Beginner with a few questions

[Malpaso]

I just started into leatherworking, having made my first axe head sheath. It functions, but cosmetically it's pretty bad, especially the stitching. I know this will come with practice, but I think I may have mismatched the chisel and thread sizes.

To start, I will be doing a lot of axe head sheaths. My hobby is restoring old axes, and I thought hand made sheaths would be a good combination. These are my questions - 

What thread thickness goes with what chisel size?

What chisel size goes best with what leather thickness?

Is there a best leather thickness for axe head sheaths?

Thanks!

[Hags]

Sorry I didn't see this sooner! 7/8 or heavier leather. Chisels are rated at more threads per inch than size.  Look at Main threads, they can help with thread size and are a quality product

[zuludog]

Leather -- 3mm thick

Stitching chisels -- At this level, most stitching chisels will produce the same sort of holes; what's more important is the spacing of the prongs, which will set the length of the stitches. Choose 4mm spacing

However, most stitching chisels will only penetrate up to about 8mm thickness of leather, so you would have trouble with items made from thick leather like an axe sheath, especially when you include a welt. The answer is to start the holes with a stitching chisel and complete them with an awl. So you will need a saddlers awl, aka diamond awl, as well.

I would use synthetic thread for this

0,6mm dia is a usual choice for most leatherwork, including axe sheaths, and that would go with John James Saddlers Harness Needles item code L3912 size 002

If you want a heavier or more rugged look, use 0,8mm thread; but the eyes on JJ needles are a bit small and you might have trouble getting 0,8mm thread through them. In which case, Tandy needles # 1195 would be easier

Search YouTube for 'making an axe cover' there are several videos, and you'll see how it's done and the things that are used

[mike02130]

I had an answer but deleted it.   The original post was from October 28.

 

Edited December 15, 2020 by mike02130
removed an unnecessary comma