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I made this after seeing Rawcustoms post on making a new Awl blade holder. I used his idea for the blade holder and bought the double collet pin vise from EBay. I don't make my own blades, I buy them. The handle is turned out of Cocobolo with a brass ferrule turned to flush itself with the Cocobolo. The business end of course is the pin vise. I struggled with how to handle the reference point on the handle. I've read where folks sand down a flat spot for reference. That would serve to keep the handle from rolling around too. You would not have to look either but in my case I've been sewn back together enough to know I'm not real found of that. I prefer to watch myself stab myself so I went with an orientation inlay so I have to watch. The inlay is Ivory from a late 1800's piano that went to the scrap yard, I harvested the keys and soaked the ivories off to use as inlays. Figuring out how to cut the ivory was interesting to say the least. I am about three weeks into leather work and this site has helped me greatly. What drove me to leather work is unprotected sharp pointy things. My friends have a hard time not cutting themselves when they visit. I warn them if it's meant to be sharp and I own it, well it's sharp. I'm forced to either make sheaths for my sharp pointy things or get new friends. I see it this way, if you pick it up, unsnap the sheath strap, pull it out of the sheath and proceed to insert the sharp pointy thing into you body all by yourself you must have wanted it there. Thank you all for helping to protect my friends from themselves.

Looking to purchase a Vergez-Blanchard sewing awl and wanted to get your guys advice on the size. The one I had in mind is this one: http://www.fineleatherworking.com/blanchard-leather-sewing-awl. I am currently using .8 mm tiger thread, 6 to 7 SPI with John James 004 needles. Mostly stitching 3 to 4 oz veg tan and 5 to 6 oz pull up. What size awl would you guys recommend? Thanks! Kev

So, in my (very futile) quest to try to do leatherworking without being a drain upon our finances, I have learned a lot slower than necessary, and cut a lot of important corners. NO MORE. I've been saddle stitching, using pricking irons and then stitching, but the last two bags have convinced me that if I didn't buy an awl to open up each stitch (as Nigel Armitage recommended), I would give myself a serious case of carpel tunnel syndrome. So, I finally turned a handle for the awl blade I bought months and months ago. Tonight I'm going to make some burnishing wheels to put on a drill. To be fair, without my husband's wood turning expertise, this would never have happened. And yes, I didn't bother with a collet. With all the exotic wood ends hanging around in his shop, I can make a new handle for a new kind of blade easier than chasing down a collet. The handle is ziricote, one of my favorite woods.

Hello, I'm getting started with hand stitching and I have some questions about it. I've been reading LW forum for a few weeks and I will keep on doing so because it's such a great resource and I thank you all for that. I would like to make some wallets and phone pouches/sleeves first. I like simplistic, clean design and pretty much natural look of leather in all shades of brown and black. Something like that in the attachments, made by Nordic District. I'm going in with a very low budget and I don't know what size awl to pick. I think I should go with 8 spi as suggested in Stohlmans book and the 0.8 mm thread. I've been lookin at the 2.3mm (0.09") and 3mm (0.12") awl blades, can you please suggest what is better for that job? The other thing is what leather weight (calf, cow) is strong enough for a wallet and phone pouch, considering it will be going in and out of pocket dozen times a day. I've seen 2.5-3 oz, 3-4oz, 4-5oz and even heavier leather suggested. Also, can such thin leather be grooved? Would the holes made with pricking irons or diamond chisels be too big for these projects to look fine like the attachments? All suggestions are welcome, Thanks

Hi everyone, Wondering if I could get some expert advice! I am currently working on some leather coin purses. For marking the stitching holes I use an edge crease and then a pricking iron. The pricking iron does go through the veg tan but makes a very small hole, meaning when I am stitching on the pony, I widen the hole using my awl to enable the needle to pass through. When I push the awl through, one side looks fine but on the back, the pressure of the awl is tearing the leather and it looks a bit cracked. On the finished product one side looks perfect but the back does not look the same, it looks a little messier. Whilst I am still very pleased with the outcome, I was wondering if there is any way I can prevent this? Or, is it a simple case of this is the way it is? Any help welcomed Thanks!

I'd like to turn my own awl hafts but cannot find chucks of the kind I see on manufactured awls. Can anyone point me to a chuck supplier? Thanks.

Can anyone point me toward manufacturers of awl chucks? I'd like to turn my own hafts, but I cannot find any of the kinds I see on retail awls. Thanks.

To anyone who has used a Bob Douglas awl blade - what brands of hafts will they fit other than the Bob Douglas brand hafts? I understand that they fit hafts by BearMan (custom) Osborne (not sure which size) Has anyone else used them with other brands like Tandy or Dixon? I'm trying to save on $$ and use the tools I already have. Thanks for the input.

I am new to leatherwork. I need to know how to punch holes through multiple layers of leather. I am using 8-10oz leather to make holsters. I have been using a drill with a tiny bit to make the holes through both layers so that the holes match up. I know this is not correct, but I have yet to find a good way to do this and ensure they line up. My holsters are turning out okay, but I want to do it right. Can someone let me know if they use their diamond awl to go through two layers at once? Can you let me know if there are different size diamond awls, and if so what size would you recommend. If you respond, pics would be great if possible. I really appreciate your time. I will attach a pic of a holster I did.

Hi all, Great forum with lots of advice. I've been leatherworking for a short while now and have been using mostly Tandy tools. In particular, my awl is the Tandy sewing kit all with a few blades and a screw chuck. This awl works okay for sewing 6 spi, but I have started sewing at 8 and 10 spi and I personally find the holes punched by this awl too large for stitching this fine. I am looking at buying an Osborne awl haft (the No. 142) and a blade, but I am uncertain as to whether any of the blades will offer me a smaller hole for the finer stitching. The Saddler's stitching awl is available in various sizes (54-59) but these all seem to refer to the length of the blade. The same is true of the Saddler's Harness awl (No 42-52). Is there a particular blade you recommend or do I need to buy one and grind it down myself? I am making primarily small leather goods made with vegtan and suede---folios, small bags, purses, etc. I am also looking to buy a rivet setter and rivets. Any reason to buy the Osborn version of these over the Tandy version? They look almost identical. Thanks for your help, Jason