Leather stitching horse

[churchjw]

I am going to get back into to doing some leather working projects this winter so I needed a stitching horse to hold the leather while sewing it. The traditional ones are wood with a seat. http://www.rv-boondocking-the-good-life.com/images/100_1194.jpg I don't really have room for a full size one in my shop and if I did some other metal working tool would be going there so I made one that attaches to my vise.



I grabbed some scrap strapping and punched some holes in it with a tri bladed scraper to see if it would hold the leather securely. The leather awl will go through it much easier. It worked like a charm. If I sit on the table with the vise between my legs it comfortable to work on. It is a little show to clamp and unclamp the leather compared to a real one but I'm not doing production. When I am not using it it unbolts and goes in the drawer with the rest of the leather tools.

The next project is a leather skiver/splitter. http://www.sdtradingco.com/Splitters.htm If any one here does leather work and has on I would love pictures on how the adjustments work. I think it would be easy to build, I just have to figure out the mechanism.

Jeff

 

[davidh]

thats a cool gadget. i never thought about how to hold that stuff except with your hands. humm !
the skiver, slicer is a neat tool too, why can't a hobby machinist make his own ? i was trying to find a detail of how they are made / work but was unable to. . .. sounds like another interesting gadget. what are tanned deerhides used for ? a lady near me has one for sale for $45 or offer.. im trying to think what i need it for. . . can't come up with any real idea.