Beginner Steps

[JLSleather]

Thank you guys for the help. I've decided to try out the veg-tanned double shoulder ...Now I have to determine the size since you can order in 10 sq. ft. portions. Do you guys believe that 10 sq. feet is enough? How many belts can I expect on average to get out of this sized skin? Once again, thank you for the help!

Shoulders will be sold by the sqare foot, so you need to know how long the belts need to be, and then if you know how wide you want them just do the math. A 10' shoulder is pretty small, though they do exist. Figure the hide needs to be the waist size plus about 8" --- so for 44-46" belts, you'd need about 54" wide.

Doing the math, that's 4-1/2 feet, so a 10' shoulder 4-1/2' wide is going to be 27" across, which is 18 1-1/2" wide belts. Keep in mind that with shoulders you're going to have one end slightly narrower than the other, but if you can live with a few belts more like size 32-36 (or a holster or two) you should be fine.

As a rule, I buy shoulders 12+ feet, and I like 'em 14 feet when they're available. At this size, I might just as well buy a side instead of a shoulder, but then I know I'm getting 4-6 feet of belly leather I don't want. The exception (and disclaimer) ... shoulders around here are for carved belts often worn with jeans ... for "heavy use" or extreme carving detail you might stick with sides or backs. By way of example, the belt shown is for a 40" waist, 1-1/2" wide, and cut from an 8/9 shoulder.