Boy Scout Project

[eyehunter]

I am a very novice leather worker who has mainly worked on projects related to scouting. Our troop is in need of some axe head and saw blade covers. I was thinking about having the boys make them as opposed to purchasing. Any suggestions for simple patterns? I was also looking for suggestions on reasonable sites to purchase supplies?

[WinterBear]

Hey there. I am working on similar for my Troop. I won't be able to get to pictures or sketches until next week at the earliest (Eagle project this weekend and I'm in the middle of packing up house for a move), but the Troop has some old axe sheaths (hopefully they didn't get tossed this past week when they cleaned the storeroom). I am hoping to be able to use those old sheaths to build new ones, with a few improvements to hopefully avoid what caused the originals to fail in the first place, based on what I have learned here. (I found I shouldn't using rivets to keep the blade from damaging the stitching--I should use a nice thick welt instead! That way the blade doesn't get dulled or damaged by metal-to-edge content. Not to mention on the old sheaths that failed, most of them tore and/or rotted around the rivets. Some of the axes had pitting from contact with the rivets too.)

This guy had a pretty good idea for one sheath, the second axe with the stud closure: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=24159&view=findpost&p=204808. I might replace the stud with a heavy duty snap and reinforced attachments, as teen boys tend to be rougher than norm on the gear, and I can see the hole wearing through. The first one might also work with a buckle or snap arrangement, for the same reason.

I'd like to make similar to this for the hatchets: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=33688&st=0&p=208874&hl=axe%20sheath&fromsearch=1entry208874, but since the blade angle is a little different at the cutting face, I'd make it more of a pocket for the cutting edge. If you notice on that example, the bottom edge is not sewn. I think I'd like to have at least a stitch or two at the bottom edge, with the sheath slightly over-sized to accommodate. The strap will hold the cover on and in place.

Rob Bennett, RMB Custom Leather on this site, has a great sheath for WWII axes on his website (http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/knife_store/item799-26319.html). It's for a crash axe, so the sheath is short and has the bit for the spike. But the part I like is the double stitching.

Lastly, there is a tree-saw sheath here: http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=34497&st=0&p=213834&hl=+axe%20+sheath&fromsearch=1entry213834

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Easiest cover for a bow saw is a length of old garden hose split down the length on one side.

23 years with Troop 252, Fairfield CA

[eyehunter]

Thanks. We have used those in the past. I was looking for something a little nicer. Great dog picture btw!

Easiest cover for a bow saw is a length of old garden hose split down the length on one side.

23 years with Troop 252, Fairfield CA

[chancey77]

Here is a simple axe cover I have done:)

I also made some notes, there are a lot of axe cover designs out there, but this is just 1 easy one I have made.

Materials List for mine.

2 templates mirrored of each other 1/2" bigger than outline of the axe.

8 rivets

3 snaps

Tooling of your choice

hole punch

Lace and Lace needle...(just the way I did it)

If you make the template 1" bigger than the outline of the axe you could just rivet the surrounding edges and not lace them....But I like Lace:)

I hope this is easy enough, I was a scout back in the day:) So I did lots of fun stuff like this when I was young!

Good for yall to keep it alive!

Maybe the den fathers/mothers can get together one or 2 nights and make the templates and get everything mocked up so the kids can just put them together and have the fun part of it:)

Edited February 11, 2012 by chancey77