enough flexibility to make the above items. Once I progress from there I'd be willing to get a secondary machine. From what I've read throughout the forum it's quite difficult asking a single machine to be great at everything. I just need to find an acceptable balance to get started. Of course, if I can kill two birds with one stone I'll go for it. Options I have: 1. Pfaff 345 cylinder bed 345-H3 - This machine is used. There are cracks at the base, they almost look like stress fractures or as if it fell over and landed on the cylinder. It has the German markings on it. It's well used and has a new clutch motor. Overall, I'd say the condition is not bad, but it's definitely seen some repairs and quite a bit of use. I was uncomfortable with cracks. I'm worried that repairs and spare parts would cost a fortune. Not sure what year this machine is 2. Pfaff 335 cylinder bed. -This is a brand new set, but the price is really out of my budget at this point. The only reason I'm including this is if you feel that this it right machine and I should wait and save up for it. And by new, I mean it's an unused set and it looks to have quite a lot of electronics on it. Not sure what year. 3. Mauser Spezial 1245 - Machine is used, but in good condition and comes with servo motor and some spare parts. This is not a cylinder machine. Is this going to make creating bags impossible? 4. Sailright Fabricator - Servo motor - I know this is more of a sailing, canvas, type machine but I'm putting it down because it's available. Could I do a leather bag with this; would it even be smart? Is a cylinder bed machine an absolute must for creating backpacks and handbags? I currently design my patterns in 3D. If you have any input or recommendations which machine would be best, I would really value your replies. Once again, this is primarily for bag making, Cordura, leather, and canvas. I know there are reputable dealers at the top of the page, but I'm currently trying to avoid spending the +1k for overseas shipping. Unless you feel like the best machine for my use case needs to be shipped over and the options I've posted are an absolute waste of time and money. Thank you. -Justin. PS. I'll update my profile to state that I'm located overseas (Singapore) to help with peoples replies.