Drill holster

[DwightT]

My stepson is an electrician and he has asked me to make him a new holster for his drill gun.  His current holster was made by his brother, who was trying to make a holster for his gun (not sure what kind of gun) but wound up with something that was too big for his use.  It seemed to be OK for the drill gun though, so he passed it on.  However over the years the leather has gotten soft and doesn't really hold the drill very well anymore when climbing ladders and the like.

The current holster was made from two pieces of 8oz leather held together with rivets.  I think it would be better to use at least 10oz, and possibly run an additional band of leather around the opening to give it more support.  I would also just cut a single piece of leather rather than rivet two pieces together, and use stitching instead of rivets.  Any thoughts?

    /dwight

 

[Gezzer]

I won't be much help , as a carpenter for most of my life I can only tell you add no more weight than you have to . For me the best thing they ever did was add the clip on the side of drills , no more need for a holster. Electricians may have other needs ? Good luck 

[Dwight]

32 minutes ago, Gezzer said:

I won't be much help , as a carpenter for most of my life I can only tell you add no more weight than you have to . For me the best thing they ever did was add the clip on the side of drills , no more need for a holster. Electricians may have other needs ? Good luck 

As an electrician . . . I'm with ya Geezer . . . love them little clips.  Got a little yellow/black drill on the left side and impact on the right side . . . with just enough of a tool pouch to carry what I need to do my "job".  

Was putting in a small service panel . . . pulling wire . . . fixing conduit . . . installing ground rod . . . etc. today . . . drill clip worked perfect for what I needed it for.

Only holster I had on today was for my 9mm.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Dwight]

2 hours ago, DwightT said:

 

The current holster was made from two pieces of 8oz leather held together with rivets.  I think it would be better to use at least 10oz, and possibly run an additional band of leather around the opening to give it more support.  I would also just cut a single piece of leather rather than rivet two pieces together, and use stitching instead of rivets.  Any thoughts?

 

    /dwight

 

I didn't see the word "ladder" when I first read your post . . . and yeah . . . for ladder work, a holster is much better than the clip.

I can say that I would not like that holster at all . . . toss the strap over the top . . . just make the sides taller so the drill goes down deeper in it.

And I would not carry that one on my left side . . . always on my right . . . and I definitely would drop that angle back a bit.  But that's just my taste.

If you make a simple wrap around holster to start with . . . sew the edge . . . you can then go to the back side of it . . .  use chicago screws to attach . . . put blue loctite on the screws . . . and if it needs adjusting some time . . . a pair of pliers on one end . . . screwriver on the other . . . you can take it apart to adjust.

My holster for my big drill is either 3 or 4 pieces of leather because it started out for this drill that got replaced by that drill (remodeled for that drill) and then replace for "nother drill and the holster got remodeled for the 'nother drill.

Have fun with it . . . may God bless,

Dwight

[chuck123wapati]

I would lose the rivets too, deeper and one piece for sure if possible. But ask your stepson first how he would like it, he's been carrying it and knows what it needs and where it needs to be. I'm no electrician but i have carried a lot of tools on belts, they need to be where they always are so you can find them way up on your ladder with one hand, he may not want to re learn that. 

 But make it purdy so his friends'll want one too.

[DwightT]

Personally, I'm at most ambivalent about those clips.  They mostly just kept trying to pull my pants down.  

Chuck had it right - it really comes down to how does my stepson feels about the current one.  Other than the leather going floppy on him, he does like it.  Even though the holster was originally designed to go on the right side, he likes having it on the left.  For one it counter balances all the tools that he normally carries on the right, and he feels that it's easier for him to grab the drill from there.  So I'll probably design the replacement based on the current one, but incorporate the higher sides as Dwight suggested.  I also kind of like the idea of a simple wrap-around using Chicago screws to mount.  Having the ability to reposition it might be nice.  On the other hand, once he has it in a position that works, it would probably never be changed again so a single piece of leather might be sturdier.  I'll have to do some thinking on that and discuss it with him.

I'm also starting to think that instead of making it out of 10oz leather, I might instead go to two layers of 6oz.  That might keep it stiffer longer?

And of course I'll make it purdy.  That's the whole point of having  me do it.

    /dwight

[Bert03241]

Oh Yea Purdy that's a must

[Frodo]

I wore a tool belt and  drill holster for years

The best advice I can offer is make him a set of suspenders to shift the weight from hips to shoulders 

1” straps attached to a 3” wide double 9 oz belt  attach the straps using Chicago screws. Bell out the strap at the belt connection

use a large frame revolver pattern and adjust to fit drill