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Posted

I have been taught two ways to skin the handhole. Originally I was taught on the swell forks to make the hand hole cuts in my ground seat buildups as I went. The first few slickforks I did it that way too. I then went to cutting the handhole last on them, and like that smooth transition behind the horn better. Curious how everybody else does this, and any tips and tricks are always appreciated.

Bruce Johnson

Malachi 4:2

"the windshield's bigger than the mirror, somewhere west of Laramie" - Dave Stamey

Vintage Refurbished And Selected New Leather Tools For Sale - www.brucejohnsonleather.com

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Posted

Bruce,

On an all leather ground seat, I too cut dry and finished. However, on a seat with a metal strainer, I rough cut as I go. I use right and left handed lip knives for this job. It is much easier to cut the curves.

Keith

Keith Seidel

Seidel's Saddlery

www.seidelsaddlery.com

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
Bruce,

On an all leather ground seat, I too cut dry and finished. However, on a seat with a metal strainer, I rough cut as I go. I use right and left handed lip knives for this job. It is much easier to cut the curves.

Keith, what is a lip knife?

Life is unpredictable; eat dessert first.

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Posted

JAM,

A lip knife is a knife popular with shoe and bootmakers. It has a squared off tip and the tip is curved tp the right or left at about a 90 degree angle. The "lip" is not sharpened, and the length of the blade is only sharpened on the outside creating a curved blade. The curve allows the blade to cut only curved lines. Thus the right and left knives. I believe that Panhandle leather stocks them. http://www.panhandleleather.com/ They are fairly in-expensive.

Keith

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Keith Seidel

Seidel's Saddlery

www.seidelsaddlery.com

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Posted

We cut the hand hole out after the ground is dry with a small hole saw from the underside.

- - - -
Kevin Orr

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

I was taught to build it around it as I built up the ground seat. I use the plug like AS did.

Art

Art Schwab

"You cannot teach a man anything. You can only help him discover it within himself." – Galileo Galilei

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