Spyros

Not whatever they want, but some things they want are very commonly repeated.

Shoe sole shaper maybe? If it's just a burnisher then why the lid on the motor? It indicates there must be some sort of particles or shavings falling from the bit.

I think a cat's mission in life is to specifically remind us that it's very achievable to do nothing productive all day LOL

It means this motor was never designed to be used upside down. Most routers are, they blow air to keep the wood dust from falling inside the motor. This looks like a DIY job, God knows for what...

You'd think if it's meant to go up and down a lot to match the weight of your leather with the right groove it would have an easier adjustment than that.... This is weird, if it's not a cutter why are the sides segmented like that with gaps in between? Could it be a spool that winds something up?

Yeah one of my use-for-everything plastic bottles I posted above is dedicated to loctite :D Look I don't have any feelings for or against rivets. I just make stuff for people. And the way this usually goes is that they come to me with a couple of photos on their phones and they say I want something between this and that, but can we make this a little different or whatever. And what they show me typically involves some sort of hardware, and even if I have some suggestions or a preference I don't want to impose it on people too much. Based on what they're showing me most people seem to like a little bit of metal on their leather. And sometimes there's practical reasons. Stitching wouldn't work on that particular strap on the saddlebag for example, I needed the strap to pivot as well, because I usually take it with me after I park the bike and the strap doubles as a bag handle.

Ok at those RPMs it's definitely not for timber, so now I have no idea. It doesn't sound convenient to have a burnisher oriented vertically though, does it have an easy height adjustment somewhere?

That looks like some sort of shaper for cutting beads into timber mouldings and such, although I haven't seen a bit like this before. Does it have speeds on it? If it runs between 7-10k RPM it's probably a shaper, anything above that it's a router. Either way it does look like it's probably for wood (and I'd keep my fingers away from it)

So what is the Inuit or fine leatherworking acceptable solution when you're putting straps on your bicycle bag to hang under your saddle, and you know those straps will be the first thing that will get ******* and I will have to replace them sooner or later? My solution was chicago screws, what was I meant to do?

No idea, when I do develop an obsession with rivets I'll let you know.

No I'm not finding it rude, it's fine. I get what you're saying. And sure, you can start the hobby with $100, ok. And you can make specific things with that, fair enough. And there are many ways to skin a cat, and you can make many or most projects without using hardly any hardware, that's a fair point too. What I am saying however is that those people who can't afford a bigger budget than $100, at the very least deserve a warning upfront that when they try to do the most common stuff that they will (inevitably) see on youtube and etsy, which is where most people get their leatherworking education these days, they will probably get frustrated as they realise they just don't have the equipment for it. And then it's up to them. I'm just talking about practical issues, at least I'm not arguing about the merits of chasing every garage sale or eating noodles for weeks to save money until you're able to find or buy a head knife that is made not in China.

I am aware, just not interested.

I'd hardly call a $500 tool budget "big", for a hobby that can actually make you money pretty much from the get go. A couple of punches, a strap cutter, a beveller and a few days of practice and you're making sellable belts.

I've never seen a 4-5 inch hole punch, I don't know. Various size round hole punches are typically used for grommets, holes for pull strings, cutting circles for various uses like reinforcements behind hardware, etc

How do you make holes for different size rivets, grommets, buckles, sam brownes, chicago screws etc without an appropriate punch? And how do you set spring snaps, eyelets, double cap rivets, saddle rivets without a setter and a metal base? I mean sure you can skip all that and only use the rivets that match your one size hole, and mash them with a hammer on the bench until they're flat, but in my mind that's kind of dumb to restrict yourself like that just for the sake of avoiding the proper tools.

Actually you know what really helps and costs next to nothing? those needle tip bottles I can't live without them, I have a couple dozen for every colour edge paint, for tokonole, for glue, edge kote, you name it. Also silicone brushes and various silicone-tipped tools for spreading glue, they're like a dollar on ebay And those $2 doorstops for holding down your pattern when cutting leather. People actually sell "pattern weights" for $50 LOL

You must have a lighter hand than me, I had that mini punch and broke it LOL I mean I broke the black bit I was using the most, then I had to buy a replacement, then another replacement because I broke it again, and when I broke it again I gave up and bought a good set of punches which I still have. There's a reason this set is $12, maybe it's fine for someone more careful than me, but I can't recommend it based on my experience. The odd-shape punches, well just because you don't need them, doesn't mean they're not needed

Aw man... I'm stuck here, after 2 years working from home I'm starting to look like a woolly mammoth :D Thanks though

toldya :D

Well, the creaser is your personal decision (and mine by the way) but it's very far from essential, most people don't ever crease anything. And although I have a good budget for tools I never felt any need or desire for any leathercraft-specific knife, I just use box cutters and scissors from the hardware store. Same for glue, because leatherworking glue is basically watered-down contact adhesive, of which you can buy a small bucket for $20 pretty much anywhere and then dilute it to 2 buckets to last you months. A leatherworking maul, unless you get into carving/tooling doesn't really have a reason of existence compared to a hardware store $10 mallet, a stitching pony is basically two pieces of wood with a door hinge and a wing nut, and so on and so forth But I do disagree with your 100-200 euro tool list because there is the issue of leatherworking punches. You just need them from the get go, I can't think of anything else that will do, once you get to strap holes and hardware? The cheap ones break and the decent ones get pretty expensive pretty quickly because you do need different shapes and sizes. And then you need specific setters for every piece of hardware you choose to use (if you want to set it properly). A couple of irons, an awl, a cutting surface, a basic strap cutter, bevellers... I think the minimum starter budget is probably closer to $500.

Hey Brian where do you find all those machines that people talk about in Australia? I've been trying to get an idea of prices and what is available over here, and it looks like pretty much nothing is LOL (Apologies to the OP for the irrelevant question)

I still find leatherworking very cheap compared to other crafts and hobbies that people typically get into, things like woodworking, metalworking, watches, photography, or anything with a motor, or anything that floats, or even cycling. Or gambling :D Leatherworking gets expensive when you start buying sewing machines and serious clicker presses, but by that point you almost certainly have a business and you're earning it back. Seriously have you seen what an entirely unplugged set of decent woodworking hand tools costs? Before you even buy a single power tool.

Thanks all So basically it's like that movie The Martian, when Matt Damon says "you start solving problems, one problem at the time, and if you solve enough problems you get to go home"

Thanks all, much appreciated! Yeah I don't generally use patterns, it kind of kills my creative juices :D I like to design as I cut the leather. Of course sometimes it means I start going for a bag and I end up with a wallet LOL

I typically use those for gussets, I make the holes separately on each layer from opposite sides of the leather and then count holes to match the layers together. It makes things easier.