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cut my sheath

D

Dogpack

Joined
Nov 23, 2006
Messages
65
i always wondered why knifemakers favored such thick leather. the sheath i made for my carry knife is elk hide over thin cow hide. i keep a razor edge on it. since i use it at work i dont always watch when it goes into the sheath. sliced right thru the cow. i always did have to learn the hard way:(
 
Well,,It all depends:
For you guys that work with their knife all day, and use it a lot of times to cut stuff at work I think it's a different situation than guys who only use a knife once a week at best.

The truth is, that Guys that need a knife handy all the time should not have to always look at the sheath just to put away the knife.

Asking yourself to have to look at the sheath every time you use your knife is asking too much of yourself.
Sooner or later you will not look,

becides looking at the sheath means taking your eyes off of what you were doing, that means your attention has to switch back and forth.

Some jobs are the type where a lack of a moment attention is no big deal,,some jobs are different and you just cant take your eyes off of what you are doing.
Thus for some work you got to have a type of knife/sheath that allow you to use the knife without haveing to look at it.
So yes, thicker/harder leather might well be the answer..
 
Cut your sheath huh??

No worries bro, it happens

Just use thicker leather next time

I almost always recommend 8-9oz leather for decent sized belt knives

For kydex, I only recommend .06-.09" thickness depending on the knife
 
Alan, I am afraid that I cannot agree with your "no look" method of sheathing your knife. A pistol would be fine, as it has no cutting edge, but to stick a razor edged knife, even a few inches long, into an unseen slot one quarter of an inch wide by one and a half inches---? No way am I going to threaten any part of my anatomy by such a move. I feel that as a tool, one can take the time to sheath it properly even if it means taking time from another operation. Placing a folder into a belt pouch is no problem as the blade would be folded away---no exposed razor edge----a near miss would cause no injuries
 
I like thicker sheath leather so the sheath is stiffer and to me a little easier to resheath for that reason :)
8 oz on my EDC knife :)
 
helmar- it all comes down to tecknec. 2.5" blade with finger along the spine. finger tip find the sheath and knife slide in. whats safe for one may not be safe for another
 
Yeah, what Dogpack said. With small knives, I guide them into the sheath (carefully) with my fingertip. If the knife is too long for that, I look.
 
I still believe that asking yourself to have to stop what you are doing, turn, Look down, just to pull a knife out of the sheath is asking too much of yourself.
The same with replacing a knife back into the sheath when you are working on something.

Now for guys that only use their knife like once a week then that is a different situation.
For such people there is no point in owning a sheath with a design that allows a "no look" use of the knife.

But for other guys who work in jobs where the use of a knife is a common occurrence, then expecting them to need to stop what they are doing and deal with a sheath that needs that much attention is asking for trouble.

A real user knife, (say for a sportsman), needs to be a sheath that allows a guy to use it with confidence without having to stop and look at it each time.
I think this is why I don't believe in a knife sheath design that relies too much on things like snaps or Velcro that require two hands to operate.

Sometimes you dont have two free hands, sometimes you can't look down. Thus sheath design must be such that you dont take your life in your hands just because you are too busy to stop and look down.

Like the katana we use in Kendo, at first it seems crazy to try to put away a razor-sharp sword without looking at it, but with a bit of study you start to see how it's not that hard to learn how to do, and that in the end it is the best way to go.

So, this is also why I believe you are correct in thinking that a thicker learher is a very good idea.
 
Yes kydex and my Fallkniven S-1 kydex sheath has a 'funnel' at the top ,a very nice feature.
 
I too like a funnel in the sheath throat. I form them in my 8 to 10 oz. double shoulder sheaths after the sheath is finished.
Whet with alcahol and open the throat with one of the handles on your leather working tools.
The blade will find it's way home without having to look everytime you put it
away.

Fred
 
I use 10-12 almost all the time :) it's harder to use and mold but i feel it's worth it..I've had no complaints of being to thick..
 
A way to make a sheath safer is to sandwich a thin layer of hard material ,like UHMW or Kydex, in-between two layers of 5-6oz. leather for the back of the sheath. It makes the sheath stronger, and impossible to pierce backward (toward your body).If a knife is truly sharp, and fine pointed, it can pierce 12oz. leather surprisingly easily.The layered back allows for a decorative leather sheath (I personally hate the look of Kydex) ,while giving the security of a hard plastic sheath.
Stacy
 
Alan Molstad said:
But for other guys who work in jobs where the use of a knife is a common occurrence, then expecting them to need to stop what they are doing and deal with a sheath that needs that much attention is asking for trouble.
Click to expand...

I'm one of those guys. My work-knife http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...EARS&sid=I0083000760004900085&pid=00994849000 * is on and off my belt literally dozens of times in a shift. For that reason, it's a lockback with a belt clip. The blade is closed before it leaves my line of sight. Martial arts training and work experience not withstanding, I feel it's unwise not to have your eyes on your tool. I don't just toss a wrench over my shoulder when I'm done with it, either.

A while ago I read a tutorial by someone who uses plexiglass or lexan of the appropriate thickness for the welt that actually surrounds the edge/spine, and builds a traditional leather sheath around that. Sounds very safe, and the plastic is hidden. I can't remember who or where I read that, but you get the idea.

* I know it's not sexy, but this is a damn solid tool. I beat the hell out of the spine, and the lock held. The dual mechanism that holds the standard utility knife blade is snug and secure. I can open it FAST with just a touch of my thumb and a flick of my wrist, yet it doesn't come open when I wear it upside down on my belt. Form follows function, and this is a perfect example... good knives don't necessarily have to cost big bucks.
 
Sandy ya buy em books, send em to school, and they just scribble on the chalkboards. Leather is leather guys - it cuts - keep sticking a razor sharp blade in a sheath made out of it without looking and sooner or later it will bite you in the butt. If you want a sheath you can use w/o looking at it go w/ Kydex of just get you a folder.
 
I'll have to agree with Alan for the most part. For field and hunting sized knives that's one reason I like a pouch type sheath. No straps to get cut and the blade goes in and stays in without having to look at it and the funnel at the top realy helps, as does a bit of practice and 10-12 once leather. So does the hot wax I use which makes the leather a bit stiffer.

Now on larger bowies I would sugest looking at what your doing.

I have had problems with the large upswept mountain man, short sword typ bowies, that upswept point can be a pain to build a sheat for and I've ruined a couple of sheaths. I think on the next on I'm going to give the kydex a try.
 
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