Stitch strength heresy - Lock vs Saddle

[fredk]

4 hours ago, Digit said:

I have no experience with hand stitching, but a possible weakness with a saddle stitch might be that you keep pulling the same thread through the leather, abrading the thread and making it slightly weaker with each hole you pass. By the time you reach the fiftieth hole, the thread has been pulled through fifty holes.

Nay, with any hand stitching one keeps the thread well waxed to stop any abrasion by the leather  and thusly by the thread itself

Edited 13 hours ago by fredk

[fredk]

5 hours ago, Cumberland Highpower said:

Saddle stitching mostly still exists for either of 2 reasons:  

1) Novelty

2) Poverty.

Novelty as in Hermes or other high end makers that are selling the work of skilled artisans and a high end/luxury item.

Poverty as in you can't afford a stitcher, yet.

I would dispute that simplistic statement

1. I like to saddlle-stitch. It is NOT for novelty value. Knowing how to saddle-stitch is good for any sort of leather work. I can s/s some items up faster than it takes me to set up any sewing machine

2. Poverty - NOT, I have numerous usable sewing machines and a few speedy-stitchers. The right tool for the right job. All in the leatherworkers armoury. I am neither poor nor rich

[chuck123wapati]

 Well said Fred. 

[AlZilla]

6 hours ago, Digit said:

With a (machine) lockstitch only a short amount of (top) thread gets pushed through the hole and pulled back, while the bottom thread doesn't get pulled through at all. So any bit of the top thread at any moment in time has been pushed through the leather only a coupl

The top thread on a machine stitch saws back and forth something like 50 times. Remember that the tension arm way up at the top of the machine is letting it get pulled around the bobbin each rotation and then yanked back up. I was surprised when I first heard it.

You are correct about the bobbin thread having an easy time of it. 

I'm glad this post finally got some traction.

[Cumberland Highpower]

3 hours ago, fredk said:

I would dispute that simplistic statement

1. I like to saddlle-stitch. It is NOT for novelty value. Knowing how to saddle-stitch is good for any sort of leather work. I can s/s some items up faster than it takes me to set up any sewing machine

2. Poverty - NOT, I have numerous usable sewing machines and a few speedy-stitchers. The right tool for the right job. All in the leatherworkers armoury. I am neither poor nor rich

Ok.

Edited 9 hours ago by Cumberland Highpower

[FrankHester]

50 minutes ago, chuck123wapati said:

 Well said Fred. 

Ditto!