easy stitch'n horse-hand sanding combo bench...

anvilring

anvilring

Joined
Nov 29, 2000
Messages
2,869
The jaws of the stitching horse are just "sculpted" (read 'skill saw and 6x48in. sander...) 4x6s: one stationary and one hinged at the bottom with a common 3 in. door hinge and a 1/2 in. bolt and wing nut through the middle to tighten things up. Boy!! does this make needle and awl easy! And it looks good! As for the blade sanding end of it, I'd rather sit than stand to do this chore...

ps. when I resized the picture of the whole bench, it got 'squashed' sorta. It actually is a little taller than that.

regards, mitch
 
Mitch,

Very nice! I'm a big fan of "sittin" vs "standin" when it come to long repetitive tasks. Kudos on building rather than buying, I hate to buy anything I can build! yours is a classic design! I'm going to file the photos for reference when I build my own this year...(after I get back to knives when the addition to my home is completed).

Best Regards,

Mike Roesch
Chattanooga, TN
 
Yea I use it some but it only does thin to medium leather really well; no Randall Heiser stuff here. Also they (these old machines) are a lot of trouble to keep working!! I'll post a pic of the sort of 19th cen. sheath I'm going (in a perfect world...) to make with it when I've half a moment.
What I really like though is needle and awl stitching; it is so cool and bullet proof. There's nothing else that looks like it and only the very best needle and awl machines such as a Campbell at a mere $5600.00 can duplicate it. Since someone showed me the particulars on such, I can stitch a sheath in 30 min.
mitch
 
I keep coming back to this Mitch, I like it. But I think it needs a back and a can holder. And maybe an ashtray and headphones. ;)
 
but my aim is to spend LESS time on scabbards!! and here you are get'n comfy.....

Ha!

mitch
 
Nice work Mitch.

ddavelarsen said:
I keep coming back to this Mitch, I like it. But I think it needs a back and a can holder. And maybe an ashtray and headphones. ;)
Click to expand...
Dave,
Chuck has a tutorial on how to make one you can use sitting in the old La-z-boy
over at the KnifeNetwork.

Regards,
Greg
 
Ripper said:
Nice work Mitch.


Dave,
Chuck has a tutorial on how to make one you can use sitting in the old La-z-boy
over at the KnifeNetwork.

Regards,
Greg
Click to expand...
Thanks Greg; that'd be the way to stitch sheaths! :D I've been looking for an awl like Chuck uses in his video (I've been using the drill-yer-holes-with-a-nail method) but last time I went to Leather Factory I plumb forgot. I do like the stitching pony way of doing that and will one day have this all nice and refined like you guys. Best part about sewing sheaths is you can hang out with the rest of the family and watch Cold Case Files or something while you're doing it. ;)
 
but my aim is to spend LESS time on scabbards!! and here you are get'n comfy.....
Click to expand...

Not trying to start a flame but Why? I can understand making more efficient use of time, but a GOOD sheath is a MAJOR selling point and deserves the time spent on producing the BEST! When a knife is being carried around what is the FIRST thing a potential customers sees?
As for money - well I make many more $150.00+ sheaths for el cheapo Bowies, etc than I make sheaths for more expensive knives.......For some reason maker's tend to cheap out on sheaths instead of going for the GOOD stuff and using it as a selling point as part of the package. sorry - rant off....

Anyway along with the stitch pony tutorial I also have one on stitching - "my" stitching method is an adaptation of the traditional method (due to arthritis), but many beginners find it easier and that it gives them more control, which in the end gives a better stitch. Maybe a bit slower than the traditional at first, but it gets faster with practice and the quality of the final product is what is important.
WRTC Leather Sewing Method

And here's one on making sheaths, specifically a Mexican loop sheath, but the basics can be applied and adapted to make just about any kind of sheath.
Mexican Loop Sheath

BTW - I recently did a minor update on the pony tutorial which is not reflected on the Knifenetwork link.
Stitching Pony

Finally anybody REALLY interested in leather sewing should get the book "The Art of Leather Stitching" by AL Stohlman - available from Tandy or Leather Factory. In the back of the book are plans for making a full sized stitching horse, including a foot operated clamp.
 
While we're on the subject, I highly recommend Chuck's video from Center Cross Instructional Videos. He shows his sewing method in excellent detail - it's totally convincing and the result is beautiful. Just watching that video a couple of times made a 100% improvement in my next sheath, and I'll watch it every time I'm going to make a sheath until I have it down perfectly. I bought some of the tools Chuck recommends and I don't know how I ever worked with the stuff I was using... Think I've made my point? :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top