Belt Slots

[ChopperGuy]

Starting first pancake holster, which just happens to be my first attempt at any holster. Anyway, I'm working on the pattern now, don't have a 1-1/2" punch, and was wondring how wide the belt slot needs to be?

[Shooter McGavin]

I make mine 3/8 wide, and 0.10" longer than the belt size.

[joshk]

I punch mine up to 1/8" longer depending on the angle of the slots.... if they slots are vertical you can get away with a little less....

if you don't have a punch a 3/8" Forstner bit and a 1 1/4" chisel will make quick work of a 1 1/2" slot....

[particle]

I used a 5/16" bit when I drilled them out. Make sure to put a wood backer behind the leather to help get a clean exit hole. The chisel works great - just make sure you watch the angle, or your chisel will exit outside your drilled holes. Practice a few times to get a feel for it. Sometimes it helps to cut a narrower slot out of the hole first - the thickness of the chisel going through the leather will stretch the leather quite a bit and move things around. Cutting a narrower slot first helps to relieve this excess pressure helping you to be more accurate with your final cut.

My slots are about 1/16" longer than the belt width, and I angle my slots slightly. When I form the holster, I insert a 1/4" x 1.5" wooden stick into the holes to open them up and pre-curve the holster. This results in a snug fit on the belt that helps to lock the holster in place so it won't slide around.

[ChopperGuy]

Thanks for the responses!

[Lobo]

A good and expedient method for 1.5" belt slots requires these tools:

1. 1.25" wood chisel ($10.00 +/-)

2. 3/8" round punch ($4.00 +/-)

3. cutting board (plastic kitchen type, about $1 at the thrift shops or dollar stores)

4. mallet (2 to 3 lb., about $10.00 at Harbor Freight for a dead blow type hammer)

Process:

1. mark slot locations on holster front (after assembly and stitching)

2. place holster on cutting board on solid bench top

3. tap 3/8" round punch at top and bottom to mark ends of each slot

4. drive wood chisel straight down on each side of the slot

5. drive 3/8" round punch through at each end of the slot

This will make a very neat and clean slot 1.5" X 3/8". Cut edges can be beveled. Slot can be burnished quickly with a wooden dowel in a drill press or hand-held drill.

The cutting board supports the leather, allowing a clean exit cut, and protects the edges of your chisel and punch. The heavy mallet or hammer allows each cut to be made with a single strike, nice and neat.

Different sizes of slots can be made with different sizes of chisels and punches.

While wet-forming the holster you can use a wooden mandrel to work the slots into the desired position, and stretch a bit if needed. I cut these from wood in the sizes that I regularly use (1.25" X 0.25", 1.5" X 0.25", 1.75" X 0.25", 2.25" X 0.375"). Pre-forming each belt slot or loop makes holster break-in much easier for the customer.

When laying out slots always keep in mind that the length may vary when the slot is anything other than perpendicular to the belt lines. I mark the belt lines on my patterns so that the slots automatically allow for the angle to the belt.

Good slot punches are rather expensive and they can be difficult to sharpen when needed. Round punches are cheap enough to be thrown away and replaced when needed. Wood chisels are relatively inexpensive and easily sharpened. Mallets and hammers last forever and have many other uses.

Edited February 4, 2012 by Lobo

[TwinOaks]

The only different tool I use from the above method is to use a stiff bladed putty knife that I sharpened for cutting the slots. Like Particle said, wood chisels can stretch the leather due to their thickness, but the putty knife is very thin in comparison. If you play 'connect the holes' to make your slots, be sure to start the cuts at the holes. Cut away from the holes, never into them. If you're off a teensy bit, it's easy to hide it in the cut, but much more difficult if you get off line and cut the leather outside of the hole on the end. This especially true if you're connecting the holes with a razor instead of a chisel. One slip with a razor and you end up slicing the top/bottom of the hole when the blade over runs the slice.