1st sheath advice

S

super68

Joined
Jan 30, 2008
Messages
9
I have a Cold Steel Tai Pan I'm gonna make a leather sheath for, this is my first attempt at making a sheath and need some advice on leather weight and punching holes for stitching.
Is 8-9 oz. leather too thick for a sheath? Whats the best way to punch holes for ease of stitching - do I glue the pieces together before using the stitching punch? Also what problems did you run into when making your first sheath?
 
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I have standardized on 8/10 oz leather for my sheaths for some years now. When I first started all hand sewing was done with an awl. I used a stitching wheel to mark stitches and grooved front and back to give me a target on the rearside for the awl. Hand stitching has progressed tremendously since those days. I will let others speak to that since I don’t have any experience with stitching chisels etc.
 
I picked up the correct length sheath off Amazon for under$20, removed the stitches, trimmed the leather and restitched. It turned out really nice. Sold that knife and sheath here a while back. Much easier than starting from scratch, but maybe that is what you want to do,I don’t know.
 
For leather that weight I started with a hand drill carefully keeping it straight & vertical, with a 1/16” drill bit.
After some frustration and poor results I moved up to a hobbyist drill press that made things much easier. Well for sheaths that lay flat at least. Pouches can get a bit tricky.

Other folks use an awl blade in a drill press.

The purists use a diamond awl.

Our man Dave has multiple sewing machines.
Speaking of Horsewright Horsewright Dave, he’s been good enough to post multiple tutorials here for us to refer to. A quick search should provide loads of info.

Go for it.
Enjoy the process and don’t rush for the finish line.
 
It’s definitely a learning process. Don’t get discouraged.

I like those 3 bladed fork shaped punches to keep spacing uniform.

I recently bought a leather bench press, I wish I bought it years ago. Makes rivets and snaps easier. You can also use it for punching holes. There are different packages that come with different tools IMG_0598.jpeg
 
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I use an arbor press for the chisel punches and an awl blade chucked into a drill press to finish the holes through the 3 layers of leather. Helps keep them straight and the arbor press lets me use chisels that have flat and not rounded shanks on them. I glue the leather pieces (including the welt) together, rough shape and then use the stitch groover on the front to mark my line. Chisel punch to get the holes thru the front and most of the welt. Awl in drill press (not turned on) completes the hole, then I go back and use the chisel punch from the back side to open up the awl holes a bit more (makes the sewing easier).
arbor.jpg

With a Tai Pan, 8/9 oz sides should be good, not sure the thickness of the blade, but I would try to do the welt to match the thickness of the knife, which may involve 2 different pieces/thickness of leather or tapering (skiving) the leather so it fits better. You will probably need a strap/snap around either the guard or the handle for retention. You could do retention with the friction of the sheath/welt at the ricasso, but it may loosen up over time?
 
didn't see it mentioned, but I recommend veg tanned leather
 
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