Whacha Been Up To......

I could probably make a simple sheath in a half hour if I had a sewing machine. Maybe one day I'll snag one. I do have one of those cobbler's machines still in the box, and I'm planning on busting that out this winter so I can make some other stuff like a proper shop apron, etc

A lot of my time is spent on layout, drilling holes- sometimes multiple times for one sheath- and hand stitching obviously takes some time. But time is what makes my sheaths what they are, and there's only so much time I can save, with the process and techniques I use to achieve the results I want.

I am looking into getting a leather pattern cut and holes burned with my friend's laser, but that's only good for when I do batch work. If I can make that work, it'll save me a bunch of time and I'll end up with the exact same result as I would cutting and drilling myself. No compromising my goals for creating what I think a good sheath should be, but it only works if I do volume, (small volume lol)
 
Lorien said:
I could probably make a simple sheath in a half hour if I had a sewing machine. Maybe one day I'll snag one. I do have one of those cobbler's machines still in the box, and I'm planning on busting that out this winter so I can make some other stuff like a proper shop apron, etc

A lot of my time is spent on layout, drilling holes- sometimes multiple times for one sheath- and hand stitching obviously takes some time. But time is what makes my sheaths what they are, and there's only so much time I can save, with the process and techniques I use to achieve the results I want.

I am looking into getting a leather pattern cut and holes burned with my friend's laser, but that's only good for when I do batch work. If I can make that work, it'll save me a bunch of time and I'll end up with the exact same result as I would cutting and drilling myself. No compromising my goals for creating what I think a good sheath should be, but it only works if I do volume, (small volume lol)
Click to expand...

Saddle stitching is a bastard, I've yet to use a drill press but I would imagine it's a huge time saver if you can get the holes lined up correctly (both front and back). As with everything, I imagine there are a few tricks to be had to make sure of it. I've no idea how people that use awl's do it either, in terms of lining up the stitches on the back. I use heavy duty prongs and transfer the holes between layers - it's not fun :(

But you're right in that the end result is absolutely bombproof.
 
Talk about bullet proof:

Built these Az Bell style chaps (step ins), for a friend. It was a favor as I've kinda stopped making leggings. He left me an old pair that I took apart to use as a pattern.

kMxCxJe.jpg


zmntwSs.jpg


Thats the old pair underneath hanging on the shelves there. First thing he told me he was gonna do was throw em in a water trough and get them soaked. He'll then get em out and place a couple of hay bales on top. He'll let them dry and that is what causes the crease in the front that the old pair has and this new pair doesn't yet. The leather is pearl grey 7/9 oz apron split in firm temper. They are so stiff, he says he can squat in them and they hold him up like he's sitting in a chair! Which is what he was looking for. He's happy:

TwRkxmu.jpg


DwGuvpO.jpg


He thinks we might be on to something using this leather for this application. Mostly its used for horn wraps, farrier chaps or hay bucking chaps. I made my son a pair of shoeing chaps out of this stuff14 years ago and he's still using em. He said he had to drag em behind his truck on a gravel road to break em in. I made Alberto's shoeing chaps about 2.5 years ago. As a professional farrier he does 10-12 horses a day. He has never got this much wear out of a pair. I will be replacing the leg pad here shortly for him.

U2ypSl2.jpg


dWTxZbV.jpg


Nichole has been busy too lately. She just finished this matching set of one of her duffel bags and a travel bag.

qXcvSu9.jpg


YvxuUWF.jpg


2T5RBY2.jpg


voEV2Et.jpg


Got a big batch ready to head off to heat treat today:

yTCPrC4.jpg


AZejd5t.jpg


And of course knives and sheaths:

2cPfn03.jpg


(Ok, that one took more than 20 minutes)

dGZnBkV.jpg


zWYBVXx.jpg
 
Horsewright said:
Talk about bullet proof:

Built these Az Bell style chaps (step ins), for a friend. It was a favor as I've kinda stopped making leggings. He left me an old pair that I took apart to use as a pattern.

kMxCxJe.jpg


zmntwSs.jpg


Thats the old pair underneath hanging on the shelves there. First thing he told me he was gonna do was throw em in a water trough and get them soaked. He'll then get em out and place a couple of hay bales on top. He'll let them dry and that is what causes the crease in the front that the old pair has and this new pair doesn't yet. The leather is pearl grey 7/9 oz apron split in firm temper. They are so stiff, he says he can squat in them and they hold him up like he's sitting in a chair! Which is what he was looking for. He's happy:

TwRkxmu.jpg


DwGuvpO.jpg


He thinks we might be on to something using this leather for this application. Mostly its used for horn wraps, farrier chaps or hay bucking chaps. I made my son a pair of shoeing chaps out of this stuff14 years ago and he's still using em. He said he had to drag em behind his truck on a gravel road to break em in. I made Alberto's shoeing chaps about 2.5 years ago. As a professional farrier he does 10-12 horses a day. He has never got this much wear out of a pair. I will be replacing the leg pad here shortly for him.

U2ypSl2.jpg


dWTxZbV.jpg


Nichole has been busy too lately. She just finished this matching set of one of her duffel bags and a travel bag.

qXcvSu9.jpg


YvxuUWF.jpg


2T5RBY2.jpg


voEV2Et.jpg


Got a big batch ready to head off to heat treat today:

yTCPrC4.jpg


AZejd5t.jpg


And of course knives and sheaths:

2cPfn03.jpg


(Ok, that one took more than 20 minutes)

dGZnBkV.jpg


zWYBVXx.jpg
Click to expand...

It's nice to know you literally outfit the scene up there. Always appreciate the little insights into that lifestyle :)
 
Getting into Kydex. Researching eyelets because sometimes the Chicago screws won't fit so many layers of kydex. How they're set and so forth.


No way am I going to use them. I'll make Chicago work. My biggest hangup with pressed eyelets. If the sheath gets dirt or sand grit in it. You can't take it apart to clean it.


Oh, and once you get into Kydex, you figure out fast, just how crappy the factory Benchmade sheaths are. They're not formed to the knife. They use a blank that's kinda the same shape so they can pump them out. No wonder they suck. Then there's things that have to have a blank. Like serrated knives. The kydex will form to the serrations. Particularly the Spyderco Swick.

I need to order more sheets. Red, white, maybe some purple. .080 is more robust then .060 and in my experience. Can take more edge rubbing with less plastic shards sticking on the blade.
 
Grasshopperglock said:
Getting into Kydex. Researching eyelets because sometimes the Chicago screws won't fit so many layers of kydex. How they're set and so forth.


No way am I going to use them. I'll make Chicago work. My biggest hangup with pressed eyelets. If the sheath gets dirt or sand grit in it. You can't take it apart to clean it.


Oh, and once you get into Kydex, you figure out fast, just how crappy the factory Benchmade sheaths are. They're not formed to the knife. They use a blank that's kinda the same shape so they can pump them out. No wonder they suck. Then there's things that have to have a blank. Like serrated knives. The kydex will form to the serrations. Particularly the Spyderco Swick.

I need to order more sheets. Red, white, maybe some purple. .080 is more robust then .060 and in my experience. Can take more edge rubbing with less plastic shards sticking on the blade.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're a proper kydex junkie now ;)

Personally I enjoy the aesthetic of factory molded sheaths, the continuity, but only as long as it doesn't impede the function.
 
^Beautiful work as always Dave Horsewright Horsewright . I really like the improved design on the new cross draw. I see a lot of pluses in those well thought out subtle changes. 👍

I think the wife and I need to schedule a little day trip to Tehachapi before you get buried with Christmas work. 😉

Phil
 
Comprehensivist said:
^Beautiful work as always Dave Horsewright Horsewright . I really like the improved design on the new cross draw. I see a lot of pluses in those well thought out subtle changes. 👍

I think the wife and I need to schedule a little day trip to Tehachapi before you get buried with Christmas work. 😉

Phil
Click to expand...
Perfect! Sounds good my friend.
 
I ordered more Kydex in Tiffany blue, White, and 'EMT' Red. 12x12 in .080, Carbon fiber pattern. And of course, every color I ordered is being shipped on the slow boat. Due here around the 18th.

First thing getting remade is going to be this Benchmade sheath. The retention is less then wanted. It's loose enough, that brushing up against a cedar tree will pull it past what snap it has. Bought some belt clips that snap on. They have a button you can push to release it. Don't know how I feel about it. The button sure is easy to depress.



Anyway, imagine the sheath in the picture. Having white on the outside layer. With bright red on the other (the hip facing side). With a much better molding. All I need is for the Kydex to show up.



 
Those Kydex sheets showed up today. I'll layout my pattern tomorrow. Take the whole day thinking about it. Come Monday, I'll have another custom Kydex sheath. The Benchmade factory sheath reeks of an afterthought. An, "We gotta ship something with this knife". It is not quality.


This particular knife isn't getting the Tiffany blue. I need to plan out that color. So it's A maybe. But the white and Red are going together one something. With a purple knife, I dipped too far in a bath of RIT synthetic.


Benchmade Anonimus.



 
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Most of my leatherwork these days has been geared towards axes and woodworking tools, here are a bunch of projects from this spring/summer.

EuA8zEi.jpeg
4mImDfD.jpeg
JhfGifm.jpeg
ihve27J.jpeg



I've been on the hunt for one of these tiny (1lb head weight) double bit "saddle cruiser" hatchets for quite some time, and finally came across one recently. It was in need of a new handle, which I made from a piece of our local Oregon white oak, and of course a nice pouch style sheath to carry it in. Very pleased with how this whole package turned out!

j77Kxop.jpeg
Kh7ap26.jpeg
Upkbple.jpeg
khoXqcy.jpeg
qNjzrAG.jpeg
cmiK8UB.jpeg
Vl0vUWk.jpeg
vbkDbO4.jpeg
O61Cghg.jpeg
ZWYAnQQ.jpeg
 
Travbud1 said:
Most of my leatherwork these days has been geared towards axes and woodworking tools, here are a bunch of projects from this spring/summer.

EuA8zEi.jpeg
4mImDfD.jpeg
JhfGifm.jpeg
ihve27J.jpeg



I've been on the hunt for one of these tiny (1lb head weight) double bit "saddle cruiser" hatchets for quite some time, and finally came across one recently. It was in need of a new handle, which I made from a piece of our local Oregon white oak, and of course a nice pouch style sheath to carry it in. Very pleased with how this whole package turned out!

j77Kxop.jpeg
Kh7ap26.jpeg
Upkbple.jpeg
khoXqcy.jpeg
qNjzrAG.jpeg
cmiK8UB.jpeg
Vl0vUWk.jpeg
vbkDbO4.jpeg
O61Cghg.jpeg
ZWYAnQQ.jpeg
Click to expand...
Those look great, I wish I had access to straight timber. Crooked mesquite and Cedars are what's in my neck off the woods.
 
Thanks!

Good handle wood is hard to come by here I live in central OR, anytime I can find a straightish chunk of Ash or Oak I stash it aside. My property is mainly Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar, and Big Leaf Maple.
 
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