Belt Lengths Help

[dadam38]

I was asked to make a couple belts but have never made belts before. the sizes i was asked for are 34 and 48, what are the actual lengths of the belts from buckle to end?

[rawr66]

If you watch Ian Atkinson's youtube video on how to make a simple belt he goes into the saddleback leather design with 9 holes. The measurement would be from the very end of the buckle to the hole that they use, and your belt's middle hole would match that length. I'd say a 5 hole would be the same.

[Dwight]

As rawr66 said above, . . . from the buckle at one end, . . . to the "most used hole" on the present belt they wear.

And YOU measure it, . . . otherwise you will "re-do" about every other one or every third one. I had a "client" who wore 36 inch Wranglers, . . . and wanted a 36 inch belt. When I finally got his old belt to measure it, . . . turned out he really needed a 41. His Wranglers had slowly but surely stretched as his girth did, . . . so he never really paid attention I guess.

Anyway, . . . measure it yourself, . . . personally.

Also, I think it is a better deal for my customers to give them 7 holes, . . . but that is something you will have to work out for you and your customers.

And, from the last hole at the very end of the belt, . . . add 3 1/2 inches to the tongue, . . . out to the end of the belt.

May God bless,

Dwight

[BDAZ]

I rarely make belts for standard buckles...is there a standard length for the tongue slot?

Thanks!

Bob

[JLSleather]

Yikes. I've seen a dozen different 'answers' to this question .. some of them making less sense.. down to basically no sense at all. The buckle MATTERS, and needs to be included in the size. The only time this doesn't matter, is if the customer has their own buckle and wants to re-use it on a new belt.

This is WAY too simple to have all the confusion you see all over the web. NOT that difficult.

[Dwight]

I use a bag punch, . . . it's about 3/4 of an inch long, . . . after I punch out the one full length punch, . . . I add about another half, . . . so in all it is about an inch and 1/8 or an inch an a quarter, . . .

I test it by folding it over, . . . straightening out the buckle, . . . lifting up the tongue. For me it needs to go straight up with no problem, . . . if not, . . . I whack it again until it does. But with my little template I made, . . . that isn't very often, . . . just maybe when there is a new style buckle, . . . but even then, not very often.

May God bless,

Dwight

[dadam38]

thanks everyone, looks really simple. Appreciate the help.