Cutting Pattern for tooled seat

[Casey Jordan]

I have spend days trying to find a clear explaination of how to cut the leather for a bike seat. I might have missed it somewhere.

This will be my first tooled and laced seat. I have seen some who have the leather tooled before the foam is applyed, and some who cut their pattern after the foam is on the pan. But I have not seen a post that explains how to draw this pattern.

I think I would prefer to cut and tool before the foam is on the pan.

Do you just add x" to the pan outline?

Is it the same for the top?

All help would be appreciated!

[Casey Jordan]

Here's a couple pictures of the pan.

[MADMAX22]

Have you looked thru the tutorials on the top of the section.

Kevin king's way of doing helped me emensly.

[Casey Jordan]

Have you looked thru the tutorials on the top of the section.

Kevin king's way of doing helped me emensly.

The one Kevin King does in that post is a different style construction than what I'm wanting to do.

I have read through a lot of them. The one by David at the top is great but, it starts with the tooled parts. I need to know how he got the pattern to cut those parts.

I have learned a lot from what I have read on this subject. I just don't want to spend a lot of time and waste a lot of leather trying to figure it out on my own.

Thanks for your help!

[rickeyfro]

Casey, when I do a solo seat I will make a template of the seat. actual size, then I add 3/8 of an inch all the way around, this is what I do when using 3/4 inch foam

[Casey Jordan]

Casey, when I do a solo seat I will make a template of the seat. actual size, then I add 3/8 of an inch all the way around, this is what I do when using 3/4 inch foam

Now I'm getting somewhere!

I will be useing 3/4" foam.

Do you do this for the top and bottom or just the bottom? If bottom only, how do you get the top?

I apperciate your help!

[rickeyfro]

Top and bottom are cut the same, this is what I come up with

[Casey Jordan]

Thanks rickeyfro!

I sure do appreciate your help!!!!!!!!!!

[KenE]

RickyFro,

When using this method of adding 3/8 to the seat pan dimensions for the top and bottom pattern, do you tend to have to stretch the heck out of the leather while it is being laced, or does the foam compress enough to compensate?

While we are at it, do you trim your foam exactly to the pan, or do you round off the top with a sander/shaper tool?

Thanks alot! I know this seems pretty simple to make a seat like this, but after hours of stretching and fighting with leather and foam it is nice to hear what works for others! I think it took me over 15 hours to lace my last seat, mostly because I was fighting with the leather and had a hard time pulling the needle through the holes. I think the holes need to be upsized... I was trying to get the result of no hole being seen but it just isn't worth it IMHO. The mexican basketweave is difficult on that part where the lace loops back and goes through a previously occupied hole. I originally started with 1/8" lacing using the smallest hole size on the rotary punch. I ended up resizing the holes two steps larger by the time I was done lacing just because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to finish the seat, it was .. an interesting experience.

~Ken

[rickeyfro]

RickyFro,

When using this method of adding 3/8 to the seat pan dimensions for the top and bottom pattern, do you tend to have to stretch the heck out of the leather while it is being laced, or does the foam compress enough to compensate?

While we are at it, do you trim your foam exactly to the pan, or do you round off the top with a sander/shaper tool?

Thanks alot! I know this seems pretty simple to make a seat like this, but after hours of stretching and fighting with leather and foam it is nice to hear what works for others! I think it took me over 15 hours to lace my last seat, mostly because I was fighting with the leather and had a hard time pulling the needle through the holes. I think the holes need to be upsized... I was trying to get the result of no hole being seen but it just isn't worth it IMHO. The mexican basketweave is difficult on that part where the lace loops back and goes through a previously occupied hole. I originally started with 1/8" lacing using the smallest hole size on the rotary punch. I ended up resizing the holes two steps larger by the time I was done lacing just because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to finish the seat, it was .. an interesting experience.

~Ken

Ken, using the 3/8 of an inch works fine for me with 3/4 inch neoprene foam, I cut the foam the same 3/8 oversize and then just shape it with a sander, rounding edges and nose etc. I also undercut the foam with the sander to create a bevel underneath, this seem to help when lacing, after sanding to shape foam is somewhere between the leather size and the pan size, this is something you gotta play with a few times to get the feel.