Holes For Lacing A Sheath

[Jaymack]

I have only laced a couple tandy pre-punched checkbook covers, and now I want to lace the edges of a knife sheath together that I'm making. I'm going to try a mexican braid with 1/8" leather lace. What is the best way to place holes in the edge of the sheath? This particular sheath will be 4-ply, 8/9 ounce leather. Do you drill the holes, or punch the holes? What spacing do you make the holes?

Thanks,

John

[Chief31794]

I use a punch, I mark the hole locations with a divider and a ruler to make them the right distance from the edge and the right distance apart. I would space the centers at 1/4" from the edge for that thickness of leather (that would place the lace at ~1/8" from the edge with 1/8" holes) and at 1/4" apart, I would make the holes 1/8" for Round Braid (Mexican Basket Weave), that would give you 1/8" between each hole and provide good coverage. Some others may have different dimensions. One note, mark the holes very accurately and punch them very accurately for a nice straight edge that is evenly spaced, it takes a little longer to make sure you're getting it accurate but is worth it in the final look. You could use a 3/32" hole punch but I don't see much difference and particularly on a piece this thick.

Hope this helps,

Chief

Edited December 25, 2012 by Chief31794

[Jaymack]

Thanks Chief! This is a huge help! I didn't have a clue on where to begin. I'll give it a try tomorrow!

John