What type/brand of tools do you use/prefer?

V

vilePossum

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Jan 14, 2015
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Sorry if I missed this in the stickies, but due to a recent post from Omega and my own dissatisfaction with a recent purchase i was just wondering what brands you usually use.

Me as a beginner i tried to purchase mostly decent but cost saving tools. obviously the addage about having to pay twice when saving on tools came back to bite me, though not as bad as it could have been. most of my starter equipment is decent, the only thing were i really wasted money was when i bought that interchangable stitching prong set from ivan leathercraft... useless.

so me for example:

edgers: standard tandy/similar stuff
awls: only have a standard round awl and an awl-in-awl, tandy/osborne
edge slickers: bone and plastic wheel
hole punches: selzer (german company) so far pretty decent and satisfied
round knife: don't own one
leather knife: basic carpenter like one
swivel knife: don't own one
stamps: don't have any yet, but will probably getting some craft japan ones
hammer: osborne poly one
stitiching prongs: i'll have to go with "don't have any" after that fiasco ;)
skiver: using a razor blade currently


please note that this is not supposed to be about which brand is superior.
also you don't have to post to each and every one of those, just feel free to add whatever you feel like.

when i look at that list i can already hear my wife in the back of my mind what i need all that stuff for... :D
 
Well, for your wife….you need all that stuff and more to produce decent and professional quality. Tools are made to do specific jobs and do them well. Substitute or "make do" tools rarely, if ever rise to that level of excellence.

The tools you listed are the absolute minimum and that list falls way short of what you would really need to do high quality work. But the very best quality tools you can afford….BUT don't make the mistake of trying to buy them all at once. Let your experience level be your guide and buy additional tools as your expertise progresses.

Paul
 
Thanks for your input, yeah, I know, my list is far from complete. However I am just a hobbyist, so I will have to see how far this will go.

Skiver, better edge slicker and some good stitching prongs are next one the list, even though I am itching to start with carving and stamping.
 
well said Paul. I too am new at this and want all the toys. But I would rather have few good tools than a bunch of cheap junk that only makes frustration.

JB
 
I can back up the notion that cheap tools are a mistake. I have a number of tools, pieces of leather and other stuff that gets little to no use. I'm pretty happy with most of my kit, even including some of the cheap stuff, I'd do things very differently if I had the chance to do it over again.
 
Thanks for your replies guys. Yep, I guess we all live and learn. Part of the reason why I bought the crappy kit was that wasn't quite sure which size stitching prongs were the right ones for 3mm braiding leather.
So far I think I might have been able to salvage one single prong attachment for use with a full re grind.

Still let's hear some more brands that you are using. From another thread I recognized the two Japanese brands from goods Japan, and I think omega mentioned leather unlimited.
 
I only make utilitarian items and because of that, my tool selection is very basic. I'm not the artisan you guys are, if not for the lack of trying. I'm good at the "concept" but when it comes to applying it to the leather, something disappears. I think it's called "artistic quality"...lol.

I have an edger, several cutters [X-Acto, rotary, etc], basic background stamps, 2 slickers, a stitch groover, awl, beveled glass......that kind of stuff.
 
For edgers: I have Barry King, Weaver, Douglas Horseshoe Brand and Osborne. The BKs are far and away my favorite. I use a #1, #2 #3 constantly, have a 0, 4 and 5 that I seldom use. I have a #2 tight curve too that is very specialized that I use only for the inside of slots.
Awls: I have two Osbornes in different sizes. I simply don't use these anymore. I have two sewing machines one for light duty and one for heavy.
Punches: Weaver and Osborne. This analogy may not make any sense to you but guys here will get it I was emailing Darkmatter earlier and he kind of put this in my head. Osbornes are the Craftsmen of wrenches and the Weavers are Snapon.

Roundknife: I have 3 in service and probably 10 or so altogether. The 3 I use I made.
Swivel knife: 2 Barry Kings and severla blades for different things.
Stamps. Probably a hundre or more. Seems ther are like 10 that I use constantly. BK's, Horseshoe Brand and some Tandy ones too. Particularly like two of their new Pro Series ones. They are my current border tools.
Hammer: I have a BK and a Bianchi designed Weaver.

For your wife I tell you something my wife said. Its coming from her perspective of only doing leather work about a year now this month. She feels that the good tools let her do better work sooner.
 
I don't have half the tools on that original list , but I've still managed to mangle a few sheaths together .

Ken
 
harronek said:
I don't have half the tools on that original list , but I've still managed to mangle a few sheaths together .

Ken
Click to expand...
I'm going to have to steal that comment and make it my own. :D I wont mention the most I've spent on a leather "tool" because its too painful. But besides that I've not spent too awful much, not over 200 bucks on one single item and still manage to form a business, buy a car and a house, paid that car off.

If you dont want to stamp and carve fancy stuff, well its not that expensive. Honestly. Most of my work is plain old working leather sheaths, nothing fancy at all, and it pays the bills for the most part. Build a good solid product and they will come. End of story.
 
I guess it all boils down to a couple of factors that each person has to decide for themselves.

A. What do I want to do and what do I want to be (concerning leather work)
B. Depending on your answer are you willing to commit the time, effort and money to make it happen. (no, you don't need all the money up front)

If you decide to be a hobbyist maker, then the tools necessary are substantially less because time saving is not a major factor, and you are not really concerned with a financial bottom line. So you buy whatever you think you want at what ever interval suits you best at your experience level and just enjoy your hobby. But if during that time you decide, I'm getting pretty good at this, it's time to go pro, or serious semi-pro then is when the game changes and the commitment becomes absolutely necessary both for you and your customers,and that is the time you need to start seriously upgrading your equipment (tools, machinery, consumables, leather) in both quantity and quality.

For many years I made everything and anything, Saddles, Tack, Chaps Chinks, Arena Chairs, Wallets, Bible Covers Spur Leathers, and on and on and on. About ten years or so ago when I decided to specialize in custom sheaths ONLY….well, that's when I actually began to build my identity and name recognition. Many of the tools I had accumulated over the 50 odd years of leather work now started to collect dust and I added quite a few new ones in one form or another to accelerate my specialty and make it more profitable in terms of time and output.

At least 15 years ago I decided to buy the very best tools or equipment available which generally means the most expensive also, and that has made my work much easier, faster and looking better which also translates into improved sales and profit.

So I'll end this by reiterating "What do you want to do and/or what do you want to be" and let that guide you.

Good luck!

Paul
 
Thank you all for your responses and feedback. It is greatly appreciated.

Well, I will always be a hobbyist maker. I picked this up as a hobby because it fits well with archery and knives and because I like the material (always love the smell and the touch of leather :p).
Also work like this helps me relax just like archery does. I do have an appreciation for nice things and I want to become better and constantly learn.

So a hobbyist maker who can serve his own needs for archery and knives, as well as some small trinkets from time to time.
I want to be good enough so that I wouldn't be embarrassed for friends to carry the stuff, and maybe sell a piece or two to a coworker for a small price. But I don't want to make an income from it. It is a hobby.

Well, and as harronek mentioned, I don't own half of the tools on that list either, I doubt I will for a long time, but I'd like to make sure that I get a good tool when I finally buy one.

A good example is horsewrights reply, I don't even know half of the brands, so it give me something to look up and orient myself.
Obviously I won't ever need such an assortment of tools as I am not a professional like like he and some others around here are, but it never hurts to learn from their experience.

- Florian
 
What about the ones we make ourselves?

Stamp

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Bone folder made from home made burlap laminate

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Weaver is selling those. Its the Maul Master, they are designed by John Bianchi.
 
Looked that maul up, nice! All but the rubber grip. How does it feel during long time use?

The only thing I have comparable is the maul I have with a stiff foam rubber handle, but I hardly ever use it because of that handle.

Anthony, home made tools are the best tools because you can say you made that. :D
 
Dwayne, I like it fine. For tooling its the only one I use. It's a 2lb er by the way. The rubber isn't too soft. not as hard as a stacked leather handle of course. Nichole has a couple of BK's in the 1 lb size but I cna't tool with them. They feel like toys to me. My 3 lb BK I also got from Weaver many years ago. I use it for punches etc.
 
Ah! Good to hear, I really do not like soft handles on tools like that, it ruins the whole feel. Mis-strikes are common with that one. I have to choke up on the handle and then I am grabbing cold steel, and on a cold day that is not exactly pleasant. :p
 
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