Belt Makers ~ What Kind Of Daily Volume?

[ShortBBL]

Hopefully somebody out here makes a lot of belts and can give me a realistic idea here.

I'm curious as to what quantities of belts a guy could expect to complete in a days time.... or a weeks time seeing as you might want to do several production type steps at a time.

If you use a machine for the stitching, but do the rest of the work by hand (except the burnishing) and are not doing any carving or stamping, can you expect to make 6 or 8 per day, more, less?

I want to make high quality gun belts using double layers at 6/7 oz ea. roughly.

Thanks for the thoughts on this.

[kevinhopkins]

Hi... I appreciate the question, but really, to get an answer that would be realistic, you need to provide some more info. Actually, as much as possible. Load us up here, and i'm sure someone will be able to help. if not, contact me, and I'll do my best.

[David Genadek]

I plan on 20 minutes a belt or 3 per hour and you should be prettty safe on plain belts.

David Genadek

[ShortBBL]

I plan on 20 minutes a belt or 3 per hour and you should be prettty safe on plain belts.

David Genadek

Sounds like some top shelf stuff!

[hidepounder]

It takes me two to three days to make a top quality belt

[terrahyd]

I agree with Bob;; I allow 40hr's for a tooled ,lined & laced belt.. But I get caught up in details, so 30hr's is about right;;;Doc...

[awharnessshop]

I think SHortbbl and David are refering to just plan belts, with just a crease or a two layer belt, Not a tooled belt. I will agree, with David, I shoot for about three an hour depending on how side tracked I get...

-Andrew

[Shorts]

Gun belts seem to take me forever. Looking at my build notes total time is just under 3hrs. The parts that really drag in my build is thinning the hole end then edging and burnishing. I sit and think angry thoughts that entire time I do those

The only time stitching is a problem is 1. running out of thread and 2. dropping a stitch

Edited July 8, 2010 by Shorts

[David Genadek]

Sounds like some top shelf stuff!

Yes I generally sold them to very high end retail stores like Billy Martins.

[David Genadek]

Gun belts seem to take me forever. Looking at my build notes total time is just under 3hrs. The parts that really drag in my build is thinning the hole end then edging and burnishing. I sit and think angry thoughts that entire time I do those

The only time stitching is a problem is 1. running out of thread and 2. dropping a stitch

I have attached two pictures one of some beaded belts which I did lot of and they took 45 min and each one had to be taylored to the beads so they were pretty picky. The carved belt I have less than eight hours in including draw time. I could have spent a few more hours on the carving if I wanted too.

To ERG Edge Rub and Goop I figure 6 min a belt. If your thinnning your end by hand a good bench skiver would pay for itself in no time. A bell knife makes life even better and is worth the investment if your trying to make a living. When I worked for Ellis Barnes at the Belt factory he drilled a saying of Stohlmans in to my head ; "It is not good enough to be good. It is not good enough to be fast. You have to good and fast."