Suggested tools for holster and belt making?

[Maverick44]

Hi everyone, My name is Aaron. I've been dabbling in leatherworking for a few years now, and I'm wanting to get serious about it. I'm mainly wanting to focus on making holsters (both western, and modern styles), and gun belts. What tools would you guys suggest I get. I'm wanting to get a complete enough set that I could make just about any holster or belt I want. I already have a few basic tools (listed below), and I have a budget of about $150. I'm also a woodworker, so any tools that I need that can be made out of wood (mallet, sewing horse, burnisher, ect), I can easily make. I know I need a round knife and a cutting board, but what else do I need? I've looked at what places like Tandy's and Zach White's has, but there's so many options that I don't know where to begin. I'm not too concerned with stamping or embellishment yet. I want to get into that eventually, but I want to get good at making stuff first.

Here's what I have.

mallet

utility knife, xacto knife, and shears

spacer and groover

Scratch and diamond awl

needles

and a really cheap set of punches I want to replace with something decent.

 

Thanks in advance fellas!

[JLSleather]

strap cutter is a big plus

slot punches are  nice.  Maybe a 3/4" and a 1 1/2". 

Snap setters if you're going to use snaps.

cutting board?  maybe a piece of masonite to cover a table - that way  you can replace it easily when it's marked up.

You "can" get a round knife, but don't need to.  I'm made a jillion things, never owned a round knife (i've seen them, but didn't see where it did anything I wasn't already doing with something else)

OH>>>  don't forget your tools you own... sometimes a wood gouge is a nice tool to have on a leather bench.

AND>>>  don't forget leather!  Yeah, some will laugh.. but I have personally seen a BUNCHA fellas get so wrapped in buying tools that they had no money left for LEATHER (tough to do leather without leather) 

Edited June 19, 2019 by JLSleather

[Hildebrand]

Get a good overstitch wheel for spacing, no need for a round knife your utility knife with a sharp blade will do fine.  Get a good strop to keep everything sharp.  Jeff pretty much covered everything else.

[mikesc]

Someone here's  "sig" ..Art' maybe ?..I think..?  is "For heavens sake Pilgrim, make yourself a strop"..

First leather thing to make yourself is a strop...no matter what you may wish to make as the second thing, or subsequent things.. :)

Oh and you'd best get a stock of bandaids and some super glue..to seal the inevitable cuts in you, while you are discovering just how wickedly sharp you can get things with a strop :)

[zuludog]

We don't make many holsters in Britain; as you probably know, our gun laws are very strict. But I would imagine that the same techniques for other items would be used for holsters. Search YouTube for - saddle stitch, edge burnishing, edge bevelling, knife sheaths, pouches, possibles bags, belts, wet moulding

The key to good leatherwork is razor sharp tools, so make a strop from oddments of wood & leather. There is advice on this forum, and YT. But treat yourself to some proper stropping/honing compound

Yes, the traditional leatherworker's knife is a round knife, but they're expensive, and good ones are very expensive. You also need a bit of experience & skill to use them. You can do a lot of good work with a Stanley/boxcutter/craft knife, especially if you resharpen the blades on a fine stone and a strop. This seems to reduce the shoulder of the bevel and polishes the cutting edge  

Search Google and YT for 'Japanese Style Leather Knife' They are more reasonably priced than a round knife (unless you get the absolute top of the range) and can be made very sharp. But they're not so easy to use for curves. 

Thread -- Synthetic thread, such as Ritza, is very popular, but I still prefer linen; it's up to you. Rocky Mountain Leather Supply seem to have a good choice. 

You will need an edge beveller; size 2 is as good as any to start with

You could try using a pair of dividers instead of a stitching groover to mark the line of the stitching

Have a look at YT videos by Ian Atkinson and Nigel Armitage, they cover most aspects of leatherwork and produce some excellent work. I don't think either of them use a round knife

Don't forget beeswax. Even if you buy ready waxed thread it does no harm to give it an extra rub sometimes, and it's also used for other leatherwork jobs

[Grumpymann]

Good ruler I use a see through grid one.I have several.  Use them on every project at sometime.  Because it helps me find the center. Rivit setters and rivits. Though Chicago screws or burns rivets work as well.Also don't forget about GOOD LIGHTING! You can't cut a line if you can't see a line.

Edited June 19, 2019 by Grumpymann

[JLSleather]

Strop?  Nah, kaint find one here    I use mostly x-acto and utility knife blades ... about 10¢, and when they're dull I get a new one.  HOURS of time making belts and holsters because I'm NOT spending that time sharpening a blade.

And, a fella with a wood lathe should have no trouble at all coming up with a burnishing stick in about any size/radius he might want

 

[Maverick44]

I can hold off on the round knife if you fellas think I'd be better off without it. I'm no stranger to sharp. I collect hand planes, and know my way around a chisel, lol.

Here's what I'm looking at so far.

Strap cutter

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0036UU0AG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?smid=A2MI9QS56ZOCLV&psc=1

3/4” slot punch

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VSJRHW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_5?smid=A33BCVPK0F58UK&psc=1

Snap setters

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07P3JYY61/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ABFL3LCQSAEAJ&psc=1

Size 2 edge beveler

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00430GAS4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=A307EOO7SO3VAU&psc=

Dividers

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CK2569L/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A16WV1H5YQTNTV&psc=1

Punches

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GCWY3HH/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=AAJPXZR0IAJR3&psc=1

Of course I'll also make sure to get the consumables like beeswax, leather, dye, and thread.

 

Thanks again fellas

[RockyAussie]

I would think about spending a little more on the edge beveller myself. That is one tool you do want working well. One like in this video perhaps 

Have a close look through the magnifying glass at them. Other here may have some better recommendations I think.

[JLSleather]

SHop a little.  You can get wing dividers at pretty much any store in the country.. often for $2-ish.  Menards or Lowes will carry them.  Harbor Freight probably got a coupon to get 'em free.

I'd pass on that hollow slot punch - I've seen em and wouldn't own one if it was free.

You'll find a LOT Of people (some of them right here on this site) who will go out of their way to charge you $10 for something that aint worth $2.  I've seen utility knives ($6 off the shelf at the auto parts store) being called "leather knife" and sold for twice that.  Not naming names (yet), but shop a bit or ask out loud.  Don't take the advice of somebody just because he's on here, or has a web site, etc -- including from me.

I'm all about the BUSINESS END of a tool.  If it's supposed to CUT something, then I want it to CUT.  Don't care about - and aint payin extra for -- cocobolo wood handles "crafted" in a $35k CNC or laser tool... pretty is nice, but only if it WORKS.

IN fact, I'm gonna say a guy with wood tools could likely make that strap cutter in a hour with some scrap wood, a wing nut and a jam nut, maybe a coping saw to cut the blade slit and a screw to hold it in.  That "strap cutter" is in fact 3 pieces of wood, a 10¢ blade, and 25¢ worth of stuff from the hardware store.  It's marked purdy like, but hardly a "precision" instrument.  A guy basically needs a "fence" to put the leather up against and a way to hold the blade right distance away (which you could do by putting a slit in the table and screwing down a "fence" for that matter).  i bot the strap cutter, due to space available, but .... you get the idea.  Somebody selling the "walnut and oak "checker board" conglomeration with high gloss urethane finish and hand polished surface" is wasting their time barkin' at me   You see the trend.

 

Edited June 20, 2019 by JLSleather