Sides

[oltoot]

I'm 71 and not taking on any new things. Leather just happens to be my first (or maybe 2nd or 3rd) love, its getting harder and less necessary to remember but since you said you were thinking about a leather business, that is really the answer to your original question. While you are just getting started and since you can pick your pieces, if the shoulders let you get statrted then stick with them for awhile. As you get into doing a wider variety of things, you will find that you can use a variety of leather and that is what the side provides. It is the whole store for the rounded craftsman. Shifting to sides as your primary source will increase your investment in materials but also increase your flexibility. It will also probably increase your waste a little at first but that could be a plus. I have found that 4H kids can extract a big dose of delight out of stuff I am oversupplied with. I don't see my grandkids often enough to get my fill of toothy smiles so that can fill a gap. AND while I'm dishing out opinions, figure on biting the bullet for an Osborn 84 or 86 knock-off splitter pretty soon. It will do a lot to help you produce smooth and uniform results with any material and find uses for a lot of pieces that would otherwise be waste. JMO

[Red Cent]

Thanks for the sage advice. And I am listenin'.