JamesR

Thanks to one and all for the help. I am thinking of buying a 2' X 4' piece of HDPE and mounting it in a wooden frame that will fit over my woodworking bench whenever I need to do any cutting. Jim

Bobby, When you punch holes on Poundo Board do you still back the piece up with a scrap or do you let the punch go into the poundo board? Thanks. Jim

What do you consider to be the best surface for a cutting table? HDPE,LDPE,WOOD,ETC.

I think I posted this thread in the wrong forum, I hope it belongs here. My stitching horse is completed at last. It is made of white ash and oak with maple lined jaws. I used a clamping mechanism from an old woodworking clamp. It uses an acme threaded screw and produces more clamping pressure than I need. The whole assembly is mounted on a mini workbench/seat with an inlaid cutting surface on top. It was purposely mounted off center so I could stab my holes easier ( I am lefthanded). If can be reversed for a righthander. The bench is quite heavy (2.5 inch top and bottom), has a low center of gravity and is not the least bit tippy. I wanted something I could use in my living room so I glued hard felt pads to the bottom to protect the floors. It slides around quite easily. The cutting strip is for an occasional cut or two. I only need to make a seat pad for the top. I angled the side blocks upward and set the clamp handle off to the side to prevent the thread from snagging while stitching. I put the pivot point for the jaws below the seat top so as to increase the throat depth. It is 12 inches from the clamp screw to the top of the jaws. I thought it might be useful? I also used hard felt to line the jaws. It has a rough surface but is soft and does not damage the work. It holds the work quite well with moderate clamping pressure. Please critique and let me know if I should have done things differently. Feel free to let me know what you think. Thank You Jim <script type=text/javascript> // <script type=text/javascript> // <script type=text/javascript> // <script type=text/javascript> // <script type=text/javascript> //

I hope this is the right place for this question. Lets say I want to take 8-10 OZ. latigo or bridle leather and fold it over flesh side in and then sew the edges together. Can I skive the edges thinner and fold the edges in and sew it so I do not see the edge of the leather? I realize I will be sewing through 4 layers of leathers but is this feasible? Thanks in advance. Jim

Chuck, Thanks for the wesite (townsend) I am ordering it today. JamesR

Rayban, Sincerly was not trying to start anything. I was just trying to come up with a comparison between one way to do something vs another. I am not leather savvy enough to know which methods are the state of the art way of doing things. Jim

I think perfection in our work is something we shoot for but not something we attain. To do really high class work we need to set very high standards. The problem with only settling for perfection is that sometimes when we make a mistake we might want to throw out the whole piece and start again (sometimes we have no choice). When I was younger making a mistake would really knock the wind out of my sails and I could not continue the piece. I learned from wiser folks then me that really skilled workers can correct thier mistakes and they will never be noticed. Jim

I am just learning about leatherworking but I am an experienced furnituremaker. I do not see any real distinction between the two terms. When I want to distinguish really high class woodworking I believe you have to describe the "hand" methods used and why they are superior to machine methods. The best way to join two boards together and form the most flawless glue joint is to hand plane the edges not machine them. This is something that demonstrates the superiority of handwork to machine work. Correct me if I am wrong but the best method of stitching two pieces of leather together is saddlestitching not machine stitching. I think without a description or explanation of the differences between handwork vs machine work we really cannot distinguish our work. People do not readily recognize quality, they have to be taught the subtle differences. The outward appearance of a thing does not always signify its quality. Jim

bruce, Thanks for that hcc web address, they have a lot of interesting info there. Jim

Exactly what is shell cordovan and what are its uses? Thanks

Ray, It was suggested on a previous thread about using linen. I believe jimsaddler said he mixed the two and waxed the linen with the mixture. Jim

I want to get rosin to mix with my beeswax for stitching. Is it the same stuff baseball players use and where do you folks get the stuff. Thanks

Thanks for the replies folks. Jim

What do you folks line the jaws of your stitching horse with if anything? Also how wide are the jaws on your horse. Thanks. Jim

I finally got a hold of Al Stohlman's Hand Sewing book and noticed that there were plans for a stitching horse in it. The depth of the throat seems to be no more than 8 inches and the thickness maybe 2 or 3 inches. I plan on building my own and was wondering if making it with a deeper and thicker throat would be useful. If you could order one custom made what would be the depth and thickness of the throat? Also how wide would you want the jaws? Thanks in advance for any help with this. Jim PS- By the way I plan on making archery quivers,armguards,handbags,and various cases,etc.

Terry, Thanks for the great tutorial. Jim

rawhide, Thanks, that pretty much explains it step by step. I am left handed so I guess I will reverse your instructions. I had been stitching away from myself for some reason, (lefties do things a little differently sometimes) but I can see why it would be better to sittch towards myself. By the way I read what you had to say about Bob Douglas stitching awls on another post and I purchased one. I own a number of very fine woodworking tools and this tool is equal to the finest ones I own. It works much better than any of the other awls I have. Now I am looking at his stitch groover. Thanks again to one and all for the help. Jim

Hilly, Does the work face you if you are working right to left? You see I am making a stitching horse and I was not sure if it should pivot. If I make it pivot then the work can face any way I want. Thank you for the insight. I have a lot to learn and the folks on this site are quite generous with their information. Jim

Ok you put your leather pieces in the jaws of the stitching horse and now how do you proceed? You stab a hole from the right to the left (assuming a right handed stitcher) or is the work held parallel to the body? Do you start stitching from right to left or left to right? Finally are you working towards your body or away from it. Thanks in advance for any suggestions or guidance Jim

Bruce, All these years since I heard that on TV and finally I have the words to it! Many thanks.\ Jim

Jimsaddler, Thank you, I already purchased my linen cord and I just did not want to mess things up with the wrong leather dressing. Jim

Tashabear, Vaseline, I don't know does it work? Some neatfoot oil and pecards dressing have petroleum products in them, there are others. Jim

Tashabear, The reason I asked was because I was told that boot makers stopped using linen because petroleum based products could damage it, not sure if its true. Thanks Jim

Does anyone know if leather dressings harm linen thread, if so which ones are safe? Thanks.