Beginner Needing Tools.

[ManChild]

Alright, I'm another one of those lurkers! I've been reading this forum a lot! I am going to be going into the Air Force and have been playing with leather as a hobby. My extent of my tools consist of a rotary hole punch, a sewing chisel (little four pronged thingy), and a box cutter.

I'm part of the SCA, and have made a helmet, a baldric, and a couple of bracers. I'm fairly artistic and a perfectionist. so while my items definitely carry the mark of a novice, they still look nice. I can't help but feel that there is a much easier way to accomplish my goals...

Any help is certainly welcome, from tips and techniques. I plan on making more things like baldrics, knife sheaths, bags, as well as things like jackets and vests

Thanks to all of the talented people who are going to be helping me out there

[Bluesman]

This depends on how much you really like it. If you are just staring out and making sure, get the Tandy starter kit, or the 7 tool starter kit. these will get you some nice results with what you want to do. The hole punch is fine for now, but I would get a nice round knife in place of the box cutter. If you really want to go whole hog, get in touch with Berry King and he'll set you up with a small starter set. As for the round knife, Bruce Johnson is the guy on here to talk with.

Good Luck

And Thanks for your Service,

jon

Edited April 4, 2012 by Bluesman

[Cyberthrasher]

Well, it sounds like you really want to focus on assembly type projects and not so much the tooling. If you want to too, the starter set is a good way to go.

For assembly, I would first get a diamond stitching awl. It sounds like you're all setup for lacing, so I don't think I really have much to add there.

There is a series of Al Stohlman books on case making available. I believe it's called "The Art of Making Leather Cases" or something like that. It's 3 volumes and each goes into different specific projects and there's also another one called "The Art of Hand Stitching Leather" which is a great read too. Tandy has both available for purchase in their digital PDF library.

[ManChild]

Thanks again for the help you guys! Are Round knives really necessary, or are they a specialty knife that's made to look cool? Probably a very newb question to ask.

[Relly]

First, three cheap basics:

A carpenter's square. This is basically a metal rule with a 90-degree angle on it. Get the flat one with no handle.

6" Dividing calipers. This tool is for using the same measurement over and over. Faster than a ruler once set up.

Vaughan soft face hammer (sold at Home Depot or Lowes or online).

You need a cutting mat and a decent work surface.

The best tool is knowledge. The Tandy kits are good starts, and come with basic tools.

A fourth tool: The Tandy hole punch kit. You are probably going to punch a lot of holes, but you need a mat and a hammer.

[Bob Blea]

Thanks again for the help you guys! Are Round knives really necessary, or are they a specialty knife that's made to look cool? Probably a very newb question to ask.

To answer your question about the round knife, it does have some advantages over using a utility knife. For instance, you push the round knife away from you where with a utility knife you usually need to pull it toward you. Also, you can get your whole body behind the round knife when pushing it forward through the leather, making thick leather easier to cut. Also, leather will wear down the edge on the utility knife blades fairly quickly, but they are cheap and easy to replace. However, you can't beat the price of a utility knife and there are lots of people on this forum that get by with them.

Hope this helps,

Bob