Spyros

Geez I didn't realise tru oil makes such a glassy surface, I got to try this thing It looks great, congrats!

@RockyAussie @dikman Hey guys let me introduce you to Bob Loss, the closest thing I know to a dust expert. He's an academic from Curtin Uni who has done a lot of research on creating clean workplaces and he's also a woodworker and a member on the the Australian wooworkforums.com. In that forum he has helped countless people, including me, otherwise I wouldn't have a clue about dust meters or ventilators or even how dangerous dust is. I can't remember how many times he has personally inspected people's photos, diagrams of their shed, and budgets, and helped them design a much better system even in those cases where it seemed pretty much impossible (like my case). This is where to find him: https://www.woodworkforums.com/f200/dust-extraction-presentation-235255#post2192616 Go ask him, honestly, if anything just watch the video. You're not gonna find another guy like that, most other people in the dust extraction world will want to sell you something.

hahaha gia sou file! My problem is mostly anticipating what she will want to put in there, sizes, pens etc Thanks anyhow

Welcome aboard I know what you mean, my sister is a stationary freak who loves leather journals and I've been trying to design & make something for her and failing miserably LOL making it seems doable, actually being functional afterwards is a different story. I like the blue thread on brown leather!

Countersink the screw

Supeglue it and put it back on the lathe? I mean the glue joints only need to hold for you to turn it, after that the nuts on the rod will hold it together anyway.

My only concern is that epoxy is kinda slippery for a handle? Especially if you've handled some oil/wax before. I'm talking about the outside now. Normally wooden tool handles have no finish whatsoever for this reason, just sanded to high grits for presentation.

It's not. But when you're making something so nice you want it to be perfect Personally I'd just take a round file and straighten it, even if it means the fit of the threaded rod wouldn't be perfect any more.

double post, sorry

Ooooh a Tormek, nice! I was about to pull the trigger on one and the only reason I haven't yet is those cheap knock offs that came out recently and people say they're decent. I'm waiting for my friend to show me his to see if it does the trick for me, it could save me $500. They say the main problem with the cheap ones is the axle, it gets corroded quickly but parts are also cheap to replace compared to Tormek, and it still has the same bar and you can mount original Tormek jigs and stones. Some guy I know who sharpens professionally added a cheap one next to his Tormek for a different grit stone. We'll see. I'd love a Tormek but I also need the budget to build up my leather tools. Last night I went ahead and ordered a KS stitching chisel set, 2 and 10 prong. It was pricey but I think working without a stitching awl is probably more suited to my non existent skills LOL

Ι've only made one. Did it on paper, assembled it with bulldog clips to make sure it works, then stuck it with spray glue on masonite and cut it on the bandsaw and scroll saw. Done. I could do it on sketchup I guess, my problem is that I'm in front of the computer all day for work, so when I finally get some workshop time last thing I want to do is sit on the computer again. I was thinking if I make something multiple times it's not hard for me to make the pattern pieces out of 18mm MDF and add some actual handles on them so I can push down and hold steady while cutting, and it will probably last for years. Then again that's the beauty and the curse of being an amateur: I've never had to make the same thing twice.

Thanks Matt. Yeah handles are not an issue, I'm a woodworker, I know it's a matter of seconds to bring it to the exact shape anyone might want, and even the most exotic wood for something this small is probably gonna set you back $5 once you have your supply chain sorted (ie you don't buy from etsy/ebay) But the blade sounds like a royal PITB. Again not so much making it, from what you're telling me it's probably just $0.10 worth of 01 tool steel, shaped while it's soft, then hardened and tempered, and it's so small you can probably do the heat treatment in your kitchen with a propane torch and half a glass of vegetable oil. But sharpening it, yeahh... nah. Just too easy to grind through the diamond shape edges and end up with a very pretty dart LOL

Yeah I mean if it's something you use every day it makes sense to get the best you can. But what makes a top quality one, is it the sharpness of the blade? I would've thought you don't want it to be too sharp because there are human fingers on the other side LOL (I don't know, i've never actually stitched with an awl before) Also what is the torx screw on the back for? The one on the ferrule must be for changing blades, but the other one?

I've made about a million awls (feels like), but they all have simple tips and are mainly used for woodorking, marking, scratching, making small holes to guide the drill bit, that sort of thing. What's special about a stitching awl? Is it that it's supposed to have the same shape as the pricking iron blade, is that it? Come to think of it I don't think I've ever actually seen one in person.

Very nice! I've never seen a handle shaped like this, now i want one lol By the way you don't need to buy a lathe... I mean it would be nice, don't get me wrong. But If you only want to turn small things like handles, rings, pens, gear knobs and things like that a proper lathe is total overkill IMO. I used an old bench grinder and screwed a piece of wood on one end with some bits of jigsaw blade epoxied in. And then a coach bolt through a couple of bearings on the other end, and some T-track on a piece of plywood. Whole thing didn't cost more than $30, and then I think I paid $60-$70 for a set of 3 small Sorby HSS penturner's chisels and another $10 for a basic face shield. That has been my total woodturning investment LOL That was sometime last year. Here's some things I made on it since then I mean I'm not gonna win any woodturning awards, but that's pretty much all I wanted to make anyway.

Happy to help if I can. I'm the same although I vape instead of smoking these days. But yeah one of the reasons I got into leather, other than that I love it of course, is to get out of the shed a little and still satisfy my making/crafting needs without breathing sawdust all the time. Your set up there with the shroud and the DC machine outside looks perfectly adequate, I bet you don't have a problem there. But stick the meter close to the sander at head/nose level and note down some readings before and after sanding, with the DC on and off, different positions of your fan etc until you find the best setup. Like i said don't expect too much accuracy with those cheap units (a professional dust meter runs in the thousands) however if you look at the reading directionally and proportionately it still gives you a really good idea of dust levels. With sanding it doubles/triples straight away. Shipping from China is pretty terrible these days because of COVID, if you want I can send you mine for a while, let me know. You don't need it all the time, only to take readings when you change something to make sure dust levels haven't change much.

You need to mount the dust meter as close to your head level as possible. The fan you can put across the room from a window, but you probably need bigger or more than one. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Household-PM2-5-Detector-Module-Air-Quality-Dust-Sensor-LCD-Display-Monitor-/302755086491?hash=item467d9c009b https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/271463941313 i don't know that particular seller from China, but the hydroponics dude was pretty good

You might be able to but in a more organised way these days. In VIC for example there is Outlook who employ people with disabilities and they operate recycled goods stores in 4 landfills. Basically they screen what private cars bring in (not trucks) and if they find something salvageable like a bicycle or timber/metal etc they have a shop at the entrance and sell it there. I don't know if they are technically not for profit but they do receive funding and their main purpose is to employ people, so prices are basically next to nothing. Probably worth supporting them. https://www.outlookvic.org.au/outlook-recycled-goods-stores

Yeah sorry mate, I realised after it was all probably too much info LOL The main thing is the machine kicks butt and you'll have a tonne of fun with it whatever you make! I guess my main message is before you spend any serious bucks on DC try the vent thing, worst case scenario the air in the shed will always smell fresh

By the way sanding leather is the worst, if the light is just right you can literally see the fibers floating in the air after you're done. And it might be in my head but I think they are cockroach magnets as well Now having said all that (and hopefully I didnt ruin your mood), I have to say dust or no dust I'm also extremely envious of your belt grinder Now time to get an Everneat as well and be a proper knife and tool maker

Hi mate Don't listen to knifemakers or woodturners, they both tell themselves fairytales that their thing doesn't generate breathable dust, to get out of setting up proper dust collection. And I get it, it's hard to do, it takes a big bite out of your budget, your space and your time. But in reality anything that sands or cuts generates fine airborne dust that lingers in the air for a very long time, and we breathe it. For machines like yours you need a 3HP dust collector with 6" hoses, and the DC machine needs to be outside the shed, otherwise all it does, regardless if it has felt bags or whatever, is mince the fine dust into even finer dust and releases it back in the air. And yes it will probably cost as much as your belt grinder to do it properly. You probably think I'm crazy right now but you can check for yourself, talk to a dust extraction expert (not a salesperson) or check woodworkforums which has an active Australian specific dust extraction subforum. Put it in the plans long term. What you can do short term (which is what I've done as I simply have no more room inside or outside the shed) is look into good ventilation, which is cheap and easy and very effective. Look into greenhouse supplies on ebay, they have those deep, turbine looking vents for a couple hundred bucks that you can install in your wall and they move air very efficiently. Dont get anything with a shallow profile no matter what the "cfm rating" says, they just don't do. Here's what mine looks like and here it is up on the wall I just crack the opposite window and keep the vent permanently on, it sucks and replaces all the air in the shed in a matter of seconds. Depending on the size of your shed you might need a second or a bigger unit (my shed is only 3X4m) . It took me one morning to install it but it's well worth it. Zero footprint in the shop, cheap, quiet and very powerful, if I forget to open the window then I literally need two hands to open the door, that's the suction power you're looking for. I still need to wear a mask while cutting or sanding, but I can take it off immediately after without worrying about waking up one day with chronic respiratory disease (or worse). Before you do anything, you can also buy an airborne dust meter, they are very cheap these days (under $100) and it will give you a better idea what's going on. This is mine, if you're interested I can dig up the ebay shop i got it from Cheap chinese and inaccurate unit, but directionally it gives you a very good idea about breathable dust levels. This is what it showed in my shed with the vent on/off Anyway, don't leave it mate. The dust and shavings you can see on the floor? don't worry about those, it's the ones you can't see that are suspended in the air you need to worry about. And yes, grinding metal makes them too.

I don't think you can turn leather as such, you'll have to sand it to shape. I did mine on a belt sander by just spinning it with my hand against it, it's easier than it sounds (and it doesn't need to be 100% perfect, noone will measure the circumference of your handle) You could also stabilise your drill somewhere like a vice or clamp, put in the threaded rod with with the leather pieces, lock the trigger and sand it there. But it's good that you have already shaped the leather pieces roughly to size, I started with square ones and it took a lot of sanding.

geez, no you did well I'd never touch this thing without a drill press AND a drill press vice, I have this bad habit of drilling sideways For the handle you could also just take all your leather offcuts, cut them round and stack them, but you probably already know that and couldn't be bothered. Wood handles are easier but stack leather handles are so nice in the hand

Yep If you have a drill press or even just a drill and steady hands, you can also drill from the top a little bit with a forstner bit, and add steel washers to finetune the weight and balance exactly to your liking. Thats what I did with mine because the HDPE was lighter than I expected.

You should, the exchange rate is in your favour as well I just bought a nice veg tan roo hide from Leffler, it was AUD$226 / square meter, at the current rate that's about USD$14 / square foot if my math is not completely off Why don't you check Leffler's website to see if they ship overseas? these guys also have it for much cheaper, and I've bought other stuff from them before and they're easy to deal with: https://www.austanners.com.au/kangaroo I'm not too sure why the difference in price exactly as I havent seen it in person, but the one I bought from Leffler is very nice on both sides, I actually can't tell which side is which.