Squid61

My head hurts! Find a belt you like and use it as a pattern.

Springfield Leather has what they call a Belt Ninja, about $12, that is a template for the end cut as well as holes and buckle slot. I have also seen some free download patterns on the internet, just do a search. I usually just use an old belt as a pattern.

I bought a cheap ball peen hammer from WallyWorld (about $3.00), works great since the flat hammer portion is pretty small and has a nicely rounded edge.

Like it. Can't tell from the photo angle but did you use a welt to protect the stitching from the blade?

I've had too many instances of machine tools doing other than what I attempted to make them do. A machine, tool or otherwise, with imprecise components either by design, manufacture or wear and tear will do whatever they care to do, sometimes with spectacular effect.

Actually, the US toy that comes closest was called Erector Set; a collection of nuts, bolts, perforated metal strips, pulleys, shafts, miscellaneous accessories and a real plug-into-the-wall motor. Enough to give today's overprotective nannies a stroke! There is a current version available but it lacks much compared to the original.

I've been getting daily BF sale emails from Weaver and Springfield, some have been tempting so you might check them out.

I've looked at these off and on for a while now, yeah I'm guilty of not owning one. As someone doing typical hobby/personal varieties and quantities of products, I've concluded I can get a lot of hand stitching done in the time I would probably spend fiddling around with one of these Rube Goldberg machines and it will look much better. Until some outfit puts out a decent hand crank machine priced for the hobbyist, I'm a hand stitching.

Got mine from SLC and added strips of 220 grit wet or dry along the back edge of the sliding pieces to get better friction under the thumbscrew, never slips. Slipping is a common problem with these wooden cutters.

I use PVA to hold two pieces until I can hand stitch them, no reason to waste contact cement to hold a seam for 10 minutes. I use Fiebing's which is overpriced or my wife's Tacky Glue from her craft store but I'm sure no-name white glue would work equally well in that application. By the way, a dot on the threads is a great way to keep Chicago Screws from backing out.

Totally agree.

johnnydb I have built several rubber powered planes, scratch and kit, and have spent more money and time on those than most of my utility grade leather projects and I haven't had one leather project disintegrate on impact. I own no machinery so my only real expense variable has been in the cost of leather; same tools, techniques and finish products for a checkbook cover as a fine clutch purse. I buy most of my general project leather, veg and chrome, from Weaver's and Springfield; both outfits sell the better stuff as well at decent prices when needed for my classier projects and they both have always been a pleasure to deal with.

I can understand some heavy weight bearing belts benefiting from a steel core but for the majority it makes no sense. The customers are entitled to what they're willing to pay for of course, as long as it isn't unobtainium enhanced.

I make my casual belts from 9-10 oz bridle and work them/wear them until they're soft, until now I never heard of inserting a stiffener in a belt!!!

Is it likely they are reacting to a large counterfeit problem for their products?

I've been there! The worst was woodworking.

It's been years since I shot a pistol but I believe I'd much rather have shark or skate skin on my grips than snake skin, especially on a warm and humid day. Skiving in this case would mean taking off the flesh and leaving only the outer skin, tricky and would need a bit of scrap practice but not impossible.

There are a lot of very good leathers that don't cost what Herman Oak costs. To read this thread one would think anything less the the best is crap leather, nonsense. I buy what I can afford and make it look like it should cost more, it's what craftsmanship is about. I also don't sell; I do occasionally make to order with the "customer" selecting and paying for the leather, labor is free, it's my hobby not a business.

As an alternative to routing a groove the leather edge could be skived so the edge would tuck under without adding thickness.

How large/thick a piece of leather is involved? I tool smaller items like coasters and notepad/book covers and don't get measurable shrinkage, I don't case I just wet the surface with a sponge as needed to achieve good tooling.

I'm in the same condition as that satchel but older! I agree with Mulesaw, it's worth a little effort with saddle soap and oil, might never be usable but it should clean up enough as a memento.

Did you come across it in some context, perhaps with other associated items? If it has been charred that may have been to harden it against wear, wear against what is the question. Without knowing its size it's hard to tell what possible uses it might have.

They are actually called Senior Proof Caps, I have other not-for-children names for them.

When I was doing garage woodworking including cabinetry I bought most of my hand tools at antique stores, most of the modern US manufacture tools were well below them in quality. I'm referring to tools such as saw tooth sets, saw vices, planes, saws, gauges and such. When I now buy a "US" made tool, powered or not, I expect it either to be manufactured off shore or in Mexico and some minor finishing here, or at least imported components assembled here. I have bought C.S.Osborne tools recently and noticed even they are lower quality than they were years back, the edge on a skiving knife in particular required significant hand grinding before I could begin to sharpen and hone it. My problem with Chinese manufactured anything isn't quality, if one is selective there are fine quality items available from China, I just have a hard time buying from a country that openly despises the US and with which we could one day be at war. If that's too political a statement, not sorry.

Harrisville got a lot right with it but it is a kit after all and kits just lack the sense of fine quality that comes with a factory build. There is always a sense that important details were eliminated for ease of assembly by the user. I don't have many pictures of my work but here is a Merino-Cashimir scarf I made for my wife using the Harrisville.