MichaelT Report post Posted February 18, 2017 I just finished this stitching clam. Its made of steam bent white oak and is 36" tall. The jaws are under tension and measure 2 3/4" at the top. The throat is 3 3/4" at the widest and 19" deep. The dark areas on the wood are a result of the steaming process. I based it off of plans available here- https://www.etsy.com/listing/249232297/leatherworkers-saddlers-clam-and. I saw his video on Youtube last fall and thought it looked really slick. I have a stitching horse that I made from the plans from the back of Saint Stohlman's saddle stitching book and while it works well, it pretty bulky and is hard to store. This is slim enough that I can just lean it in the corner when I'm not using it. There's nothing to catch the thread when sewing- a problem I have with both the horse and another antique clam that I have. I like the fact that the jaws hold themselves closed- I can sit how I want and not have to hold the jaws closed with my legs like you do on the style that uses a hinge. It took awhile to scrounge up the material, make the tools and learn some new skills. Besides rough carpentry and workbenches, I've really no experience in working wood, but I think it turned out very well. I've yet to use it- the oil finish is still drying, but I just had to show it off. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mattsbagger Report post Posted February 18, 2017 Looking good. I want someone to build me the one in the AL Stohlman books. Lol Are you gonna put leather or something else on jaws? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikermutt07 Report post Posted February 19, 2017 That is awesome. You could always make a slot in your horse to accept this clam as well. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MichaelT Report post Posted February 19, 2017 3 hours ago, Mattsbagger said: Looking good. I want someone to build me the one in the AL Stohlman books. Lol Are you gonna put leather or something else on jaws? Thanks. I'm going to leave it as it is for now. I've got the jaws pretty well smoothed over, but if it does mark the work, adding some leather padding is easy enough. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cjartist Report post Posted February 19, 2017 Looks great, and I think it's amazing that you took that on without previous woodworking skills. I'm impressed (and a little bit jeal-y). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MichaelT Report post Posted February 19, 2017 8 hours ago, cjartist said: Looks great, and I think it's amazing that you took that on without previous woodworking skills. I'm impressed (and a little bit jeal-y). In the interest of full disclosure- while I haven't done much woodwork, I've had plenty of experience of seeing something that I want and figuring out how to get there. Add in the innate desire to make stuff and being a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to doing clean work (all traits I'm sure many of us share). Hobby wise- my background is in blacksmithing and knife making- both process oriented crafts that require attention to detail in order to do good work. All of this overcame any inexperience with woodworking. Working with leather has redefined to me what a sharp edge is and how to get there. That greatly simplified sharpening and tuning wood planes I picked up at the flea market. Sharpening a plane iron is waaaaaaay simpler and faster than a head knife. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jimmy McLaughlin Report post Posted August 20, 2017 I noticed that Rocky Mountain Leather is selling French Clams $187 . They look well made. Jim Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Old Coach Saddlery Report post Posted August 21, 2017 Very nice. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
