Kangaroo Leather and Chef's Roll

[IMay]

My son has asked me if I would make him a chef's tool roll. He has got about 20 knives and also some other tools he would like to have in one place. I have never worked in leather before, but hey what's life without challenges.

My first thought was to make it in kangaroo leather, which is lovely and soft and I know they say it is very tough, but I am unsure if it can hold the shape and carry the weight. I have wondered if I am better off making the outer layer in bovine leather and the inner knife pockets in kangaroo leather to keep the roll as light as possible.

I am currently working on 2nd sorting leather to get a better idea of the work processes and have tried to bevel the edge, but it seems to me that the leather is to thin for me to get a good result as it moved with the beveling knife.

I will have to make the pattern myself as I have been unable to find any patterns online - which in itself is a challenge as well.

Any advise will be appreciated.

[Tugadude]

My first thought is that 20 is a lot of knives to put into one roll.  I wonder if there is a way to break it up into 2 groups of knives in a way that makes sense?  That would cut down on bulk.  Here is a video of a tool roll made by Nigel Armitage.  It is quite nice and he details the leather used and gives some brief direction on how it came about.

 

Secondly, did you see this instructable?  It might be of assistance or inspiration.

https://www.instructables.com/Leather-Chefs-Knife-Roll/

[Tugadude]

And finally, when I want to make something I rarely use a pattern.  I guess I'm lucky in that I can typically just eyeball something and approximate the sizes and then adjust as necessary.  I know many can't do that.  So the way I approach it is I go online and search for examples of what I want to create and then I take a little from one design and little from another and combine them all to make something that meets all of my needs.  Here's an example of a screen shot of a number of rolls.  Just search for "leather knife roll".  There's probably more patterns out there to find also.

[Tugadude]

crickets.......

[chuck123wapati]

1 hour ago, Tugadude said:

crickets.......

don't ya just hate that? Happens to me a lot also seems some folks think a person is just here to answer questions cause they have nothing better to do.

[Tugadude]

While I didn’t do it for recognition, it is frustrating how many times help is taken for granted.  I will take a positive attitude and assume the OP has gotten busy and not viewed my post(s).

Yep, their last visit was Wed. 1:28 p.m.  So, that explains it.

Edited April 25, 2021 by Tugadude

[fredk]

It happens a lot, not just here but on other forums I'm on. Just about 1 in 2000 will come back to acknowledge any advice given

PS: what do you guys mean by 'crickets' ?

 

[Tugadude]

4 hours ago, fredk said:

It happens a lot, not just here but on other forums I'm on. Just about 1 in 2000 will come back to acknowledge any advice given

PS: what do you guys mean by 'crickets' ?

Might be an American expression.  Basically it means so quiet you can hear crickets.  No reply = crickets.

4 hours ago, fredk said:

 

 

[fredk]

10 hours ago, Tugadude said:

Might be an American expression.  Basically it means so quiet you can hear crickets.  No reply = crickets.

Thanks. That makes sense. Cricket, the insect, is rare in N.I. but not the game. I suppose the closest here to that saying is 'hearing the fairies whispering'

[Retswerb]

1 hour ago, fredk said:

Thanks. That makes sense. Cricket, the insect, is rare in N.I. but not the game. I suppose the closest here to that saying is 'hearing the fairies whispering

My experience with cricket the game is limited but I know enough to say it’s a poor simile to use for quiet! Our other similar expression would be to say it’s so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I like fairies whispering though.

We often use crickets in situations (like this) where we’re talking about some kind of response that was expected, but instead of that response all you hear is crickets chirping. The focus is less on overall quiet and more on lack of expected response.

Edited April 26, 2021 by Retswerb

[IMay]

23 hours ago, Tugadude said:

crickets.......

I am sorry for the late reply. I am handicapped and have many bad days. I do however appreciate all the replies, but as a newbie to the craft I do not have anything much to contribute

18 hours ago, Tugadude said:

While I didn’t do it for recognition, it is frustrating how many times help is taken for granted.  I will take a positive attitude and assume the OP has gotten busy and not viewed my post(s).

Yep, their last visit was Wed. 1:28 p.m.  So, that explains it.

Also I live in Australia, which means there will be a lot of time lag. I need time to absorb your pictures and replies.

[IMay]

On 4/22/2021 at 8:44 AM, Tugadude said:

My first thought is that 20 is a lot of knives to put into one roll.  I wonder if there is a way to break it up into 2 groups of knives in a way that makes sense?  That would cut down on bulk.  Here is a video of a tool roll made by Nigel Armitage.  It is quite nice and he details the leather used and gives some brief direction on how it came about.

 

Secondly, did you see this instructable?  It might be of assistance or inspiration.

https://www.instructables.com/Leather-Chefs-Knife-Roll/

The instructables link is based on cow hide, but I have seen it before and I definitely like some of the ideas - but not the rivets :/ ... I know it would make my life much easier, but I don't like the look. I do a lot of embroidery, so the sewing is not off-putting. The initial problem is that my son is 20.000 kms away, so I have to go by measurements and use my own kitchen knives. The plan is to make the pattern, make an initial roll in craft leather (cheap stuff from China), send that to him and get feedback before going on to the real thing.

Eyeballing unfortunately doesn't work for me :/. I am currently making cardboard models of the knives I have measured up, so I can put them out on the paper.

Do you guys think Kangaroo will be strong enough ? It just feels so soft and pliable ? I know it is strong for its thickness but ...

This is not the goal - but wow ! https://jendeindustries.com/chef-s-roll-knife-bag.html

Edited April 26, 2021 by IMay
repeated info + further info

[Tugadude]

Found this on the internet regarding my use of crickets.  I keep forgetting there are folks from all over the globe and we all have our own idioms.

To hear crickets or crickets means silence. The idea is that the only thing one can hear is the chirping of crickets. Crickets are insects that may be found in many parts of the world. There are many species of crickets, including field crickets, tree crickets, scaly crickets, mole crickets, house crickets, and hundreds more. Only male crickets chirp by rubbing their forewings together, which is called stridulation. The idiom to hear crickets or crickets became popular in the twentieth century. This most probably stems from the use of crickets to designate the quiet of an evening depicted in radio plays or in films. The sound of crickets came into use in cartoons to mean silence, usually when an awkward moment was being exploited for humorous reasons. Today, when someone says “crickets” or “all I heard was crickets”, he means that an awkward silence occurred. This may mean the listener did not agree with the speaker or approve of what the speaker was saying. It is often used to describe an instance where a joke falls flat and no one in the audience laughs.

 

[fredk]

Some of us have taken to saying 'Bueller?' when there is no response to a question or statement.

Taken from the film 'Bueller's Day Off'

[Rahere]

Coming back to the subject, I'd hope his knives are a real and presennt danger to all leather and stitching. This is where the rivets come in, to use the press of thinker leather to protect the latter. 

As a design anarchist, although rolls are traditional, we've seen too many security incidents happen in public for this to be recommended, with cops shooting as soon as the word "knife" is heard. It might be wiser to go for a lockable storage box with liners designed as described. I've actually seen a freemason carrying a Templar sword on the London Underground, but boy was it swathed in chains and padlocks!

[IMay]

On 4/28/2021 at 11:43 PM, Rahere said:

Coming back to the subject, I'd hope his knives are a real and presennt danger to all leather and stitching. This is where the rivets come in, to use the press of thinker leather to protect the latter. 

As a design anarchist, although rolls are traditional, we've seen too many security incidents happen in public for this to be recommended, with cops shooting as soon as the word "knife" is heard. It might be wiser to go for a lockable storage box with liners designed as described. I've actually seen a freemason carrying a Templar sword on the London Underground, but boy was it swathed in chains and padlocks!

Interesting idea. Currently he is using an old towel, which does not really look that professional :). When he lived with us and took the train to work at 05:00 there was another chef (presumably) who would sharpen his knives on the train !

I am not sure I understand what you mean by "liners". With regards to the rivets, he does not want the blade but the handle in the sheath (which does not make me happy) - he says that is what he has always done.

I am working on a pencil case right now to get the initial working processes right. I am not satisfied with the burnishing yet, so will give it another try.

[RockyAussie]

Just saw this post and as I am making up a knife pouch roll this week I thought I may be able to do a few pics as I go of the process for you if it helps. To get a good roll and not make it excessively long you may want to consider alternating the ends that your handles go as shown in another roll that I made a while back.

 

Don't know where in Oz you are but if it helps I would be happy to machine stitch it up for you when its ready. I am close to Rockhampton.

Regards Brian

[Tugadude]

Study Brian’s work.  Everything is thought out, attractive and as close to perfect as you’ll find.  And he is generous to help encourage others.  I’ve learned so much through his examples.

[IMay]

On 5/2/2021 at 12:37 AM, Tugadude said:

Study Brian’s work.  Everything is thought out, attractive and as close to perfect as you’ll find.  And he is generous to help encourage others.  I’ve learned so much through his examples.

I will and thank you

[IMay]

On 5/1/2021 at 7:47 PM, RockyAussie said:

Just saw this post and as I am making up a knife pouch roll this week I thought I may be able to do a few pics as I go of the process for you if it helps. To get a good roll and not make it excessively long you may want to consider alternating the ends that your handles go as shown in another roll that I made a while back.

 

Don't know where in Oz you are but if it helps I would be happy to machine stitch it up for you when its ready. I am close to Rockhampton.

Regards Brian

Hi Brian

That is a lovely offer and I may take you up on it. I am in just North of Brisbane. It looks great and I shall liberally steal your ideas.

My son prefers to have the blade out so he can easily see what he is grabbing - his poor mother (me) shudders at the thought. What leather have you used ? I just burnished a pencil case I  am working on  in 2nd sorting kangaroo leather as a trial-and-error piece. I think in this second attempt the result was quite good. I am waiting for a reply from an eBay seller - I want glue that is flexible and weather proof without having to pay a fortune to have it shipped from the US.

Normally with a new kind of crafting I just start, but with leather it is a bit harder to undo errors than it in embroidery or sewing.

[Rahere]

Your thinking of a pencil case is very much where I was headed, the issue being protecting the blade edges in the case. My liners are individual sheaths shaped to fit the case.

[RockyAussie]

On 5/3/2021 at 5:58 AM, IMay said:

That is a lovely offer and I may take you up on it. I am in just North of Brisbane.

Are you able to go to East coast Leathers? Here is a link to the type of skin I use for this - https://www.theleathershed.com.au/products/burgundy-chopper

I used Whisky chopper in the knife pouch above I believe.

They should be able to help with the glue as well I think. Another supplier that may be closer to you is Packer leather at Narangba.

Trying to fit in 20 odd knives into a roll pouch will be quite a challenge and especially if done with the blades facing out. Even harder not having the physical knives to to use. I would ask for a photo of all of the knives laid out together to start with and then an outline drawing of them with measurements. Without seeing a picture of the knives yet I suspect that I would do the design so that it folded rather than rolled something like a layer of 5 then fold over for another layer of 5 and again and again. Each layer would have the blades going the opposite way in order to reduce the bulk. I can do you a sketch if that does not make sense.

49342555 if you want to talk.

Brian

[IMay]

 

On 5/3/2021 at 7:59 AM, Rahere said:

Your thinking of a pencil case is very much where I was headed, the issue being protecting the blade edges in the case. My liners are individual sheaths shaped to fit the case.

A pencil case is just to learn how to work in leather. I am a hands on person and do not learn if I cannot do as well. Bit of a challenge sometimes - I have restarted many projects that way

Edited May 4, 2021 by IMay
Wrong quote

[IMay]

@RockyAussie

I bought some of my leather stuff at Packer leather in Narangba (the Klassic Craft I think it was in brandy https://packerdirect.com.au/product/klassical-kraft/) and some of the items from eBay.

I borrowed a very good book from the library called "Pigpong - Tanned Leather Hand-Made Bags", it was very thorough and helpful, lots of pictures. I can really recommend it for beginners. It includes patterns (with size instructions for printing) and a list of products needed. Unfortunately some of the items are US based and I cannot find them here. Bought some glue off eBay. Instructions were in Chinese .... LOL - that led to a couple of trial-and-error situations, but at least I was not glued to the item.

I took pictures and measurements of all the items that my son wanted included before he went overseas, and am currently making them out of cardboard and tape. My plan is to lay them out and see how it works. He has shortened his list of knives - has had a couple of them stolen and one broke, so I will have to do a recount.

Figuring I will make the outside of the case in cowhide and the inside in kangaroo, to make it more sturdy, but not too bulky. I know kangaroo hide is very sturdy, but I just feel like the roll will end up being a banana instead if made only from kangaroo. I will start a new thread when I get started more seriously. I totally understand the critique I got for not replying fast, and understand the frustration of the people who are helpful. Hard thought when many days I just do not function /shrug.

The post Tugadude linked : https://www.instructables.com/Leather-Chefs-Knife-Roll/  is awesome. I am however figuring on a double stitch with a small space in between the knife pouches. I am not keen on the rivet look, but I can see the sense of the seem and the top and bottom rivet that you have on your roll.

 

[RockyAussie]

Here is a link to a video showing the knife pouch I did last week and a little bit on some of the steps at the end.