my new art work seats

[Guest]

I finally did my new art work seats and I submit them for your inspection......

[Beaverslayer]

Hi Dave,

That is one BEAUTIFUL seat. I'm impressed beyond words.The laceing is extremely neat as well, and I love the way you finnish the underside with that extra touch of lace.

Can you let me know your secret for lacing the edge aroud the seat, I'm pretty sure you don't stretch the leather over the pan but lace the edge as a complete ubit so to speak.

How hard is it to line up your holes, and do you have to make your top piece a bit smaller to get the leather to stretch?

Inquiring minds you know.

Ken

[Roger]

nice work! i like the dragon

[Guest]

Hi Dave,

That is one BEAUTIFUL seat. I'm impressed beyond words.The laceing is extremely neat as well, and I love the way you finnish the underside with that extra touch of lace.

Can you let me know your secret for lacing the edge aroud the seat, I'm pretty sure you don't stretch the leather over the pan but lace the edge as a complete ubit so to speak.

How hard is it to line up your holes, and do you have to make your top piece a bit smaller to get the leather to stretch?

Inquiring minds you know.

Ken

Hi Ken,

The top and bottom of the seat are totally different shapes. The holes are equally spaced (100 of them) around the outside. Let me see if I have pic of the top and bottom leathers. The lacing style is either double cordovan or basketweave.

[Beaverslayer]

Dave,

Thanks...I am very impressed, that is beautiful work, and iy seems like it would be so much easier to do than stretching the leather over the pan.

I've done a few seats, but in NO WAY are they anywhere to what you do.

Ken

[Guest]

Dave,

Thanks...I am very impressed, that is beautiful work, and iy seems like it would be so much easier to do than stretching the leather over the pan.

I've done a few seats, but in NO WAY are they anywhere to what you do.

Ken

Hi Ken,

I'm not sure if it is easier....the large basketweave lace around the edge required 11 hours just to lace it. Beeze says he does an entire seat in 15 hours from beginning to end. So you be the judge....I don't have to wrestle the leather to get it tight but it does require more time.

Dave Theobald

[Beaverslayer]

Yes Dave, that's my biggest problem as well. My fingers are old and maybe a bit arthritic, so stretching the leather is VERY hard to do. I really like the way your seat looks on the underside, a VERY proffessional look to them.

As for the lacing time, I lace a basket weave at about 28 inches an hour, and the double cordovan at about 19 inches an hour. I always time myself so as when I have to quote the cost to a customer, I am able to figure the time it will take faily accurately.

And again...BEAUTIFUL work.

Ken

[Guest]

Yes Dave, that's my biggest problem as well. My fingers are old and maybe a bit arthritic, so stretching the leather is VERY hard to do. I really like the way your seat looks on the underside, a VERY proffessional look to them.

As for the lacing time, I lace a basket weave at about 28 inches an hour, and the double cordovan at about 19 inches an hour. I always time myself so as when I have to quote the cost to a customer, I am able to figure the time it will take faily accurately.

And again...BEAUTIFUL work.

Ken

Thanks Ken and I'm glad you like the seat; but I doubt that you'll be lacing a 36" seat with 1/4" roo lacing at that speed .... the lace has to be pulled very tight to make things lie correctly. My speed on the basketweave is about 3.5" per hour. and the double cordovan about 9" per hour. Things slow a bit when pulling heavy lace through two layers of 9 oz leather.

Dave

Edited May 17, 2007 by David

[Johanna]

David- that speed seems very slow, even pulling through heavy leathers. I've laced many a saddlebag etc, and even on the jobs I needed my pliers, that seems slow. How long is the lace are you using before you splice? If your holes are lining up correctly, why is it taking so long? What kind of needle do you use? Do you use both hands? Are you doing something else while you are working, (like watching tv) that might slow you down?

I'm not trying to be rude (obviously, you do beautiful work and the results are what count) but I wonder why you're not faster. You know in this business, time is money, because we are limited to what our two hands can produce. I'm just wondering if we could speed up your rater without sacrificing the quality.

Johanna

(He didn't screw up enough to call SSP Sally, but that isn't a bad idea. I know some of the best leatherworkers in the world, and I could have one fine looking bike, huh? I still have my motorcycle license, though I haven't driven a bike in 10 years or so. With the way gas prices are going, it's not a bad idea... I just need a saddlebag that will safely hold my laptop! LOL)

[Guest]

David- that speed seems very slow, even pulling through heavy leathers. I've laced many a saddlebag etc, and even on the jobs I needed my pliers, that seems slow. How long is the lace are you using before you splice? If your holes are lining up correctly, why is it taking so long? What kind of needle do you use? Do you use both hands? Are you doing something else while you are working, (like watching tv) that might slow you down?

I'm not trying to be rude (obviously, you do beautiful work and the results are what count) but I wonder why you're not faster. You know in this business, time is money, because we are limited to what our two hands can produce. I'm just wondering if we could speed up your rater without sacrificing the quality.

Johanna

(He didn't screw up enough to call SSP Sally, but that isn't a bad idea. I know some of the best leatherworkers in the world, and I could have one fine looking bike, huh? I still have my motorcycle license, though I haven't driven a bike in 10 years or so. With the way gas prices are going, it's not a bad idea... I just need a saddlebag that will safely hold my laptop! LOL)

Johanna,

The holes don't line up perfectly due to the hole size and the difference in size and shape of the top and bottom leathers. The holes (100 of them) are equally spaced around the circumference of the top and bottom as you can see in the pictures. If you want the lace to cover the raw leather edges the holes can't be much more than a hole's diameter apart on the top. This means they are a bit further apart on the bottom. Also the lace is 1/4" kangaroo and there isn't a needle around that would hold it. The 1/4" lace is nearly twice as thick as the 3/16" lace so there is a lot of drag on the lace going through the two 5/32" holes. Not sure what you mean by using both hands. It would be difficult to handle a near 6 pound seat with one hand....I lace in 3-4 foot lengths. Each hole must be enlarged a bit with an awl as I lace around the pan. This is probably the most time consuming thing....but punching a larger hole would be unsightly. Using an awl the hole enlarges while I lace and then contracts a bit when I'm finished. Perhaps I take more time than needed but I think the results are worth it and I haven't found a short cut that works.

Dave