Sheaths.... Are they Important?? What is your postion in regards to Custom Knives??

Daniel Fairly Knives said:
Thanks Mang... I have big respect for what you do. I'll never forget the day I first saw a Snody knife... I saw it from a distance and knew it was over the top quality, I had never seen anything like it at the time. That knife was probably what got me into knifemaking, seeing how much better you can do it by hand.

70% - that is nice to know.

Thanks a whole heap for the kind words, next time I'm in Rockport I'll have to holler at you.
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Real Talk..
Get at me anytime..
Respect..
[youtube]Ak7AWSAITDs[/youtube]
 
That machine is a beauty for sure. Look at that thing go! It takes you about 10 seconds to stitch the edges, and when I'm stitching my sheaths I sit on the couch with them and probably sit through a couple of movies...lol. My hands ache for days too.

My position on sheaths: Every knife I make will absolutely have a sheath, and I will put just as much love and effort in them as I did making the knife.
 
Josh Mason said:
That machine is a beauty for sure. Look at that thing go! It takes you about 10 seconds to stitch the edges, and when I'm stitching my sheaths I sit on the couch with them and probably sit through a couple of movies...lol. My hands ache for days too.

My position on sheaths: Every knife I make will absolutely have a sheath, and I will put just as much love and effort in them as I did making the knife.
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Thanks Josh..
Dude, I hear you on the aching hands..
I sewed a couple hundred sheaths by hand and it separates the men from the boys..
There was a greenhorn on Deadliest Catch who quit on the Seabrook because he got "crab" hands and couldnt deal with the pain.
It was a couple weeks ago and really entertaining..
Homie would not do well sewing sheaths old school..
Respect from Texas
 
Sheaths are important but are only one aspect of carry systems - which are just as important as knives in my opinion. See Bud Nealy's work for examples of this.

A knife doesn't mean a damn thing to me if it has a crappy kydex sheath that grips the front finger/guard area so tight that I can't get the knife out. I'd rather buy a production knife with a great sheath and replace the knife when it breaks or is lost, as opposed to buying a great custom knife with a crap sheath and end up throwing it in a drawer somewhere.

Oh yeah, and by all means YES I get custom sheaths for pretty much everything I carry. The main exception to this is... yep... Bud Nealy knives. I wish more makers would place emphasis on how customers will actually carry and deploy a knife than on how the knife looks.

In terms of leather sheaths, I often don't care for them but think makers do a better job with leather than with kydex. For some reason it is very easy to make a kydex sheath that is worse than useless, but I usually end up with some pretty good quality leather sheaths in most instances. The problem is, I end up tossing them in drawers and making/buying kydex instead.

That's my very opinionated... uh, opinion. but hopefully it's useful. Hit me up if you have any other questions - I dig your work and would love to talk to you more about carry systems and aspects of kydex designs that add functionality rather than remove from it.
 
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Sheaths are a beast on your mitts.... I do alot of lifting and grip training, and have some gnarly hands from that, and those needles and thread still get me. Knifemakers are some rough ol' boys for sure.
 
Great thread MS ! I think the right sheath is very important. You wouldn't get out of bed in the morning and not put your pants on :) First off a custom knife should have a custom sheath and it should compliment the knife and be made of good quality leather that will get better with age. Also fit is very important. Too snug and you have a hard time drawing the blade and too lose and you could have a real problem. Last but not least is how well the knife carries with the blade whether it is IWB, horizontal, vertical or attached to a pack. Multiple carry options are also a plus.
Respect from up north!
It's freak'in hot up here too!!!!
 
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Hi
If it's going to be a safe queen or collection piece that spends most of it's existence locked away or on display then I guess that a sheath really doesn't matter much to me. If it's going to be a user whether it be a hunting/camp knife, a carry knife, a work knife, or a defensive blade then it has to have a sheath; not just a sheath but a GREAT sheath of the appropriate quality to handle what that particular blade is meant to do-for the long haul. In that train of thought I guess that having a choice of sheath like on the Menace Boss I just bought makes a perfect package Sir. I could easily use that knife for any or all of the things that I mentioned above and there's no way that you'd know what I was buying it for without slowing down business to speak with me. With criteria like mounting options and retention ( kydex's wheelhouse ), and comfort and SOUL ( leather's wheelhouse ) I just don't think that one sheath would've satisfied all comers like you did by giving choices. Personally I'd like BOTH.
Hopefully youll be shipping out my BOSS in the next couple of days, I can't wait to get my first Snody knife. And I can't wait for the next run that even us poor hustlers can afford.

Thank you Sir
 
I have made the sheaths for my knives for over 20 years, don't like selling one without one, even friction folders.I personally love leatherwork and handstitching as well as lacing.Virtually all of my customers expect a quality sheath.As others have said it makes a "Total package" whether or not its a user or display piece.When I am doing sheaths for other makers knives or customer knives, I feel it's required to make a sheath that compliments the knife. For those makers who dislike leatherwork, I really think you would find that a nice sheath will basically pay for itself by selling a "Package" versus a solitary knife, and there are quite a few good sheathmakers that would be happy to make them for ya.Dave
 
Snody said:
Thanks for opening my thread
What is your position?
Is the sheath important?? Is it important to get a sheath when you purchase the knife?
Do you send your knives out for custom sheaths?? Thanks..
[youtube]elyx2iBBQQg[/youtube]
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Sir,

Only if you can provide a top of the line sheath, nothing beats a great leather sheath. Bottom line is a great knife deserves a great sheath. If you feel a sheath would be below the standard of your knife then I would go with no sheath but again if you can provide a great sheath that inhances the knife then it is worth it. I have only bought sheaths for Busse knives because two things, 1. they deserve a great sheath 2. they don't come with one.
 
Josh Mason said:
Sheaths are a beast on your mitts.... I do alot of lifting and grip training, and have some gnarly hands from that, and those needles and thread still get me. Knifemakers are some rough ol' boys for sure.
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Ahh come on guys it ain't that bad ;) -
besides compared to other leatherwork sewing up a sheath by hand is easy and I've been doing it for 50 years (I've made several thousand sheaths in that time all by hand, but nothing compared to Sandy M and some others I know).... I've shown this off before but FWIW I handsewed up this rig a couple or so years back at 6 SPI - the handsewn lined belt alone is 42" long x 3" wide - including sewing the billets that's about 600 stitches on just that one piece and I do this type sewing just about everday in order to keep a roof over our heads.......then there's beadwork whihc is all sewn by hand.... :rolleyes:

cr-21-tighe-rig-003.jpg


on the other hand a machine is nice and can be to make a very good stitch, but you do what you need to do no matter what...and for me that means handsewing since I make only period pieces anymore anyway and machines weren't widely used until the late 1880's and keeping it "right" is a big deal for many of my clientele........

FYI - a couple of hints re: hand sewing: to keep from cutting your little fingers cut up a pair of leather gloves and the other is I see most folks tugging way too hard - use good linen thread and the proper wax and you just don't have to pull that hard to get and keep the stitches tight...
 
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To me, getting a sheath with a knife is very important.It's almost a deal breaker for me if the knife does'nt come with one.
 
Good thread!

For those with aching hands, I used to drill the stitch holes with a drill press. My old man did also, makes quick work of stitching, if no machine is available.

Back when I made sheaths, they sucked, so now if a customer wants one, it goes to Paul Long. :D
 
For 16 of the 17 years that I have been a bladesmith I have hated making sheaths but I made them anyway. I would usually wait till I had at least a dozen knives made without any sheaths and then I would start making them. It was just work that I didn't care for the least bit. About a year ago I got an interest in Scandinavian knives and decided it was time to teach myself something new and give making that style sheath a try. One of the changes I made was going to 1/16" leather. A little on the thin side but pretty darn easy to stitch with or without pre punched holes. It wasn't long after I started making these new sheaths I got ideas for a two ply sheath and have been doing that ever since. Everytime I build a knife now the sheath is taken into consideration before the knife is complete. I actually build the sheath now before the knife is 100%.
 
Wild Rose said:
Ahh come on guys it ain't that bad ;) -
besides compared to other leatherwork sewing up a sheath by hand is easy and I've been doing it for 50 years (I've made several thousand sheaths in that time all by hand, but nothing compared to Sandy M and some others I know).... I've shown this off before but FWIW I handsewed up this rig a couple or so years back at 6 SPI - the handsewn lined belt alone is 42" long x 3" wide - including sewing the billets that's about 600 stitches on just that one piece and I do this type sewing just about everday in order to keep a roof over our heads.......then there's beadwork whihc is all sewn by hand.... :rolleyes:

cr-21-tighe-rig-003.jpg


on the other hand a machine is nice and can be to make a very good stitch, but you do what you need to do no matter what...and for me that means handsewing since I make only period pieces anymore anyway and machines weren't widely used until the late 1880's and keeping it "right" is a big deal for many of my clientele........

FYI - a couple of hints re: hand sewing: to keep from cutting your little fingers cut up a pair of leather gloves and the other is I see most folks tugging way too hard - use good linen thread and the proper wax and you just don't have to pull that hard to get and keep the stitches tight...
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Dang man that's a carry system alright. I'd get myself into some serious trouble with that, and would probably enjoy every minute of it.
 
Mike... much thanks for promoting my video.

I hand stitch all my sheaths. I have been doing it this way since I was 11. In the last year, I have been using my dremel to make the holes but I'm still sewing with a needle in each hand. I prefer to buy a custom fixed blade without a sheath so I can make one perfectly tailored to my needs. My sheaths aren't the prettiest girls at the prom but they'll perform as expected and are you won't feel bad about dinging em up either.
 
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