Made Myself An Awl Last Night

[MonicaJacobson]

So, in my (very futile) quest to try to do leatherworking without being a drain upon our finances, I have learned a lot slower than necessary, and cut a lot of important corners. NO MORE.

I've been saddle stitching, using pricking irons and then stitching, but the last two bags have convinced me that if I didn't buy an awl to open up each stitch (as Nigel Armitage recommended), I would give myself a serious case of carpel tunnel syndrome. So, I finally turned a handle for the awl blade I bought months and months ago. Tonight I'm going to make some burnishing wheels to put on a drill.

To be fair, without my husband's wood turning expertise, this would never have happened. And yes, I didn't bother with a collet. With all the exotic wood ends hanging around in his shop, I can make a new handle for a new kind of blade easier than chasing down a collet.

The handle is ziricote, one of my favorite woods.

[builderofstuff]

Very well done. I really like the design.

[BubbaJon]

I might have made the handle pommel a little more rounded so you can use your palm to push.

But I do like that wood and admire anything "custom".

[WScott]

The awl looks good, nothing better than shop made tools

The kids and I went to an old schoolmate's house and played on his lathe last summer

Made a cocobolo edge burnisher, couple of handles and a maul

Kids had a blast and learned something about woodworking

[Rohn]

Nice job on that awl. Wood turning is fun too and I have several leather tools I want to make with my lathe as soon as I get the time.

[MonicaJacobson]

@builderofstuff - Thank you! We'll see how it works out.

@BubbaJon - Thanks for the advice - I figured I'd try one, and then I'd see what is lacking once I start using it. Maybe shorter and rounder/fatter at the end?

@WScott, Thank you! Turning on a lathe is a lot of fun. I even did some turned bone pendants last year. My husband went through shelves of turned bowls and decorative items when he was a teen. It's a great way to grow up. Your kids are going to be awesome. My seven year old is already looking forward to making some knife sheaths and such in the next couple of years.

@Rohn, Thanks! It is fun, but it takes time to set up, which means one puts it off until one has more time, and we all know we never have more time. That's why I like leatherworking. Just find some leather and get to work. No set-up time.

[Sanch]

Monica, that is very nice, you should consider putting a ferrule/collar around the end just in case, if I may suggest a piece of 1/2 id copper tubing. .

[MonicaJacobson]

Thanks, I do think I'll do that. It'll look cleaner. Lucky I left a place for it.

[plinkercases]

Hi Monica.

Nice work.

here are few tips (no pun intended) I picked up or developed for my awl:

- as mentioned I always shorten and round the pommels so it fits right in the cup of my hand which helps with the lien of force when piercing and also less wood to maneuver around with the needles - good directions in the Art of Hand Sewing Leather (Stohlman classic)

- I make a small flat on the thickest part of the handle so that if I set it down it wont roll off the bench...which is, needless to say, a pain to retrieve and can mess up the tip.

- I also orient the flat and a mark near the collar such that I can tell by feel and visual of my pointer finger how the diamond tip is oriented in my hand so I can correctly align the diamond pierce consistently along the stitch line. (see the Art book again for that)

- I also always have a rounded or scribe awl on hand to open the holes to back stich without cutting the existing threads. I cant remember where I picked that up but has worked magic since I started.

- I also drilled a whole in my pony and horse and pushed in a plug of bees wax into which I jab the awl each stitch or two for heavy constructions... also magic.

I can post some pics when I get back to the shop if you like.

Hope this helps and thanks for the post.

Edited September 11, 2014 by plinkercases

[MonicaJacobson]

Thanks for all the excellent advice. The orienting mark, etc, are all very good ideas that I'll definitely put into practice. Ha, I've already spent a fair bit of effort having to turn it to fit the hole orientation. Thanks for taking the time to write them out. After giving it pretty good use for a week, I think I've decided it's too long. Otherwise, it's very comfortable to use. However, I don't usually pierce leather with it. I open up the stitches, but do the actually piercing with a pricking iron. I think I'll have to make another one with a thicker bit at the end as you mention for actual piercing work.

Anyway, thanks!