Leatherworking first steps and tools-

[tibi]

Hello, 

This is my first post on this forum. My main hobby is woodworking. I have a workshop, which is not heated during winters and there are often sub zero temperatures. So I have been looking for an alternative hobby that I can do during winter session and I have found leather working to be pretty interesting and I can do it in my warm home in a spare room. 

I have used search function on this forum, but it had returned too many results where I did not find the exact answers to my questions. There are many blog posts that describe essential tools, but there are various sizes of tools or multiple tools, that can do the same task and I do not want to buy unnecessary stuff. 

I plan to start leather working next autumn/winter and until that I would like to buy one or two books that will teach me tools/techniques and some basic knowledge about leather types, their suitability for different applications. 

I would like to start making some simple key cases, bookmarks, wallets, mobile phone covers and then I need to upgrade my skills to be able to make some handbags for my wife, as this is the requirement for approving the purchase of tools . So this will be mostly the scope of my work in the first few years. 

1. I would like to ask if you can advise me one or two books that will teach me leather working basics, tools, techniques. There are many titles available and unfortunately, I cannot personally take a book and scroll through it in a bookstore, as those books are not available in my country (Slovakia) and online previews only show you only first few pages. 

2. I would like to buy myself a first set of tools. I do not want to buy cheap tools that I will need to upgrade in the future, so I want to buy once, cry once. I would like to ask you for some basic set of tools that I should buy first for the types of products that I want to make.

I would like to invest 300 - 500 € in the beginning for a set of quality tools and expand them later, if necessary. I would like to buy from Europe, if possible, so I do not need to deal with custom fees and expensive shipping, etc. I like good looking and good quality tools, but they do not have to be the most expensive just for the sake. I would like to buy mid range tools that will work for a lifetime and will look good as well (like wooden handles, quality steel etc.). I have read some essential lists but I am more and more confused, because multiple tools can be used for the same task and I do not know which is better for me and why. 

a) knives: head round knife,  flat skiving knife, l'indispensable knife, rotary cutter, trimming knife, Stanley knife? 
b) pricking irons, stitching chisels, stitching awls, overstitch wheel? 
c) edge beveler (what size), edge creaser, 
d)adjustable groovers
e) scratch awls
f) needles and laces/threads
g) other tools 

I just need a basic, yet quality set of tools that will allow me to make wallets, covers,belts, straps, notebook covers and handbags in the future. There are too many options and I do not want to buy redundant tools, just those that will fit what I am intending to do. That is why I am asking for an advice. 

3. Can leather working be done totally by hand without the use of machines? I have seen some pretty expensive leather sewing machines, but it must have been done without them in the past. 

Thank you very much for your answers. 

Tibi

[Spyros]

1 hour ago, tibi said:

3. Can leather working be done totally by hand without the use of machines? I have seen some pretty expensive leather sewing machines, but it must have been done without them in the past. 

Hi Tibi, welcome aboard

Yes absolutely it can be done, and unless you want to start making it a business and churn out volume, you don't need to use any electrical tools at all.   A lot of people here don't.

 

Ok lets assume you want to make a wallet and a belt.   You need the following:

Knives. 

Before you buy any leatherworking knives at all, I would suggest you start with just utility knives from the hardware store, you probably already have a couple.  Stanley knives, that kind of thing. Get a small one too, and an X-acto knife.  There are countless leatherworkers (myself included) that don't feel there's a need for anything else.  But you will not know this until you try.  Get lots of disposable blades and change them frequently (or sharpen them and reuse them).

If you have a very sharp woodworking marking knife, you can also use that.

Rulers.

You need 3 or 4 in different sizes (and a 90 degree angle one), and they have to be made of steel, so you can cut against them.  Leatherworking shops will try to get you to buy the ones with a cork backing so it doesn't slip on the leather, but they are unnecessarily expensive, you can simply get a rubber adhesive tape from the hardware store and glue it on, or nothing at all is also fine.  The main thing is your rulers are metal.  If you can afford it get a couple of round ones too to cut round corners, but if you can't that's fine, you can always use things like coins or jars to cut around.

Something to skive edges with.

Look up "japanese skiving knives", but don't get carried away with the prices.  As long as you know how to sharpen (which you do because you're a woodworker) pretty much any cheap one will do.   It's a handy knife to have, for many purposes, not just for skiving.

Hole punch.

If you're making belts then you will need a couple of hole punches.  You will need rivets for your belts, and you need to punch holes to get those rivets through.  Go to buckleguy.com (not necessarily to shop from there, but because it has good photos and descriptions on their items) and find a mid size rivet.  Then find and buy the hole punch in a diameter that matches the stem of that rivet.  Also get an oblong punch for cutting holes for the belt buckle.

A couple of edge bevellers.

#1 and #3 are the most commonly used ones.

Glue and foam brushes (to spread the glue).

Honestly any contact adhesive from the hardware store will do, as long as it says it is suitable for leather.  Maybe prefer a water based one, it doesn't stink.

Stitching chisels (for making stitching holes).

Now here's where you'd want to spend some serious money, otherwise you'll end up upgrading pretty soon.  Quality matters in stitching chisels, you want to get something decent.  European made ones are not cheap, but if you insist have a look at Blanchard or George Barnsley.  Get one with 2 teeth and one with 6 to 10 teeth.  If you are in doubt about sizes and spacing, to start with get the middle size and middle spacing from what they're offering.  Later you will probably get more chisels if you stick to leatherworking, but a mid-size all rounder is always useful to have.

(Note, I'm a chisels kind of guy, but that's not the only way to make holes in leather.  I'm just telling you what is my preference here. )

 

Awls.

You need two: a woodworking one for making round holes and marks, and a leatherworking (flat needle) one that matches the size of the teeth of your chisels.

Thread and needles.

Look up Rizza Tiger thread and John James needles.  Again don't get too confused with sizes, get some 0.6mm thread to start with and later you can go lower or higher for different types of projects.  0.6mm is just a common all-rounder.  As for needles, just get a few from all sizes, they're cheap as chips.

Strap cutter (for belts)

Again cheap is perfectly fine, a strap cutter is a very simple wooden tool.  Or just make your own.  I like the common cheap chinese one, you will find it under various brand names like Weaver, Ivan etc.  Stay away from the buckleguy one, it's useless.

Stitching pony or stitching clam.

Again that's an awesome project for a woodworker, I'd recommend you make your own.  I made myself those two below

Although later I found that those table-top type ponies don't work very well for me, so I made a floor standing clam, and that's what I use 99% of the time.  All you need to make it is a 14" bandsaw. Very simple, make one.

Cutting surface.

You need something made of durable plastic (ideally HDPE) to protect your chisels and your knives.  A $3 plastic cutting board for bread is fine to start with, that's all I used for a couple of years.

Something to smack your chisels and your punches with.

A cheap mallet from the hardware store is perfectly fine, as long as it has plastic surfaces, you don't want to hit metal with metal.  If you have a lathe you can later turn your own leatherworking maul out of HDPE exactly to your liking.  Again that's what I did, but I better stop posting photos of my tools now

Edge paint and/or Tokonole/Gum trag

I'd start with clear (white) Tokonole, it's probably a bit more user-friendly for the beginner.   And everybody else as far as I'm concerned 

Books.

Anything written by Al Stohlman will do.  Although, for the most part, youtube is your friend.  Two guys on youtube that make it look easy and interesting (kind of like DiResta) are Corter Leather and Mascon Leather.  

 

Maybe I'm forgetting something, but I think that's all the tools you need to make a decent wallet and a belt. 

Anything else you will find in your woodworking shop (sandpaper, a metal hammer, a sharpening kit etc).  Along the way you will find a million other little tools that can be useful, and you'll buy them as you need them, but most of them are really not necessary to get started.   

I find leatherworking is actually very similar to woodworking.  Probably easier and simpler too.  

Have fun

 

 

Edited February 6, 2022 by Spyros

[chuck123wapati]

49 minutes ago, tibi said:

Hello, 

This is my first post on this forum. My main hobby is woodworking. I have a workshop, which is not heated during winters and there are often sub zero temperatures. So I have been looking for an alternative hobby that I can do during winter session and I have found leather working to be pretty interesting and I can do it in my warm home in a spare room. 

I have used search function on this forum, but it had returned too many results where I did not find the exact answers to my questions. There are many blog posts that describe essential tools, but there are various sizes of tools or multiple tools, that can do the same task and I do not want to buy unnecessary stuff. 

I plan to start leather working next autumn/winter and until that I would like to buy one or two books that will teach me tools/techniques and some basic knowledge about leather types, their suitability for different applications. 

I would like to start making some simple key cases, bookmarks, wallets, mobile phone covers and then I need to upgrade my skills to be able to make some handbags for my wife, as this is the requirement for approving the purchase of tools . So this will be mostly the scope of my work in the first few years. 

1. I would like to ask if you can advise me one or two books that will teach me leather working basics, tools, techniques. There are many titles available and unfortunately, I cannot personally take a book and scroll through it in a bookstore, as those books are not available in my country (Slovakia) and online previews only show you only first few pages. 

2. I would like to buy myself a first set of tools. I do not want to buy cheap tools that I will need to upgrade in the future, so I want to buy once, cry once. I would like to ask you for some basic set of tools that I should buy first for the types of products that I want to make.

I would like to invest 300 - 500 € in the beginning for a set of quality tools and expand them later, if necessary. I would like to buy from Europe, if possible, so I do not need to deal with custom fees and expensive shipping, etc. I like good looking and good quality tools, but they do not have to be the most expensive just for the sake. I would like to buy mid range tools that will work for a lifetime and will look good as well (like wooden handles, quality steel etc.). I have read some essential lists but I am more and more confused, because multiple tools can be used for the same task and I do not know which is better for me and why. 

a) knives: head round knife,  flat skiving knife, l'indispensable knife, rotary cutter, trimming knife, Stanley knife? 
b) pricking irons, stitching chisels, stitching awls, overstitch wheel? 
c) edge beveler (what size), edge creaser, 
d)adjustable groovers
e) scratch awls
f) needles and laces/threads
g) other tools 

I just need a basic, yet quality set of tools that will allow me to make wallets, covers,belts, straps, notebook covers and handbags in the future. There are too many options and I do not want to buy redundant tools, just those that will fit what I am intending to do. That is why I am asking for an advice. 

3. Can leather working be done totally by hand without the use of machines? I have seen some pretty expensive leather sewing machines, but it must have been done without them in the past. 

Thank you very much for your answers. 

Tibi

i cant answer all your questions but yes you can do leather work without any machines. Add a stitching pony or clam to that list. It is hard to sort through the redundancy of tools for sure you will get any number of answers why one type is better than the next. Many of your wood working tools will come in handy as well for example your scratch awl, small squares, measuring tools. Wooden maul, straight chisels for cutting slots and skiving if need be. you can also make some of your stuff if you like, edge burnishers or a slicker for example and your stitching pony. You will also need some punches and maybe a rivet setting tool.  Will you want to learn to tool or stamp your leather or just make plain stuff to start?  I use a  head knife or round knife very seldom. most of my cutting is done with a knife i made that can also be used for skiving, it kind of resembles a Japanese kiradashi knife. you will need a good stitching awl and a wine cork to go with it. 

[Spyros]

8 minutes ago, chuck123wapati said:

you will need a good stitching awl and a wine cork to go with it. 

Man, I was thinking for hours what kind of storage solution I could make for my stitching awl, so that the blade is safe and the awl is easily accessible.  A wine cork.  Of course.  I'm an idiot

[chuck123wapati]

1 minute ago, Spyros said:

Man, I was thinking for hours what kind of storage solution I could make for my stitching awl, so that the blade is safe and the awl is easily accessible.  A wine cork.  Of course.  I'm an idiot

lol i also use it on the backside of the leather to push against sure saves on band aids.

[tibi]

41 minutes ago, Spyros said:

Hi Tibi, welcome aboard

Yes absolutely it can be done, and unless you want to start making it a business and churn out volume, you don't need to use any electrical tools at all.   A lot of people here don't.

 

Ok lets assume you want to make a wallet and a belt.   You need the following:

Knives. 

Before you buy any leatherworking knives at all, I would suggest you start with just utility knives from the hardware store, you probably already have a couple.  Stanley knives, that kind of thing. Get a small one too, and an X-acto knife.  There are countless leatherworkers (myself included) that don't feel there's a need for anything else.  But you will not know this until you try.  Get lots of disposable blades and change them frequently (or sharpen them and reuse them).

If you have a very sharp woodworking marking knife, you can also use that.

Rulers.

You need 3 or 4 in different sizes (and a 90 degree angle one), and they have to be made of steel, so you can cut against them.  Leatherworking shops will try to get you to buy the ones with a cork backing so it doesn't slip on the leather, but they are unnecessarily expensive, you can simply get a rubber adhesive tape from the hardware store and glue it on, or nothing at all is also fine.  The main thing is your rulers are metal.  If you can afford it get a couple of round ones too to cut round corners, but if you can't that's fine, you can always use things like coins or jars to cut around.

Something to skive edges with.

Look up "japanese skiving knives", but don't get carried away with the prices.  As long as you know how to sharpen (which you do because you're a woodworker) pretty much any cheap one will do.   It's a handy knife to have, for many purposes, not just for skiving.

Hole punch.

If you're making belts then you will need a couple of hole punches.  You will need rivets for your belts, and you need to punch holes to get those rivets through.  Go to buckleguy.com (not necessarily to shop from there, but because it has good photos and descriptions on their items) and find a mid size rivet.  Then find and buy the hole punch in a diameter that matches the stem of that rivet.  Also get an oblong punch for cutting holes for the belt buckle.

A couple of edge bevellers.

#1 and #3 are the most commonly used ones.

Glue and foam brushes (to spread the glue).

Honestly any contact adhesive from the hardware store will do, as long as it says it is suitable for leather.  Maybe prefer a water based one, it doesn't stink.

Stitching chisels (for making stitching holes).

Now here's where you'd want to spend some serious money, otherwise you'll end up upgrading pretty soon.  Quality matters in stitching chisels, you want to get something decent.  European made ones are not cheap, but if you insist have a look at Blanchard or George Barnsley.  Get one with 2 teeth and one with 6 to 10 teeth.  If you are in doubt about sizes and spacing, to start with get the middle size and middle spacing from what they're offering.  Later you will probably get more chisels if you stick to leatherworking, but a mid-size all rounder is always useful to have.

(Note, I'm a chisels kind of guy, but that's not the only way to make holes in leather.  I'm just telling you what is my preference here. )

 

Awls.

You need two: a woodworking one for making round holes and marks, and a leatherworking (flat needle) one that matches the size of the teeth of your chisels.

Thread and needles.

Look up Rizza Tiger thread and John James needles.  Again don't get too confused with sizes, get some 0.6mm thread to start with and later you can go lower or higher for different types of projects.  0.6mm is just a common all-rounder.  As for needles, just get a few from all sizes, they're cheap as chips.

Strap cutter (for belts)

Again cheap is perfectly fine, a strap cutter is a very simple wooden tool.  Or just make your own.  I like the common cheap chinese one, you will find it under various brand names like Weaver, Ivan etc.  Stay away from the buckleguy one, it's useless.

Stitching pony or stitching clam.

Again that's an awesome project for a woodworker, I'd recommend you make your own.  I made myself those two below

Although later I found that those table-top type ponies don't work very well for me, so I made a floor standing clam, and that's what I use 99% of the time.  All you need to make it is a 14" bandsaw. Very simple, make one.

Cutting surface.

You need something made of durable plastic (ideally HDPE) to protect your chisels and your knives.  A $3 plastic cutting board for bread is fine to start with, that's all I used for a couple of years.

Something to smack your chisels and your punches with.

A cheap mallet from the hardware store is perfectly fine, as long as it has plastic surfaces, you don't want to hit metal with metal.  If you have a lathe you can later turn your own leatherworking maul out of HDPE exactly to your liking.  Again that's what I did, but I better stop posting photos of my tools now

Edge paint and/or Tokonole/Gum trag

I'd start with clear (white) Tokonole, it's probably a bit more user-friendly for the beginner.   And everybody else as far as I'm concerned 

Books.

Anything written by Al Stohlman will do.  Although, for the most part, youtube is your friend.  Two guys on youtube that make it look easy and interesting (kind of like DiResta) are Corter Leather and Mascon Leather.  

 

Maybe I'm forgetting something, but I think that's all the tools you need to make a decent wallet and a belt. 

Anything else you will find in your woodworking shop (sandpaper, a metal hammer, a sharpening kit etc).  Along the way you will find a million other little tools that can be useful, and you'll buy them as you need them, but most of them are really not necessary to get started.   

I find leatherworking is actually very similar to woodworking.  Probably easier and simpler too.  

Have fun

 

 

Thank you very much Spyros for your elaborate answer, now I have a clearer idea of what to go for and what tools I do not need yet, or I might never need. I want definitely make my own stitching pony, as it is an easy woodworking project. I do not own a lathe so I will not be able to build a burnisher. I am going to buy some literature and watch more youtube in my spare time, so that I get more information and then I will buy those tools. I will do woodworking in spring-autumn and I will start with leather work once it is too cold to be in the shop. 

[Spyros]

18 minutes ago, tibi said:

Thank you very much Spyros for your elaborate answer, now I have a clearer idea of what to go for and what tools I do not need yet, or I might never need. I want definitely make my own stitching pony, as it is an easy woodworking project. I do not own a lathe so I will not be able to build a burnisher. I am going to buy some literature and watch more youtube in my spare time, so that I get more information and then I will buy those tools. I will do woodworking in spring-autumn and I will start with leather work once it is too cold to be in the shop. 

Ι wanted a different hobby than woodworking because I just couldn't stand the sawdust anymore to be honest.  I don't have room for proper dust extraction and it was a permanent battle with shopvacs and such.

The beauty of leatherworking was: no dust, essentially no noise, no danger to lose a finger, no need to go out to the shed, no need for any machines whatsoever.  For a long time I was making bags on the kitchen table, with just a box of tools, that's all I needed.  It really is a better hobby.  You'll see

[chuck123wapati]

53 minutes ago, tibi said:

Thank you very much Spyros for your elaborate answer, now I have a clearer idea of what to go for and what tools I do not need yet, or I might never need. I want definitely make my own stitching pony, as it is an easy woodworking project. I do not own a lathe so I will not be able to build a burnisher. I am going to buy some literature and watch more youtube in my spare time, so that I get more information and then I will buy those tools. I will do woodworking in spring-autumn and I will start with leather work once it is too cold to be in the shop. 

you wouldn't need a lathe to make a burnisher a few round files to shape your slots and a hard wood dowel rod , antler works as well. some folks use heavy canvas to burnish. Check out  this Tandy leather craft library it has alot of good reading and its free. https://tandyleather.com/blogs/leathercraft-library

[Spyros]

Υeah nah, the lathe I was talking about was for making a nice custom HDPE maul with stacked leather handle to your exact weight and size specifications, instead of paying $100 for one that is really never exactly what you want.  

Edited February 6, 2022 by Spyros

[tibi]

2 hours ago, Spyros said:

Ι wanted a different hobby than woodworking because I just couldn't stand the sawdust anymore to be honest.  I don't have room for proper dust extraction and it was a permanent battle with shopvacs and such.

The beauty of leatherworking was: no dust, essentially no noise, no danger to lose a finger, no need to go out to the shed, no need for any machines whatsoever.  For a long time I was making bags on the kitchen table, with just a box of tools, that's all I needed.  It really is a better hobby.  You'll see

For the very same reason (dust, noise and danger) I work exclusively with hand tools when woodworking. It is quieter and safer. I am a beginner woodworker  last year I have built a workshop in the garden and I have acquired the tools. I have a thickness planer, but I want to sell it once I build my new workbench (I am now building a workbench and restoring another that I have inherited after my great grandfather, who built it). The only power tools I have is a circular hand saw (for ripping big 3m boards that I buy from the mill into smaller boards) and a cordless drill. 

I would like to work with hand tools only with leather work as well. It will take me longer, but the hobby is about hand work satisfaction and not about chewing out products out of production line. 

2 hours ago, chuck123wapati said:

you wouldn't need a lathe to make a burnisher a few round files to shape your slots and a hard wood dowel rod , antler works as well. some folks use heavy canvas to burnish. Check out  this Tandy leather craft library it has alot of good reading and its free. https://tandyleather.com/blogs/leathercraft-library

Burnisher is an inexpensive tool and I have a lot of woodworking projects that I have to finish, so I will not have a time to make it soon, but I want to make a stitching pony, because some of them sell for more than 100 €, and I can build it easily myself, so why buy it.