Starting out with tooling

[harry phillips]

10/20 tools will get you going,bevelers,background,pear shaders, you can do a lot of work with just a few. Most of the time I use 5/8 tools. I used a swivel knife,smooth and fine checkered beveler, medium and pointed background tools, a sharp point pear shader and that's pretty much it. Peace

[treybecca]

I'm a tool junky, I have collected a little under 200...and use four frequently lol. I have yet to master a swivel knife, so my go to tools are a few bevelers, a modeling spoon and a round stylus. Depending on my work I may use a back ground tool but most times I don't. The MOST important thing in any tooling project is nailing your casing process more so then the tools used. I have found success in Bob Parks method.

For example this corset and belt was created using only a beveler, modeling spoon, swivel knife (about the extent of my skill with one) and a few decorative stamps.

[r lenna]

I would take advantage of all the knowlege that you can get here, and on youtube. Here at The Paul Burnett pages here http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showforum=214 just search and you shall find. There's a lot more free lessons that you find here if you just look. If I was starting over again I would skip the tandy swivel knife and get one at Barry King. If you can't afford that you can get a blade there that will fit the Tandy swivel knife. I'm a too; junkey myself, since I can't afford to buy all the tools I need I make them. It dosn't cost a fortune to do this. I have 25 Barry King tools that I have collected over the years, but I have a bunch of tandy tools I still use. You can do great work with either. Just have fun. This is the best place to learn. Rob