Spyros

It's nice why did the edge come out so wrinkly in the bottom?? I think maybe you need a bigger piece of wood or smaller piece of leather

Not sure actually... I've seen it before in open markets and things like that but not in big shops.

Sounds like you have to make a choice... some of those precious tools will need to go into those big plastic tubs in the attic or something

We have one big leatherworking shop in my city (I'm not gonna name names but it's well known), and all I can say is I really wanted to like them, and I tried, again and again. I looked past the traditional Aussie price gouging and the 1 hour drive to get there, and I tried really hard to give them my money, but these people are making it impossible. First I tried to go there a couple of times, and I kid you not, in the year of our lord 2022 they actually do NOT have price tags on their stuff. I had to literally go find someone, take them by the hand and make them walk with me, and ask them how much everything costs. And they're nice people, they actually did that, except when I took a different person I got different prices LOL So that wasn't working. Then I tried their online shopping, and when I logged on to their horrible website which looked like something out of the first days of the internet, my first reaction was where the hell is everything? From all the stuff that I know they have on stock, because I saw it with my own two eyes, about 2/3 was simply not listed online. I mean if they can't be ****** to put price tags on things of course they wouldn't be ****** to take photos and list them online. Anyway I looked past that too and I ordered something from the remaining 1/3 that appeared on their website as "in stock". And guess what? it wasn't LOL. And what did they do? They took the money, and they sent me a package with that item missing and an invoice that included that item. I mean, yeah, nah. Thanks. Bye. Nowadays I'd rather pay $100 to DHL to send me one rivet from the other side of the planet than deal with those idiots again.

Ahh you're one of them LOL Ok, it can be done I guess, your brain must be much more organised than mine... for me all tools have to be on magnetic strips on the wall, anything that doesn't stick to the magnets I hang it from nails, and anything that doesn't hang I've made a couple of blocks on wood with holes in them and I stick it in there so I can see it. Otherwise I literally do not remember what tools I own.

If you buy HDPE dont buy black. You put a black piece of leather on and you cant see jack ****

a) Drawers is where tools go to die. In 3 days you will forget what's in them and probably never use it again. Hang as much as you can on the walls and yes even from the ceiling as Fred wisely said. b) More important than the shape of the bench is the position of the bench. Ideal is: One of the short sides against the wall with the other 3 sides free so you can walk around the bench instead of having to rotate long pieces to cut them. The 4th side should be bolted on the wall, and the feet bolted on the floor, for stability so you can bang and cut things on the bench without it moving and rocking under you. c) Even more important than the position of the bench is the surface of the bench. Ideally you want one bench with a surface that nothing sticks on it so you can use it for gluing and dying and then you can actually clean it and keep it spotlessly clean, and the best surface for that is formply (the black stuff they sell at the hardware store for concrete pours, not even epoxy sticks on it). And then another bench with a soft surface for punching and cutting without damaging your tools, the ideal material is 15mm or thicker high density polyethylene (HDPE). Whatever surface you decide to use keep the mounting really really simple: 4 to 6 screws is enough, so you can flip it over when it's worn out. If you don't have room for 2 benches you can divide the surface half and half, or simply use formply and throw a cutting mat on when cutting and punching. I'm a big fan of formply. d) Bench accessories are important to plan for, make sure you can actually mount them in a way that is convenient to your workflow. A tabletop stitching pony will not mount on a bench if the edge of the bench is too thick. A woodworking vice with wide jaws dressed with leather is actually very useful for pressing glued items uniformly instead of hammering them, or just holding them up for painted edges to dry. A pair of long sticks are useful for holding a belt up for edge dying, ideally you want those sticks easy to mount on the edge of your bench. A shallow hole on the bench is great for popping in those concave metal bases for pressing hardware like snaps and rivets on big pieces of leather that don't fit under a hardware press. A hook hanging over the bench is sometimes convenient for hanging big/floppy projects for stitching in awkward locations. A few holes with threaded inserts *might* be useful for mounting and removing machines like tabletop skivers. If I was making my bench again I would also make a porthole with a big rubbish bin underneath to quickly sweep offcuts.

Nah, it's not the climate, it's the people. Having lived half my life in Southern Europe and the other half in Australia, with similar climates, I can tell you the difference is the people. Just different rhythm of living. Give you an example: my friend (45 year old, engineer, married with children) went back home to Greece last week. 8 hours time difference from me, tired, jet lagged, he lost track of time. So he rang me Wednesday morning 2am (my time) to ask me something random. Of course I was awake at 2am on a Wednesday, because I'm Greek. So I pick up the phone: - "Hey man, it's 2am here". - "Oh, yeah... so what's up? Blah blah blah" LOL If I ring anyone in Australia on a weekday after 9pm they'll probably think someone died :D

Yes, very. Ivan LW over in Taiwan (to which I'm not affiliated in any way) has the cheapest Horween leathers I've seen anywhere with FREE DHL, so I stocked up and in 4 days it was at my doorstep. If I can't find what I want, Buckleguy. If I still can't find what I want I will happily give up leatherworking entirely before I order *anything* from Australia again. I live in Bentleigh East but for some reason our posties keep sending random orders to Brighton East, it's got to the point where the guy knows me know and he just texts me "hey come get your crap". And I keep receiving his salts for his swimming pool so I just let those wait until the next time we have a mail swap.

Yeah I'm guessing they probably just didn't show the step where you just spray some moisture inside before putting it on the wood block and leaving it overnight. That's all it would take.

I always have opinions :D Overall opinion: I love it, it looks rigid and durable like an old Swiss army map satchel but at the same time with luxury touches like the turned or polished edges. I can't quite figure out what you did with the strap attachments but it's a great idea, I find what often happens in other bags is the strap keeps hitting the top flap and ends up bending and damaging it over time (particularly any edge finish on the flap would be ruined within days). The way you've done it it keeps the straps further out and clear from the flap which is great. Now since you've made more room for the flap maybe you could take that opportunity and make the flap a little wider, it would help it sit better over the bag and cover the openings, and would give you some room to make those two folds you made. Kind of like this (obviously a totally different bag and softer leather, just look at the flap design) I'd also probably lose the feet, instead I would consider stitching the bottom the other way round, if you know what I mean? Turn the bottom the other way with the edges facing down and then stitch. You lose a tiny bit of interior space but you get a nice, rigid bottom that helps the bag stand and doesn't make this annoying sound when you put the bag on a hard surface. Probably easier to stitch from the outside too. Another option to consider is a simple leather strap and loop closure, it is visually appealing on those tall & narrow bags because it follows the lines of the bag. Like this one. (Or a simple strap and buckle would do the same). What are the rivets on the front, is there an interior pocket? Do you have more photos? Well done anyway, it looks great as it is, just throwing some ideas in case you make another. Cheers SP

A leather needle on fabric is not 100% ideal, but you can use it. But you can't really use a fabric needle on leather, never tried it but I imagine it will probably break sooner or later.

I don't know anything about latigo but I love the look of those bags (can't say I understand exactly how they open but I love them regardless)

Thank you all I made another one this morning with Chromexcel, painted edges and goat lining (I'm keeping this one for myself) A couple of takeaways from this project, things I know but I always forget: The leatherworking bench is full of liquids: paint, glue, finishes etc. One drop in the wrong place can be a disaster, but good way of cleaning it without damaging the leather is Isopropyl Alcohol on a clean cloth. It usually works well on most leathers but not all leathers. Chromexcel doesn't like it, it damages the finish and then it smudges. Always use with caution on an offcut first. For lining things that fold like this project, soft and stretchy chrome tan works better than veg tan. I glued the first one with the exterior bent inwards, and still the veg tan creased inside in an ugly way. Chrome stretches and flexes much better as it opens and closes.

The sewing machine fairy!

Yeah it's lined with some veg tan.

Of course, you gotta have a nosey thingy!

https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/1049775024/retro-stainless-steel-purse-lock?click_key=bee5a431708e63db655e9c85bb09864a7ea3f577%3A1049775024&click_sum=99e36995&ref=shop_home_recs_1&pro=1 they're good

I also tapped it, I even pressed it with my Amy Roke pliers before tapping it to make sure. It was nice and flat, very nice and very flat indeed. I did a couple of coasters last night, I tried all 5 presser feet that I have, I changed the thread then changed it back, changed the stitch length and changed it back... I was playing for hours and I haven't been able to replicate this issue. I still have no idea what happened to be honest.

Had to start doing something with my offcuts, this $1 pattern from Ivan came in handy W&C bridle with kangaroo lining

Only thing that matters is if it's more attractive to you. It is to me, but don't assume that everybody likes it or it is the proper or better way, there's a tonne of people out there who prefer completely straight stitches and view the slanted ones coming out of diamond/french/slanted chisels as wrong, someone on this board even said "girly". It's just a preference, it's entirely up to you. If you have a drill press another option is to stick your diamond chisels in there and just pull down without turning the press on. Fred's solution with a magnet would help keep the holes in a straight line, although most drill presses already have some sort of a built-in guide that you could use.

I'd use whatever works, a drill press, a sewing machine without thread, an oil derrick, whatever LOL The traditional and recommended approach is to mark the holes and make them with an awl, but you might find it hard to keep the awl angle consistent the first couple of thousand times.

Yeah he did skive the edges but he was also using much thicker leather than me, mine was about 1.2-1.4mm which didn't really call for a skive, if anything I was trying to add rigidity because the whole bag is just a hair too floppy. I will give the paddle foot a try, I remember it does feel very positive and secure in holding the leather down, but I've been avoiding it because it leaves the worst marks on the bridle leathers I typically use. I'll play around with the tension spring. The catching of the presser foot movt is all fixed, it just needed some oil in just the right place.

Thanks Wiz, I appreciate your time. Yes I am using Rocky Aussies narrow throat plate, which is fairly curved. About the reverse: when the project has such a high colour contrast between the thread and the leather, I don't reverse at all. I finish the machine stitch 2 holes short and I do those manually with a needle. I'll probably get over it eventually but thats how I do right now. I think the double toe foot might be the answer because there is definitely enough room in this particular gusset, I do the stitch a fair way in from the edge and then cut the excess leather afterwards. Thanks again, I now have some things to try. Waiting for some leather at the moment but when I do the same bag in a couple of weeks I'll post an update.

Thanks for taking a look at this Yep I started right to left. Nice even stitches then suddenly it increased the stitch length by a lot, and then erratic. It does seem I should probably use the left presser foot, but there was plenty of room and I did pay particular attention that nothing touched the foot. If this bag sells for the price I expect I will probably make a couple more and I will try the left foot next time. (or there might actually be enough room to put the bag on the other side over the cylinder arm, we'll see). The presser foot tension is still a big question mark for me. I have replaced the spring with the softer one, and I have dialled it all the way back, so I am applying the absolute minimum pressure. And I'm still getting bad marks when the total leather under the foot exceeds 4mm. The gusset was just under that, so I only really got dog feed marks. It sounds like the presser foot tension is something I'll have to adjust every time I change thickness, or maybe try and find an ever softer spring. The stitch length adjuster in my mind is *probably* not the issue. I'm saying this because if it moves when I stitch, why would it only move at the gusset curve only? Because other than that the machine has always held the stitch length perfectly.