tibi

Thank you very much. That chart will help me a lot.

Thank you very much for the awl explanation. I have also seen 4-1 edge beveler, groover, creaser, hamburger maker, etc...., but it did not get very good reviews, so I would probably buy them as seperate tools. Is there any table that will tell me what leather thickness is suitable for what products? Because, I do not think that wallets should be built from 4 mm leather. Or such a wallet will look terrible in a back pocket of the jeans.

Thank you very much. So I need a round awl and diamond as well. I will buy two separate, as it is more comfortable than switching the irons all the time.

What is the difference between round/flat and diamond awl? I know that round is round and flat is flat, but what is a diamond awl used for? Here are the options which I can buy

Yes, woodworkers suffer from this. They either have too many tools on their shelves gathering dust or they have the top-tier brand loyalty, i.e. all the tools must be Lie-Nielsen/Veritas (it is like Apple only household for those who do not know woodworking brands). And they build those beautiful wall cabinets with all matching tools inside. Such a cabinet worth of tools can cost you up to 10 000 USD. Leatherworking tools are cheap compared to that, if you do not count leather working machines.If I would start talking about woodworking machines, quality stuff costs a fortune.

Thank you very much Zuludog, I appreciate your advice. As I have already watched some videos about leather working, there are not too many tools that I would need and compared to woodworking all the manual tools needed would cost me as one or one and a half of a single Lie Nielsen plane (I do not own any). I also know Paul Sellers very well, as well as Tom Fidgen, Richard MacGuire, Shannon Rogers and other hand tool only woodworkers. The good news is that I would start working with leather no sooner than in October/November, as I have many woodworking projects to finish during the year and I will not have time for leatherworking. So I have enough time to watch videos and read books during the evenings to get the basics and figure out what I need. I have found beautiful tools from Kemovan craft (Chinese people can indeed make quality products and the reviews on etsy seems to be real), so I will probably buy from them. I like that I need to make a smaller investment into leatherworking than into woodworking and I can become competent with less tools.

For the very same reason (dust, noise and danger) I work exclusively with hand tools when woodworking. It is quieter and safer. I am a beginner woodworker last year I have built a workshop in the garden and I have acquired the tools. I have a thickness planer, but I want to sell it once I build my new workbench (I am now building a workbench and restoring another that I have inherited after my great grandfather, who built it). The only power tools I have is a circular hand saw (for ripping big 3m boards that I buy from the mill into smaller boards) and a cordless drill. I would like to work with hand tools only with leather work as well. It will take me longer, but the hobby is about hand work satisfaction and not about chewing out products out of production line. Burnisher is an inexpensive tool and I have a lot of woodworking projects that I have to finish, so I will not have a time to make it soon, but I want to make a stitching pony, because some of them sell for more than 100 €, and I can build it easily myself, so why buy it.

Thank you very much Spyros for your elaborate answer, now I have a clearer idea of what to go for and what tools I do not need yet, or I might never need. I want definitely make my own stitching pony, as it is an easy woodworking project. I do not own a lathe so I will not be able to build a burnisher. I am going to buy some literature and watch more youtube in my spare time, so that I get more information and then I will buy those tools. I will do woodworking in spring-autumn and I will start with leather work once it is too cold to be in the shop.

Hello, This is my first post on this forum. My main hobby is woodworking. I have a workshop, which is not heated during winters and there are often sub zero temperatures. So I have been looking for an alternative hobby that I can do during winter session and I have found leather working to be pretty interesting and I can do it in my warm home in a spare room. I have used search function on this forum, but it had returned too many results where I did not find the exact answers to my questions. There are many blog posts that describe essential tools, but there are various sizes of tools or multiple tools, that can do the same task and I do not want to buy unnecessary stuff. I plan to start leather working next autumn/winter and until that I would like to buy one or two books that will teach me tools/techniques and some basic knowledge about leather types, their suitability for different applications. I would like to start making some simple key cases, bookmarks, wallets, mobile phone covers and then I need to upgrade my skills to be able to make some handbags for my wife, as this is the requirement for approving the purchase of tools . So this will be mostly the scope of my work in the first few years. 1. I would like to ask if you can advise me one or two books that will teach me leather working basics, tools, techniques. There are many titles available and unfortunately, I cannot personally take a book and scroll through it in a bookstore, as those books are not available in my country (Slovakia) and online previews only show you only first few pages. 2. I would like to buy myself a first set of tools. I do not want to buy cheap tools that I will need to upgrade in the future, so I want to buy once, cry once. I would like to ask you for some basic set of tools that I should buy first for the types of products that I want to make. I would like to invest 300 - 500 € in the beginning for a set of quality tools and expand them later, if necessary. I would like to buy from Europe, if possible, so I do not need to deal with custom fees and expensive shipping, etc. I like good looking and good quality tools, but they do not have to be the most expensive just for the sake. I would like to buy mid range tools that will work for a lifetime and will look good as well (like wooden handles, quality steel etc.). I have read some essential lists but I am more and more confused, because multiple tools can be used for the same task and I do not know which is better for me and why. a) knives: head round knife, flat skiving knife, l'indispensable knife, rotary cutter, trimming knife, Stanley knife? b) pricking irons, stitching chisels, stitching awls, overstitch wheel? c) edge beveler (what size), edge creaser, d)adjustable groovers e) scratch awls f) needles and laces/threads g) other tools I just need a basic, yet quality set of tools that will allow me to make wallets, covers,belts, straps, notebook covers and handbags in the future. There are too many options and I do not want to buy redundant tools, just those that will fit what I am intending to do. That is why I am asking for an advice. 3. Can leather working be done totally by hand without the use of machines? I have seen some pretty expensive leather sewing machines, but it must have been done without them in the past. Thank you very much for your answers. Tibi