Beginners Tools?

[Kyleather]

Is the Tandy 7 piece starter set good enough to make basic belts and the such? Or is there another tool set that is higher quality for the money? By the way I'm just getting into all of this and y'all have a great site here! Full of info!

[radar67]

I think the 7 piece set is a good starting point. Other tools I would consider for belt making would be a good strap and strip cutter, a good rotary punch, and a good utility knife. a NO 2 edger if you want to round the edges off a bit, and a good sewing awl if you want to make two layer belts. A groover and stitch marker would come in handy too.

[Art]

Do you want to start tooling or do you actually want to make the belt, very big difference. The "Basic 7" will let you get your feet wet tooling for $40, it won't help you make a belt, you will need other tools for that. If you are going the basic tooling route, get the local Tandy to set you up with some classes to start.

Art

Is the Tandy 7 piece starter set good enough to make basic belts and the such? Or is there another tool set that is higher quality for the money? By the way I'm just getting into all of this and y'all have a great site here! Full of info!

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

First things first. Get a good mallet, and a chunk of granite, or marble to work on. Then locate a SOLID workbench to set it on. Work on the floor if you have to, but you will need a sturdy, and solid surface to tool on. You don't need the stamps, and your project bouncing all over the place.

Watch Craigslist too for leatherworking stuff. Most of my gear has come to me secondhand.

[electrathon]

For tooling I am going to agree that the basic 7 set is a good point to start. BUT: Have any of you see the tools coming in the Tandy set lately? We complain all the time about the crap quality of current Tandy tools, the ones coming in the set make current Tandy tools look awesome. I doubt anyone will ever really be able to learn with them.

A basic 7 set is OK to start with, the ones in the beginning Tandy set are nothing but an embarasement.

[Kyleather]

What's a good mallet?

[Art]

There are none better than Ed the Bear Man makes, he is here on the list, just PM BearMan. And use a Maul not a mallet. Barry King also makes a very good Maul, and I have a few, but Ed's are better in my opinion. For tooling you want a 16oz or 20oz Maul, if you do this a lot, you will have both. I have a 96oz Barry King also (it was there and I bought it) that I only use for wacking my makers mark, I am kind of a tool nut.

Art

What's a good mallet?

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Maybe it is because I am a machinist, and do some blacksmithing too, but a mallet is very comfortable for me to use.

What I meant by a good mallet is one that is constructed of something other than the lightweight wood ones that come in the Tandy kits. I have a decent sized Garland rawhide mallet that was my Mom's form the 50's (haven't weighed it, just know it works for me).

I have a very old 7# (112 oz) maul that came with a load of stuff I purchased last summer off of CL, and have yet to bash something that hard.

[TXSTGLIDE]

For tooling I am going to agree that the basic 7 set is a good point to start. BUT: Have any of you see the tools coming in the Tandy set lately? We complain all the time about the crap quality of current Tandy tools, the ones coming in the set make current Tandy tools look awesome. I doubt anyone will ever really be able to learn with them.

A basic 7 set is OK to start with, the ones in the beginning Tandy set are nothing but an embarasement.

electrathon and others,

I too am just trying to get started in this craft. I've read quite a bit about Tandy and their tools not being of quality, however, it is seldom if any that anyone offers up a solution. What other brand would you suggest a new guy should look at? I'm not afraid to spend money to get started, however, I prefer not to purchase inferior tooling only to find I need to replace in a short period of time. Is there any 1 set out there that would cover all the basics? I've seen Tandy's Ultimate Leathercraft Workshop. It is on sale for $549.99 which appears to be a great start. Any opinions on this set?

[Sylvia]

electrathon and others,

I too am just trying to get started in this craft. I've read quite a bit about Tandy and their tools not being of quality, however, it is seldom if any that anyone offers up a solution. What other brand would you suggest a new guy should look at? I'm not afraid to spend money to get started, however, I prefer not to purchase inferior tooling only to find I need to replace in a short period of time. Is there any 1 set out there that would cover all the basics? I've seen Tandy's Ultimate Leathercraft Workshop. It is on sale for $549.99 which appears to be a great start. Any opinions on this set?

I can't speak for the Ultimate set, but I recently got a "deluxe set" The tools are pretty sad... so much so I wrote a long letter of disgust (in a nice way) to Tandy and "strongly urged" them to bring craftool back to the USA. I have old tools and these tools and the quality is not that great in the Deluxe kit. I knew that from the folks here but I was seriously shocked at the extent of the poor quality. I mean I could see where the head was welded/pressed on. Pfft! But tools aside the deluxe kit has plenty of projects and other goodies to make it worth the $50 I spent. (it was on sale)

If you order from Tandy... google search for Tandy Coupon Code or Tandy Promo Code... there is a $10 off online coupon. Every little bit helps right?

My suggestion is to spend some good money on a decent swivel knife first off. I got a tandy "deluxe" adjustable knife with the kit which is better than the basic swivel knife, but the Barry King is far superior compared to those and it's moderately priced. The others can tell you the name of the Rolls Royce of swivel knives, SKS? I'm not sure of the name and I couldn't afford it either. Anyway, you can get by with funky kit stamps and mallet while you are learning but a knife needs to work smoothly and feel good in your hand. I really like my Barry King Knife... hes also a member here. Barry also sells tools but expect to pay around $30-50 for each stamp.

[Suicide]

I can't speak for the Ultimate set, but I recently got a "deluxe set" The tools are pretty sad... so much so I wrote a long letter of disgust (in a nice way) to Tandy and "strongly urged" them to bring craftool back to the USA. I have old tools and these tools and the quality is not that great in the Deluxe kit. I knew that from the folks here but I was seriously shocked at the extent of the poor quality. I mean I could see where the head was welded/pressed on. Pfft! But tools aside the deluxe kit has plenty of projects and other goodies to make it worth the $50 I spent. (it was on sale)

If you order from Tandy... google search for Tandy Coupon Code or Tandy Promo Code... there is a $10 off online coupon. Every little bit helps right?

My suggestion is to spend some good money on a decent swivel knife first off. I got a tandy "deluxe" adjustable knife with the kit which is better than the basic swivel knife, but the Barry King is far superior compared to those and it's moderately priced. The others can tell you the name of the Rolls Royce of swivel knives, SKS? I'm not sure of the name and I couldn't afford it either. Anyway, you can get by with funky kit stamps and mallet while you are learning but a knife needs to work smoothly and feel good in your hand. I really like my Barry King Knife... hes also a member here. Barry also sells tools but expect to pay around $30-50 for each stamp.

I agree about deluxe and other sets.

But. If you have a look at stamps you'll see they have a... surprise! kinda a special labeling: for instance beveler B701 marked as "Z-B701" etc. All these have "Z" prefix and they sucks.

If you going to buy b701 from tandy (not as part of the kit), you'll see no such "Z" on the handle and ... it will be a bit different tool. Not a Barry King, but a bit better than from the kit.

So there are my 2 cents.

PS I believe "Z" means something like "Zero quality" or might be "sukZ"

[Sylvia]

I agree about deluxe and other sets.

But. If you have a look at stamps you'll see they have a... surprise! kinda a special labeling: for instance beveler B701 marked as "Z-B701" etc. All these have "Z" prefix and they sucks.

If you going to buy b701 from tandy (not as part of the kit), you'll see no such "Z" on the handle and ... it will be a bit different tool. Not a Barry King, but a bit better than from the kit.

So there are my 2 cents.

PS I believe "Z" means something like "Zero quality" or might be "sukZ"

lol This is true.

That was one of the things I pointed out to TLC when I wrote the letter. That if a novice's first experience is with the tools in these kits they may as well just not expect them to buy from them ever again. Like the one fellow here who broke the head off his beveler... Tandy did him right and replaced it.... but that beveler is a completely different size even though same number sans "Z." and he was in the middle of a basket weave project! <faint>

Anyway... I think that if enough hobbyists toss a fit about the tools in the kits... they may return to putting quality tools in them. Any one want to join me on facebook and start a campaign? ha ha ha

[electrathon]

The best solution is to spend a lot of money. Most people just starting out do not want to do that, understandably. Unfortionatly there really are not any good cheap solutions that I know of. If you can locate an old set of Tandy tools (25 years or more old) many of them were good tools Make sure they are not rusted or pitted.

The Tandy situation really saddens me. I have an emotional attachment to the store that ties to my father/childhood. It is rerally sad to see a company that really cares less about what they are selling, but solely the prophit margin they are producing.

Aaron

[Art]

True Aaron,

The only option that is reasonable today is to buy quality tools from the start. This will pretty well destroy your wallet (but you will be able to MAKE a nice wallet). Buy only the tools you need to complete a project. For newcomers, ask here, we know who makes good tools and where you can get them. Be very careful on eBay, things are not always what they appear to be. If they say it's Gomph, check the wording carefully, it usually isn't.

Just buy what you need when you need it.

Art

The best solution is to spend a lot of money. Most people just starting out do not want to do that, understandably. Unfortionatly there really are not any good cheap solutions that I know of. If you can locate an old set of Tandy tools (25 years or more old) many of them were good tools Make sure they are not rusted or pitted.

The Tandy situation really saddens me. I have an emotional attachment to the store that ties to my father/childhood. It is rerally sad to see a company that really cares less about what they are selling, but solely the prophit margin they are producing.

Aaron