Good place to find a Leather sewing machine?

Robert Hankins

Robert Hankins

Joined
May 19, 2003
Messages
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I have rammed the stiching awl thru my finger for the last time:mad:
Where is a good place to find a leather sewing machine---preferably on the cheap:D
 
Maybe ask a local shoemaker if he knows of any used ones for sale or another shoemaker retiring,etc?
 
Pops Knives and Supplies. A Tippman Boss Stitcher, not cheap but well worth your money. Ours has lasted for 5 years without haveing to change the needle but once and believe me we make alot of sheaths. Cavelady
 
Why not just mark your hole positions with a stitching spacer, and drill with a 5/64" drill bit.

I've been doing this for 20+ years, and they don't pull out.
Makes for a much easier job, by hand.
 
Mike,
Are you using a stiching groove on the back side?
If so are the holes meeting up in the groove?
That is my biggest problem right now!
 
Originally posted by Mike Hull
Why not just mark your hole positions with a stitching spacer, and drill with a 5/64" drill bit.

I've been doing this for 20+ years, and they don't pull out.
Makes for a much easier job, by hand.
Click to expand...

Come to think of it, Marianne Lively just chucks up the needle in a cheapo import drill press and uses it to push the needle through the leather. She doesn't even turn it on - just uses the leverage it provides.
 
Fitzo you Perv:D
Problem with the needle in the press trick is that the needle moves and comes out crooked on the back side!
 
Robert, we drill the holes as Mike does. We use the scorer on the front side before drilling, but "connect the dots" on the back after to prevent some raggedy edges we were getting.

Hopefully Chuck (Wild Rose) will speak on this. He has a cool method of doing just the front, first, then putting things together and using that as a guide to get the holes right in the back.

One thing I've found keeps the drill from wandering is to take a 3/32" bit and sharpen to a long needle point.
 
I do pretty much like Mike, stitch groove, then stitch spacer on the front and then connect the dot's on the back. I use a drill press with a awl needle chucked up and have a small hole drilled through the press table as close the edge as possible and use the edge of the press table to keep things straight. With just a little extra attention holding the edge horizontal they tend to come out fairly straight on the back. I am planning on getting a Tripmann one of these days, I'm just getting too annoyed at the process.
 
Originally posted by Blinker
Mike,
Are you using a stiching groove on the back side?
If so are the holes meeting up in the groove?
That is my biggest problem right now!
Click to expand...


Just got back from the Vets.

No, I just groove the front, and when drilling, have a narrow block of wood in the drill press vise to rest one edge of the sheath. I just try to keep the sheath as straight as possible, and drill down through the leather, into the wood. I get good results doing it this way.
 
I do it just like Mike, except I use a spinning nail. That way I can hammer the holes closed when done to tighten everything up.

To connect the dots I use my V groove tool, works pretty well. The key though, is keeping the welt vertical and horizontal while drilling. You can keep the holes pretty well spaced if you're careful. Zen breathing helps. :D

Dave
 
Are you using a stiching groove on the back side?
If so are the holes meeting up in the groove?
That is my biggest problem right now!
Click to expand...

The reason for the stitching groove is to lay your thread down so the leather protects it from wear. "Using" sheaths wear on the back first so I groove it front and back. I also had the problem with the holes "wandering" out of the back groove. I now drill 1 hole very carefully all the way through to get reference point. Then I use my stitch marker to mark both front and back. Then I drill 2/3rds of the way through from the front then from the back. The holes meet inside then if they are off a little, no one ever knows. The stitching comes out very nice and straight right down the center of the stitching groove on both sides.
 
Robert, Did you have this accident while making the sheath for the Parking Lot Knife I just bought? Hope not. Dwain
 
Dwain...Not to worry this was a practice sheath on a donation knife. Yours is up next:D
Sattley
Darn good idea I will try that on Dwains sheath!
 
I bought my sewing machine, from a fellow who would travel from New Mexico to Arkansas and visit all the shoe repair and bootmaking shops in all the towns. He would buy large sewing machines and re-sell them. Mine weighs several hundred pounds and will sew 7/8 of a inch of leather. It was originally made to sew boot soles. It is old but works very good. I can now do in a few seconds what used to take me 20 minutes and my hands don't get sore.
 
Robert, I have the Tippman Boss Stitcher....It has saved my fingers and alot of time!!!!On average I can stitch a sheath in about 40-50 seconds...I only use the tippman for sheath making..this is my 6th year with the machine..no problems....! My 2 cents......:D
 
The Singer shown here is a patcher and not capable of sewing sheaths. Although it is a fine machine in the shoe and boot repair shop you will find it practically useless for sewing more than 3 or 4 ounce leather. Look for a machine that will sew up to 3/4ths of an inch of thickness and a throat depth of at least the size of The Tippman "Boss" The average straight needle stitcher such as the American or Union will only sew a couple of inches in from the edge and are limited in their uses. There are "Boss" stitchers available (used) ranging in price from $600 t0 $1200 in various states of repair. The factory is very good about restoring to new condition at very reasonable prices. Check in eBay under "leather machinery" and you will generally find a few machines listed with their capabilities. I have a "Boss" myself for several years and I find it adequate for most jobs I currently do but wish it had a deeper throat. I find it almost impossible to sew bullet loops on a large gun belt, for instance. Hand sewing is nice if properly done but it still translates into labor intensive, painful to the paws, difficult to recoup your time invested, aggravation to the posterior kind of activity---Sandy
 
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