The Down Range Forum
Member Section => The Leather Shop => Topic started by: Timothy on November 18, 2011, 10:34:39 AM
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Could one of you experts in the fine art of leather working/holster making give us laymen and idea of start up cost regarding sewing machines, tools and accessories required to get started?
Thanks in advance
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Tim, You don't need a sewing machine if you look close these guys are all hand stitching them.
You would pay through the nose for a commercial machine capable of stitching through 3 layers of leather.
To get started at a very basic level the leather will be your biggest expense. You will want a razor knife or REALLY good pair of scissors for cutting the leather, one of those roller wheel things for laying out the stitch line, and a "Burnisher" for give the edges a finished polish. To actually make the holes for sewing you can use an awl, but my Dad uses a cordless drill with a small bit ( 1/8th inch I think ). If you want to get into tooling and carving it gets more complex.
Here's a good link for supplies, you can no doubt do better but it's some place to start.
http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-usd/home/home.aspx
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Check out Springfield Leather (www.springfieldleather.com) for pricing. Good prices, good tools, etc. They also carry Tandy's line, so its more of a one stop shop if you go through them.
All you need to get started is:
Good leather, an awl, harness needles, waxed linen or nylon thread, a sharp knife (or several), a place to work, and an imagination.
I have yet to use a sewing machine on my goods, although it is on my want list to save time.
The rest of the stuff, you are better off buying as you need it, rather than stocking up a whole tool box of stuff you never use.
I buy a side of leather from Wicket and Craig for 130 dollars or so. This is basically half a cow, so its a lot of leather.
The other stuff I got from Springfield Leather or Tandy over the years. Ebay has a lot of older tools too, but prices vary.
DM
Edit... Tom got a lot of what I missed too. The overstitch wheel is important to help get even spacing of your stitches, as well as a stitch groover, to lay out a groove for your stitch to lay in.
And the burnisher, which can be a piece of smooth antler or wood, or plastic, or...... Lots of choices there.
DM
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Guys, I have enjoyed all the pictures and the workmanship. Like Timothy I am interested in the process and I would love to see pictures of the process. Thanks
Ranger Dave
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I forgot about the groover, and I could not remember what the needles were called.
I was just going from seeing Dad work.
One thing I would suggest, The first time you try something, for example, a holster, get a pattern.
You don't have to stick to it, but it will give you an idea of the lay out and sizing.
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A lot depends on what you intend to do. If you are making holsters for yourself then hand sewing is a viable option. I strongly recommend getting a good awl and learning to sharpen it. Drilling the holes doesn't really look good.
Leather is actually on of the least expensive things you will buy. I favor Hermann Oak as it is probably used by more professional makers than any other. Call Kevin at Springfield leather. They will cut pieces for you so you don't have to purchase a whole side. For most holsters you will be using less than a sqft and for the amount of time you will have in a holster it doesn't make sense to try to save a dollar or two on leather.
If you plan on going into business then a sewing machine is a must if you intend to be competetive. I would recommend the Tippmann Boss hand operated machine. I have two and I also have a powered machine. I find I still do 85% of holsters on the Boss.
For hand sewing holsters the basic tools can be had in excellent quality for under $150.
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Glad you mentioned that bit about Springfield cutting down the Hermann Oak. I had them send me 6 ft of HO leather a few weeks ago to try. I got quite a few holsters out of that little piece of leather.
DM
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I have approximately $40-50K into my tools and machines...(at old-days costs, no clue on replacement costs! Probably a TON more!!)
It's not cheap, but you can make do with some hand tools and hand stitching if you are doing low quantities.
Andy
andysleather.com and shottist.com
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Are some of the starter kits listed on the Tandy site a waste of money?
My father dabbled in leather years ago and I have an idea what is necessary from a hobby point of view. From the looks of some of the beautiful holsters I've seen here recently, I assumed that you guys were doing it from more of a professional side.
thanks for the input...
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Avoid the Tandy starter kits like the plague. You will be much better served by buying the tools you need individually.
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I might as well chime in here. I started doing holsters 35 years ago and until about five or so years ago did all my sewing by hand. I fianlly bought a good main line machine....I went the route of the Tippman Boss. and quite frankly (sorry Denster) the machine is a piece of junk...extremely hard to keep adjusted and changes stitch lengths on it's own...I know several good leather smiths in my area that all have gone through the same problem with the Boss and most of them have gotten rid of them. I currently use a Ferdco Pro-2000 (a Juki 441 copy) and for the past five years have never had to readjust the tension and it holds the proper stitch length until I purposely change it.
Leather wise...Wickett & Craig...they will split the leather down to what ever thickness you want free of charge and you can buy as many sides as you want. no minimums.....if you go directly to Herman Oak...the minimum is 10 sides per purchase...It will take you quite awhile to collect and accumulate tools.
If you want to start making holsters...a good book to get is Al Stohlmans "How to Make Holsters"...this is the first book I bought 35 years ago and I still refer to it on occasion...can be purchases at Tandy/Leather Factory...or other suppliers
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I second pretty much everything Denster and Dalton said, I also use the Tippmann Boss and love it. I haven't had it long so I have hand stitched many holsters and if you intend to sell them then hand stitching tends to get old real quick. I went from spending about 4 hours per holster to about 10 minutes with the Boss. It is an investment though, even used they are still around the $1k range. If you decide to drill your holes then make sure you use a 1/16" bit or smaller, basically if you can pull your needles through easily by hand then your using to big of a bit. But an Awl is the best quality way to go. Best of luck..
I also recommend checking out www.leatherworker.net as it is an excellent resource also.
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Outrider
The Boss seems to generate either love or hate. I couldn't do without it and the two I own have sewen over 4000 holsters and assorted gear with very few problems. The Juki clones are great machines but with a powered machine, and I have one, it actually takes me longer to sew a holster than it does on the Boss. That said when it comes to belts and larger lined holsters the powered machine gets the nod.
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Question...have you tried to sew bulletloops with the Boss yet
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I'm glad the Boss at least worked out for some....it seems the older cast irons versions are a little better then the aluminum ones...but everyone I know that has ever owned one hates it...I recently picked up an account with a custom knife maker based entirly on the fact that he has had so much trouble with his Boss another friend uses his strictly to put holes through the seam then he hand sews.
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Question...have you tried to sew bulletloops with the Boss yet
Yes I have. On gunbelts it is not something I care to repeat. On butt cuffs it works great.
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I'll throw my two cents in here on sewing.
I drill my holes with a dremel tool and a 3/32" bit. It is quick, and the bit burnishes the hole to help prevent tearing. I space them 5 to the inch. The last two holes I make 1/8". The needle and thread almost fall through the 3/32" holes, making sewing easy.
The last two 1/8" holes I have to pull through with pliers, but I pass the thread through two or three times and cut it off close, so I don't have to try to tie it off.
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C.J...first of all welcome to the forum. I used the dremal method for many years until I got the Tippman Boss,which was short lived then I took the plunge and bought a Ferdco Pro-2000. It is a great machine and with it's 16" throat turning projects is a breeze. Expensive but I have had it 5 years now and it has paid for itself nmany times over.
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As others have said, it all depends on what you have in mind.
I spent about $6,000 setting up my small shop.
I bought a Cobra Class 4 machine. Delivered to my door it was around $2,800 (shipping was about $600).
I bought an Osbourne leather splitter for about $500.
A Palmgren arbor press, $100.
Airbrush and compressor, $100.
Handtools -- maul, cutting mats, pounding mat, edgers, punches, strap-end cutters, bag punches, etc -- $1,000
Hardware -- screws, snaps, grommets -- $150
Belt buckles -- $60
Leather, $800
Liquids, $300
I already had a workshop attached to my home and a lot of power equipment. One other thing that will be really handy is a belt sander. I have an industrial 6x48 that runs at 3750 rpm, but it's far too aggressive. I'm building a 1X42 I think will be perfect.
tk
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Just a suggestion on a sander. I have the belt sanders and the 1X42 works pretty good but what I found works best is a spindle sander. I have the one from Harbor Freight that I bought on sale for $89 and it has made sanding the edges of holsters an absolute breeze.
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I use a 1 inch and a 1/2 inch sanding drum chucked into my drill press.
Never had any need to try anything else!
Ned
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Ned
I use several diffrent size sanding drums from 1/2" up to 3"
just to chime in as per the OP
leatherworking is a craft that you can spend a fortune on tools of the craft
the more you get into the craft the more you will likely spend
if you are just making projects for personal use then you will not need a
loaded shop full of leatherworking tools and you can add to the tools as you need.
the basic things you will need to get you started will be a good sturdy work bench
a slab of marble or granite you can obtain cheaply from a supplier who sells granite or marble counter tops
you can get a sink cutout for just a few bucks or maybe even get several free just so the store can get rid of scrap pieces that is taking up floor space.
you will need a razor knife,and a stitching kit.
you will ned a rawhide or wooden mallet.
you will need a swivel knife and a set of basic tooling stamps like beveler. pear shader, veiner border stamp and you can add to your stamps as you go.
you can also improvise for example I still cut out slotted holes with hole punches and wood working chisels I have also used a fork to mark stitch holes
you can also make some tools one of my most used tools is a stitching clamp I made myself
now once you get to the point of selling your leatherwork then it will be time to start thinking about buying a good sewing machine like a Cobra Class or a tech sew I have narrowed it down to these two just need to sell more stuff to justify pulling the trigger however a sewing machine will cut your production time to a fraction of the time it takes to hand stitch an Item a lock stitch will never beat a good old saddle stitch for durabiility or appearance.
and a lot of customers looking to buy custom leather products will insist on having their project hand stitched because the saddle stitch is something that cannot be duplicated with a sewing machine
another good resourse for learning basic leatherwork is youtube
check out Nigel Arnatiges channel and bruce Cheaneys channel these will direct you to other useful tutorials.
just my .02 on the subject of getting started in leatherwork.