First Sheath

[TPVT]

Hi all.
i just finished up my first sheath. nothing fancy and i am not super-psyched about it. but, at the same time...i realize it is my first and i learned a lot. this is a knife for me, and the sheath is functional, so i am going to call it "good enough."

i did have one question. so, i have the lacing punch (or chisel). with the welt, the teeth are not long enough to go all the way through the layers. i ended up using my drill press, but i did not like the sloppy results.

what do you guys do for the stitching holes?

when i first joined the forum, a fellow member (and knifemaker) Derrick Wulf invited me to his shop to forge my own knife. awesome experience. that was 6 months ago, and i am just getting around to making a sheath for it.

i have several more knives that need sheaths. i have another cutout sitting on my counter right now with the dye drying.

 

[GrizzlyBear]

Not bad for a first. One piece of advice, never settle for "good enough". Always strive to produce the best piece you can.

For stitch holes, I use a drill bit that's just a tiny bit bigger than my needles if I'm stitching with sinew, if I'm using waxed cord, I'll use a bit the same size as my needle. If I'm doing a fairly small piece, I'll chuck the bit into my dremel and do it by hand. A sharp bit is a must. Also, I wet the leather along the stitch line...seems to give better results than dry leather. I'll run my stitch groove front and rear then work through the piece looking at the backside for the bit to appear, taking care to make the hole in the stitch groove.

For larger pieces, I'll use my drill press and only stitch groove the front side. Then go back over the line with the groover on the backside.

Pull each stitch tight. When finished, I go over my stitches with light taps of a wooden mallet, then run my over-stitch wheel. I'll usually wet the stitch line one more time to promote closure of the leather around the thread.

 

[TPVT]

Not bad for a first. One piece of advice, never settle for "good enough". Always strive to produce the best piece you can.

For stitch holes, I use a drill bit that's just a tiny bit bigger than my needles if I'm stitching with sinew, if I'm using waxed cord, I'll use a bit the same size as my needle. If I'm doing a fairly small piece, I'll chuck the bit into my dremel and do it by hand. A sharp bit is a must. Also, I wet the leather along the stitch line...seems to give better results than dry leather. I'll run my stitch groove front and rear then work through the piece looking at the backside for the bit to appear, taking care to make the hole in the stitch groove.

For larger pieces, I'll use my drill press and only stitch groove the front side. Then go back over the line with the groover on the backside.

Pull each stitch tight. When finished, I go over my stitches with light taps of a wooden mallet, then run my over-stitch wheel. I'll usually wet the stitch line one more time to promote closure of the leather around the thread.

I knew i was going to get flack for saying that. i may go back and do a new one for this knife, but i got a couple other knives in line with no sheaths, so i'll do those first.

thanks for the tips. i bet wetting the leather would help...didn't think of that. my leather was dry. you can't see very well from the pics, but when the bit poked through, it pulled the leather up, as well...if you know what i mean.

one think that will help me immediately is better lighting. i had a real hard time seeing my overstitch marks. i even put on my headlamp. this meant that i had a couple holes off the line and several that were not exactly equidistant. pissed me off. but, with that said...should be a relatively easy fix.

thanks for the advice on drill bit sizing. i started with a bit that was too big. i drilled my first hole and went, "yikes." i sized down, but as i was threading, i noticed i probably could have a size smaller even.

thanks again Grizz.

 

[GrizzlyBear]

No problem, glad to help.

What you can do to make your overstitch marks show up better is get a red ball point pen and color each indentation where the stitch hole goes. I do it before dying so I can see them better.

You can also wax the bit with a little beeswax if it seems like it's tearing the leather.

 

[TPVT]

No problem, glad to help.

What you can do to make your overstitch marks show up better is get a red ball point pen and color each indentation where the stitch hole goes. I do it before dying so I can see them better.

You can also wax the bit with a little beeswax if it seems like it's tearing the leather.

more good suggestions. thanks Grizzly! :thumbup:

 

[GrizzlyBear]

No problem! I've picked up quite a few little hints and tips that I've locked away and what hasn't been able to fit I have bookmarked, lol. I'm no expert, by any stretch of the imagination, but I've made a few, messed up a few and learned a lot along the way.

 

[olfeller]

TVPT yours turned out a whole lot better than my first sheath! Nice job!
On the stitching question, (and I'm nobody to tell anybody anything, but you ask...), I've found that 3/16" hole spacing works good for me. I use a wing divider to mark where to make my holes, or you could easily make something that would work as well. (http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/department/tools/stitching-lacing-tools/3607-00.aspx)
For me, the drill press is a must, I use a 1/16" bit for heavy or thick material (like a stacked welt). For thinner material, I found using a small diameter finishing nail as a bit does well for making the holes, it doesn't cut and remove material like a drill bit but punches and pushes the leather out of the way making the hole...by not removing material the leather kinda fills back in later that, IMO, squeezes and grabs the thread better.
My 2 cent.

 

[1066vik]

I made an "awl" out of a 6p finishing nail -- chucked it into the drill press and filed/sanded it to a needle sharp point.
this is what I use to punch my holes. (and one time when I was in a hurry, it punched through my thumbnail with no hesitation, so be careful)
I groove the leather, then mark my stitch lines front and back and punch the holes in each piece separately, then glue the welt to one side and punch the holes in it using the existing holes as a guide.

 

[TPVT]

TVPT yours turned out a whole lot better than my first sheath! Nice job!
On the stitching question, (and I'm nobody to tell anybody anything, but you ask...), I've found that 3/16" hole spacing works good for me. I use a wing divider to mark where to make my holes, or you could easily make something that would work as well. (http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/department/tools/stitching-lacing-tools/3607-00.aspx)
For me, the drill press is a must, I use a 1/16" bit for heavy or thick material (like a stacked welt). For thinner material, I found using a small diameter finishing nail as a bit does well for making the holes, it doesn't cut and remove material like a drill bit but punches and pushes the leather out of the way making the hole...by not removing material the leather kinda fills back in later that, IMO, squeezes and grabs the thread better.
My 2 cent.

I made an "awl" out of a 6p finishing nail -- chucked it into the drill press and filed/sanded it to a needle sharp point.
this is what I use to punch my holes. (and one time when I was in a hurry, it punched through my thumbnail with no hesitation, so be careful)
I groove the leather, then mark my stitch lines front and back and punch the holes in each piece separately, then glue the welt to one side and punch the holes in it using the existing holes as a guide.

thanks for the tips guys. it's funny you both mentioned a nail. i was considering using one to punch through. maybe i'll give that a shot. :thumbup:

 

[olfeller]

There are many great posts from this sight that I have learned much from, (and in my case, it's the small things that make the most difference).
Here are three (of many) worth looking over:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/905389-How-I-make-a-pouch-sheath-%28picture-intensive-tutorial%29
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/905582-Sheath-WIP?highlight=sheath+wip
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/765547-Sheath-making-tutorial%28Pic-intensive%29

:thumbup:

 

[TPVT]

There are many great posts from this sight that I have learned much from, (and in my case, it's the small things that make the most difference).
Here are three (of many) worth looking over:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/905389-How-I-make-a-pouch-sheath-%28picture-intensive-tutorial%29
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/905582-Sheath-WIP?highlight=sheath+wip
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/765547-Sheath-making-tutorial%28Pic-intensive%29

:thumbup:

awesome! i have seen Tal's before, but i forgot about it. i hadn't seen the other two. thanks olfeller! :thumbup:

 

[Barry Clodfelter]

Use a stitch spacing wheel to layout the stitches, it looks like a star with sharp points. Then use a hand held awl to start the hole and try to keep them as straight up and down as you can, you don't have to push it all the way thru just far enough so the drill bit will bite into them. I use a small drill bit running as fast as my little drill press will run to make the holes. I hold the sheath and push it up rather than laying the sheath down and turning the drill press handle. To keep marks off the sheath push up a small piece of leather theu the drill bit and against the chuck. You're sheath won't get marked up. Just make sure you keep the part of the sheath you're working on as level as possible so the holes on the back side don't wander around too much. the more you do it the better your will get at it.