hdtraveller57 Report post Posted January 28, 2015 New Member here....I've never worked with leather before but my dad made a few gun holsters and knife/ax sheaths when i was growing up so I figured why not. I'm planning to make a leather side bag, a tool bag and a large ruck sack for my Harley "Night Train" softail motorcycle. All Harley related leather goods are generally black and I want distressed brown leather since my motorcycle is pretty much all black already. I picked up a side of 6-8 oz. oil tanned leather in distressed brown and was trying to figure out just how to begin when I read somewhere that I needed something called a "stitching pony" to make the job easier. Well, i gathered up a few spare pieces of plywood and 2x4's along with a couple of brackets and bolts I found lying around. I'm attaching a picture of what I threw together. I mounted a hook on the side to hang my stitch marker, drilled a few holes to hold the awl and a couple of needles and mounted a dowel to hold the roll of thread. It's got enough weight in the base to be pretty solid. I've made a pattern for the side bag and cut the pieces today but I think I'll practice stitching on some scrap leather pieces just to be sure before I know what I'm doing before I actually begin stitching the bag together. I realize it's not rocket surgery but I figure a little practice can't hurt. I'll take pictures and post as I proceed making stuff. Who knows, I might take an interest in it and actually make a few things for friends and such. I'm looking forward to reading through some of the posts to see what others have done and hopefully learn a few tricks to make future projects easier and the end results more professional looking. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
raysouth Report post Posted January 28, 2015 Folks from Alabama are sure creative. lol. Great job and sure you will enjoy using your creation. Nothing but fun. God Bless. Ray Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted January 28, 2015 Heavens to Murgatroyd, we've got folks from 'Bama popping up left and right in here! Welcome to the best site on the internet! I'm up in Huntsville (used to be in Mobile), Ray's in Opelika, we've got another new member from Anniston, a couple from Guntersville area, and a group down around Birmingham....we're all over the place. Nice work on the pony, it's always good to see people's innovations. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tramps Leatherworking Report post Posted January 28, 2015 Welcome to the best leatherworking site on the net... I think you will find that your pony will be easier to use if the top part of the clamp is angled down at about 45 degrees (think roof of a house). It will give you much easier access to the workpiece when sewing and using the awl... The sewing gods also dictate that anything your thread can catch on, it will --- while it may seem like a good idea, the hooks on the pony will most likely just be thread snaggers... Overall, not a bad design... I would also suggest watching a few saddle stitching videos on YouTube --- while not "Rocket Surgery" it can be a little frustrating if not done properly... Good luck and have fun! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LeatherCollector Report post Posted January 28, 2015 Welcome to the forum! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hdtraveller57 Report post Posted January 28, 2015 Tramps, thanks for the good advice. I agree its a great idea to watch a few videos. I've been reading up on techniques but there's nothing better than actually watching someone that knows what they're doing. Fortunately for me, my 1st projects will be meant to have an well-worn biker look and feel to them so the stitching won't have to appear "professional" as far as looks go. This gives me a chance to develop basic skills before tackling anything that will be subject to greater scrutiny looks-wise. I hope my reference to "rocket surgery" doesn't offend anyone. I was referring to basic stitching which seems pretty straight-forward. I realize there are quite a few stitching techniques that require much more skill and a great deal of experience to master. Not to mention tooling which requires such a level of delicate touch and artistic talent that I'm not sure I could ever achieve. I'm an engineering type so I tend to see things from a more utilitarian viewpoint rather than artistic appeal. Side Note: I forgot to mention in my 1st post that I recently relocated to Birmingham, AL but grew up and spent most of my life in Memphis, TN. Planning on remaining in Birmingham for the time being. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted January 28, 2015 If you're on Facebook, look up 'Alabama Leather Guild' - there's a monthly meeting in Trussville. ....and a Tandy right up the road. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nick Bowles Report post Posted January 29, 2015 Yo! I'm the new guy from Anniston! I'm WAY too excited about this leather working thing lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hdtraveller57 Report post Posted January 31, 2015 I'll also throw this out for any leather-working riders out there, the Barber motorcycle museum is an absolute 'must see' if you haven't been there already. I'll be happy to meet anyone at Barber that might be visiting from another city and show them around. If you want, I can guide you along a few of the nearby rural roads that are pretty scenic. I'm still having fun exploring new places to ride near here since I relocated to B'ham. I'm always looking for an excuse to go ride. my email is 'hdtraveller57@gmail.com'. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nick Bowles Report post Posted January 31, 2015 Barber is only 40 or so miles from me and I've never been....shame on me lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
