ccw505 Report post Posted November 1, 2016 Hello All, I'm quite new to leatherworking and after a few small projects decided a stitching pony was very much needed! I searched high and low for a quality one, but couldn't find anything - so I made my own. I used quatersawn cherry throughout with a hand shaped cam clamp and leather lined jaws. Any input on design from seasoned leatherworkers would be appreciated. Here'a an "in progress" and "complete" picture. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brown64 Report post Posted November 1, 2016 Nice work! If it's not too much to ask how much do you have in the cost of material? Was thinking of making one myself, and just was curious what the approximate cost was going tom be. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ccw505 Report post Posted November 1, 2016 Well, it definitely depends on the wood used. I decided on cherry because I wanted to make something nice. However, even with the premium wood I probably have only $25-30 in materials. With pine or doug fir you could likely get that down to the $10 range. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Instinctive Report post Posted November 1, 2016 That's a nice job. I especially line the cam closure and am going to need to modify mine now. Personally I built a hybrid between a pony and horse. I extended the location of the arms to provide more working room. The arms can also be rotated to provide a better work angle iof the work requires. The extension is supported by a piece of PVC built-in vacuum cleaner pipe so it remains portable and storable. Built from pine. Still can't decide if I should call it a Hony or a Porse. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ccw505 Report post Posted November 1, 2016 Definitely Hony! Looks great...I went back and forth on whether or not I should extend the clam out from the base as you did. Now seeing yours, I may have to build and alternate base to try it out. Great looking pine BTW. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brown64 Report post Posted November 1, 2016 1 hour ago, ccw505 said: Well, it definitely depends on the wood used. I decided on cherry because I wanted to make something nice. However, even with the premium wood I probably have only $25-30 in materials. With pine or doug fir you could likely get that down to the $10 range. Thanks for the info definitly cheaper than I thought. I'm going to have to get started on it (no excuse now). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikermutt07 Report post Posted November 1, 2016 Amazon has those cams for 7 Or 8 bucks. Well, not crafted out of cherry wood, but cams none the less. Excellent job on the pony and the porse. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ccw505 Report post Posted November 1, 2016 32 minutes ago, bikermutt07 said: Amazon has those cams for 7 Or 8 bucks. Well, not crafted out of cherry wood, but cams none the less. Excellent job on the pony and the porse. Thanks Biker, if you decide to get a cam on Amazon (or other site) make sure to get the correct travel (i.e. the amount your jaws will open). I was originally going to buy a cam but couldn't find one that opened far enough for my liking. They may exist...I just didn't find one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Instinctive Report post Posted November 2, 2016 (edited) 23 hours ago, ccw505 said: Definitely Hony! Looks great...I went back and forth on whether or not I should extend the clam out from the base as you did. Now seeing yours, I may have to build and alternate base to try it out. Great looking pine BTW. I've been leaning toward Hony as well. The extension is a lot more comfortable, especially if you have a more substantial build like mine, i.e., a beer gut. Picked up the stuff to make that cam closure today. Clear pine from my local Home Depot. Very easy to work with but still provided the strength required. Edited November 2, 2016 by WRLC Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boriqua Report post Posted November 3, 2016 I think its so awesome that you fabricated the cam!! Nice work. I used poplar on mine but I didnt care for the pony that sat under your lap so I made mine a floor model. I have since bought one of the cams from amazon and replaced the knob. Been using this for sometime now almost daily and its perfect for me. Were I to do it again I might use oak since there is a little more flex than I would like out of the polar at that length. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
plinkercases Report post Posted November 3, 2016 Very nice indeed. When I made my old pony (which also slots into a chair I modified just for that) I hemmed and hawed a lot about the tightening mechanism and though about cams and crews etc. but settled on a ratchet strap and it seems to do well. I have another one in my mind which I will use from pre-curved wood from a chair and think I may go with a cam. How do you keep it from slipping back? is it roughed up or just the back pressure? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
