Belts

[klutes]

After you punch the last hole in a adult  belt how long do leave the end of the belt. Other words what is the length from the last hole to the end of the belt. Is there a normal distance? 

 

[wizard of tragacanth]

It's better to measure from the center hole..

Some belts have 5 holes, some have 6 or 7 holes. Some belts use 1" spacing between holes, some use 3/4" spacing, so measuring from the center hole makes more sense.

Approximately 5 to 6 inches from the center hole.

Others may have a different opinion.

nick

[Hardrada]

2.5 to 3 inches from the last hole. By last, I mean the hole closest to the tip. I use 1" spacing betwixt my holes.

[Dwight]

2 hours ago, wizard of tragacanth said:

It's better to measure from the center hole..

Some belts have 5 holes, some have 6 or 7 holes. Some belts use 1" spacing between holes, some use 3/4" spacing, so measuring from the center hole makes more sense.

Approximately 5 to 6 inches from the center hole.

Others may have a different opinion.

nick

Actually, . . . that is very much wrong,  . . .  you measure from the last punched hole, . .  . Hardrada uses 2.5 to 3 inches, . . . I use 4.5 inches.  

If you measure from the middle hole on mine, . . . with only 5 holes, . . . using 3/4 inch spacing, . . . the tongue would be over 6 inches from the last hole.

Measure from the last hole, . . . for the tongue, . . . but for the perfect length of the belt, . . . then wizard is perfectly correct, . . . always measure to the middle hole.

May God bless,

Dwight

[Arturomex]

The last time I looked you could download the Lucky 8 Belt Book from the Tandy Library for free.  Page three shows the "Proper Way To Measure A Belt." If measuring from an old belt it suggests measuring from the buckle tongue (where it would rest in the billet) to the most used hole on the old belt. That hole would determine the center hole on the new belt.

Measuring from waist size, it shows measuring from the buckle tongue on the buckle and then making the center hole to the size of the measured waist. The illustrations show 5 holes in the billet with the billet extending 4 3/4 inches from the center hole for a single keeper and 5 3/4 inches from the center hole for two keeper loops.

Page nine, however, shows the holes being punched 3/4 of an inch apart and the billet extending 5 inches past the center hole as does the section on tapered billets.

I just measured the belt I'm wearing. It's five holes at 1 inch spacing. The center hole is 6 inches from the end of the billet with the hole closest to the end 4 inches from the end of the billet.

Regards,

Arturo

Edited January 7, 2020 by Arturomex
Spelling

[Outfitr]

A little off topic but I've found that 1" hole spacing regardless of belt width is way too far apart. I switched to 3/4'' and now do 5/8".  Myself and customers much prefer more adjustability. 

[JLSleather]

20 hours ago, Arturomex said:

The center hole is 6 inches from the end of the billet with the hole closest to the end 4 inches from the end of the billet.

Pretty much what i do right there.  Don't remember where I got that, but I do remember using 5" from center hole to tip and I frequently (30% of the time?) was asked to make the tip end 1" longer, so I now do them all that way unless requested otherwise.

[wizard of tragacanth]

Measuring from the last hole does not make any sense.

You would need a different formula for every permutation of 5-holes, 6-holes, 7-holes, with 3/4" spacing, 1" spacing, etc.

A 5 hole belt with 3/4" spacing puts the last hole only 1.5" from the center hole. A 7 hole belt with 1" spacing puts the last hole 3.5" from the center hole.

On both belts, the tip should be 5-6" from the center hole. 

You may disagree with how far the tip of the belt should be from the center hole (4", 5", 6") but to measure from the last hole just confuses everything.

nick

Edited January 8, 2020 by wizard of tragacanth

[Hardrada]

Speaking for myself, the way I understood the question is: "how much of a 'tongue' do you leave on your belts?" I understand as 'belt tongue' (end, tip, lap, whatever you wanna call it) the distance between the last hole and the tip. For mine, I leave 2.5-3 inches.

I DO NOT use the last hole to measure the belt. Never ever whatsoever. I measure my belts based on the figure the client gives me for his waist: this is the distance from the 'knuckle' in the prong to the centre hole. I then line my template so that the centre hole matches this distance and the other holes (I punch 7 holes, which leaves 3 to each side of the centre one, with 1" spacing) just fall in automatically. Once I've punched my holes then I measure 2.5" or 3" from the last hole towards the end and that's where I will place the tip of my end punch and hammer away.

My process is the same as these belt makers':

https://shop-hoffnung-berlin.de/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=8

Edited January 8, 2020 by Hardrada

[wizard of tragacanth]

13 minutes ago, Hardrada said:

I DO NOT use the last hole to measure the belt. Never ever whatsoever. ***** Once I've punched my holes then I measure 2.5" or 3" from the last hole towards the end and that's where I will place the tip of my end punch and hammer away.

You are contradicting yourself. We are not talking about measuring a belt for fit. Of course, the way that you are doing that is the correct method. 

We are talking about the the length of the of the belt past the last hole. You are saying that you measure from the last hole, when you said that you never measure from the last hole. 

So, on your 7 hole belt, the distance to the last hole is 3 inches. Agreed? Then you measure from the last hole for 2.5" to 3" correct? Isn't that 5.5" to 6" from the center hole? Yes??? Like I said, yes?

So the OP asked how long should the belt extend past the last hole, without stating how many holes and at what spacing. Isn't it just easier to say 5-6" from the center hole?

That way, the same formula is used regardless of how many holes and what the spacing is.

nick

 

[Arturomex]

1 hour ago, JLSleather said:

Pretty much what i do right there.  Don't remember where I got that, but I do remember using 5" from center hole to tip and I frequently (30% of the time?) was asked to make the tip end 1" longer, so I now do them all that way unless requested otherwise.

This. Because it works.

4 minutes ago, wizard of tragacanth said:

You are contradicting yourself. We are not talking about measuring a belt for fit. Of course, the way that you are doing that is the correct method. 

We are talking about the the length of the of the belt past the last hole. You are saying that you measure from the last hole, when you said that you never measure from the last hole. 

So, on your 7 hole belt, the distance to the last hole is 3 inches. Agreed? Then you measure from the last hole for 2.5" to 3" correct? Isn't that 5.5" to 6" from the center hole? Yes??? Like I said, yes?

So the OP asked how long should the belt extend past the last hole, without stating how many holes and at what spacing. Isn't it just easier to say 5-6" from the center hole?

That way, the same formula is used regardless of how many holes and what the spacing is.

nick

 

This. Because it's correct.

[Hardrada]

17 minutes ago, wizard of tragacanth said:

We are talking about the the length of the of the belt past the last hole. You are saying that you measure from the last hole, when you said that you never measure from the last hole. 

Not contradicting myself. When I say I never measure from the last hole, I mean I don't do that to measure for fit. I was afraid some might be taking that meaning. I measure from the last hole, more accurately (as I don't do it on the belt but on Illustrator and then print out the billet template) from the centre of the last hole, a distance of 2.5-3" whereupon I place the end point.

[fredk]

On thin people and women I add about 4 inches from the last hole. On big guys and fatties I add 6 to 8 inches from the last hole, depending on just how big they is

[Dwight]

1 hour ago, Hardrada said:

Speaking for myself, the way I understood the question is: "how much of a 'tongue' do you leave on your belts?" I understand as 'belt tongue' (end, tip, lap, whatever you wanna call it) the distance between the last hole and the tip. For mine, I leave 2.5-3 inches.

I DO NOT use the last hole to measure the belt. Never ever whatsoever. I measure my belts based on the figure the client gives me for his waist: this is the distance from the 'knuckle' in the prong to the centre hole. I then line my template so that the centre hole matches this distance and the other holes (I punch 7 holes, which leaves 3 to each side of the centre one, with 1" spacing) just fall in automatically. Once I've punched my holes then I measure 2.5" or 3" from the last hole towards the end and that's where I will place the tip of my end punch and hammer away.

My process is the same as these belt makers':

https://shop-hoffnung-berlin.de/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=8

You and I use basically the same process, . . . except I have a "belt end template" that I place on the belt blank, . . .

I first measure up from the buckle and put a mark at say 38 inches for a 38 inch belt.  I then position my template so the center hole is over that 38 inch mark . . . and proceed to mark off my 7 holes with 1 inch spacing, . . . and my 4 1/2 inch tongue (measured from the hole closest to the tongue end) where I razor cut the end of the belt blank.

I then finish shaping the end of the belt on my sander.

From the end of the belt, . . . to my center hole, . . . will always be 7 1/2 inches, . . . +/-, . . . and I do not have customers complaining.  Fact is, . . . most of my customers come back within a couple years and ask for another one, . . . a different color.  I've got one fellow out there that I believe has 5 , . . . maybe 6 of my belts.

Using that ridiculous idea of 5 inches from the center holle, . . . would give me a tongue of 2 1/2 inches, . . . it would not even make the first belt loop, . . . would stick out and be some kind of ugly.

May God bless,

Dwight

[klutes]

I was not referring to the fit of the belt. Only how long of tongue past the last hole. I pretty much do it like Dwight. I think I need to add about a extra inch to the tongue length not to the belt fit measurement.  Thanks   

[Arturomex]

23 hours ago, Dwight said:

From the end of the belt, . . . to my center hole, . . . will always be 7 1/2 inches, . . . +/-,

So, why don't you just say you measure 7 1/2 inches from the center hole?

[Dwight]

24 minutes ago, Arturomex said:

So, why don't you just say you measure 7 1/2 inches from the center hole?

Because this is the original question:

"After you punch the last hole in a adult  belt how long do leave the end of the belt. Other words what is the length from the last hole to the end of the belt. Is there a normal distance? "

And the answer is 4 1/2 inches.

Simple, . . . 

May God bless,

Dwight

[Hardrada]

23 hours ago, Dwight said:

You and I use basically the same process, . . . except I have a "belt end template" that I place on the belt blank, . . .

Ditto!

 

I might need to make another template with a 3" distance. I see no need to go beyond that because my belt loops are only 1/2" away from the prong hole (almost as if it were a centre bar buckle), and even if the client were to use the last hole (which he most likely will not, as the belts are made to fit) the tip would still go through the loop.

Edited January 9, 2020 by Hardrada

[Handstitched]

We all seem to have our  own techniques  on making belts.  Everything I have learnt is self taught, but also with some help from ' Al Stohlman' .

On my belts, I use a template to mark the holes, so  from the tip of the belt to the first hole is 100mm ,  the holes are 30mm apart,  but the measurement is taken from the 3rd hole, or centre hole, as per Al Stohlmans instructions   Works just fine. 

HS