leather tools

How to Make a Leather Ranger Belt | Leathercraft Project

Posted by Don Gonzales

If you’ve been making leather belts, you may have been asked to make a Ranger Style Belt. In this video, How to Make a Leather Ranger Belt, I walk through the full process—from cutting the leather and preparing the edges to stitching, finishing, and adding hardware.

We also cover the “measuring” for a ranger belt. This is a little different than how we do it for a standard belt. Since there is not “fold” for the buckle this changes the sizing… there are also exterior billets that we use and those have to be balanced when the person is wearing the belt.

This belt isn’t just functional—it’s a great way to practice precision, clean stitching, and working with heavier leather. I also share tips that make the build smoother and the finished product look professional.

Whether you’re new to leathercraft or have some experience, this project will teach techniques you can use in lots of other builds, from straps to bags.

If you want to follow along, grab your materials and watch the full step-by-step in the video.

Leather Craft Tools that are Essential for any Leather Craftsman.

Posted by Don Gonzales

The overwhelming selection and variety of leather craft tools available on the market can be hard to navigate. This is especially true for people that are new to the trade. We can all spend a lot of money buying tools that we might not find a use for often enough to justify the expense.

We get questions asking for guidance on getting a good core set of leather craft tools that will allow someone new to the craft the ability to complete projects effectively. When I started leather craft many years ago, there were many quality publications available that talked about tools and supplies for leather work. There were also “leather craft kits” on the market that came with a collection of leather craft tools to get a new craftsman started. These kits are still available today in many sizes and budgets. I do feel that these are a great resource for anyone starting out.

Many of us in the industry started out with one of these kits. The only problem with these at times is that you may find that a few or many of the items in the kit might not be something that you will use much. I still have many of the tools from my very first leather craft kit in my program within the shop today. But unfortunately, there are a number of tools that were in the box that I never found a use for.

I decided to put together what I believe is a solid core list of leather craft tools for anyone wanting to get into leather work.

Our hope is that with this blog post and the accompanying video, you will have a better handle on the tools that I believe are essential and why. This information will help to make a better determination on what tools that you may or may not need based on the leather craft projects you plan on creating.

I have tried to supply a source link for as many tools as I can in this list to maybe help you find these or something similar. Some of these tools may include our Amazon Affiliate links if that is a good place to find them. Many of these tools you can purchase from your favorite leather craft supply business of choice. Where you get the tools isn’t near as important as “Does the tool do its job and work for you?“… that’s the most important part.

I hope you find this video and list of leather craft tools helpful in your leather working goals. Let’s get started.

Below is our list of Essential Leather Craft Tools that anyone doing leather work should have in their tool box.

I have attempted to break this list up based on different leather working tasks. There are also links within this list for some suggestions as to where to find them.

Cutting Tools

Measuring and Marking Tools

  • C.S. Osbourne Spike Awl – Weaver Leather Supply sells some of these as well as Amazon. I can’t seem to find the exact one I have in that size but there are other sizes that will work.
  • Tape Measure – small size… 12′ or 16′ – any hardware store will have these
  • Square – Any hardware store will have this
  • Straight Edge – Maker’s Leather Supply makes the one I have in the video… but any straight edge will work
  • Wing Dividers – Springfield has the 8″ pair in the video… Maker’s Leather Supply has a couple versions as well as a cheaper version that I have as well that are good
  • Pencils – I really like the Ticonderoga brand of pencils and you can find them many places but here is where I get them on Amazon.

Punching Holes

  • Drive Punches size #2, #4, #8, #10 – Maker’s Leather Supply (these are a higher end CS Osbourne punch) and Springfield Leather have many different sizes and styles of drive punches. I have also used the super cheap ones from Harbor Freight in the past… you have to sharpen and buff them off, but they will work if that’s all you can get ahold of. This video, “Hole Punches You Need for Leather Work,” we talk about hole punch options.
  • Actual size of holes these make: #2 – 1/8″, #4 – 5/32″, #8 – 1/4″, #10 – 5/16″

Leather Edge Preparation and Slicking

  • Rub Stick – Leather Supply companies sell variations of these, but they are also really easy to make your own from scrap wood in any shape that you need and then sand to a smooth finish.
  • Slicking Rag – Any heavy canvas or denim cut to size will work for this. Canvas can be purchased at fabric stores like Hobby Lobby.
  • Can/Container for water as well is a dauber or sponge – I prefer a small tomato sauce can but any little container will work.
  • Here is a blog post we did on my process for slicking edges, “Slicking Leather Edges.“
  • Edgers – size #2 and size #4 – Maker’s Leather Supply sells the Ron’s edgers like I have (these are higher end tools)… Springfield Leather sells many different types of edgers including the CS Osbourne edgers from the video (called Western Edgers)… Barry King makes some really nice higher end edgers as well. “What is the Best Edger Size for your Leather Work,” is a video we did on edger selection.
  • Sanding Blocks

Hand Stitching Tools

  • Stitch Groover – for the cheaper craftool version visit Tandy Leather – for the higher end wing divider style visit Jeremiah Watt Tools
  • Overstitch Wheel – looks like they don’t made one like mine anymore… Tandy Leather sells one with multiple wheels for different stitch lengths
  • Stitching Awl – for the CS Osbourne haft, Springfield Leather has them as well as blades, this blade is my best guess as to a decent one, but you may get a few different ones and see what you like. There are many options for blades depending on your goals. Barry King has the bigger haft as well as his own blades.
  • “Hand Stitching Leather with an Awl and Two Needles” is a video we created to help with traditional hand sewing.

Hammers

  • Ball Pien Hammer – Smaller head size – you can find one of these at your local hardware story easlily.
  • Forming hammer – some type of flat faced smooth hammer or French Hammer – Makers Leather Supply, Springfield Leather, and Jeremiah Watt Tools has many hammers to choose from.
  • Maul or Mallet – preferably larger and weighted, I prefer a 24 oz maul for setting rivets and punching holes, but as heavy as 4lbs is helpful with heavy end punching and large bag slots… Springfield Leather, Barry King and Maker’s Leather Supply have them as well as many other companies.
  • “Leather Craft Hammers” is an older video we did explaining different shop hammers.

Cutting Surface and Fastener Setting

  • Rubber mat – any type of dense rubber will work for this.
  • Cutting Board – wood or plastic… you can these at Walmart and other places… Hobby lobby also has self healing cutting mats
  • Small Metal Anvil – scrap steel, aluminum, railroad iron, or a mini anvil
  • Rivet Setter – for copper rivets… Maker’s Leather Supply (they carry two types) and other supply companies have these available
  • Hoof Nippers or Side Cutters – for cutting excess off copper rivets… an old set from a farrier work well but hardware stores carry good side cutters as well.

A Few Extras

  • Side Cutters
  • Needle Nose Pliers
  • Cigarette Lighter
  • All three of these items can be purchased at Walmart or any hardware store.

The Best Xacto Knife and a New Awesome Purse Zipper

Posted by Don Gonzales

Are you looking for the best Xacto Knife to use on your leather craft projects?  I have used a large barreled Xacto knife handle for years.  I get a ton of questions and emails about where I get them and what blades I use in them.  I found a new place to get them and while I was there, I also found some really great purse zippers to use in our shop.  These zippers are really classy looking and in my opinion they look much better than just the normal YKK zippers that we all use.

 

 

Continue reading →

What is the Best Leathercraft Work Surface?

Posted by Don Gonzales

Thumbnail for a a video on the best Leathercraft work surface

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finding the best Leathercraft work surface is a quest that I find myself still on today.  I began my leather work career cutting leather out on my bed in my apartment and doing all my work on a 2×4 bench that I made to fit by my desk.  My roommate wasn’t particularly excited about my late night basket stamping sessions.  Fast forward to today, and some of my benches are much more nuanced when it comes to the Leathercraft work surface that I work on.  Some of them are still hodge-podge assortments of materials that simply work… nothing more.

You can get lost in trying to find the absolute best material to work on.  Different leather craft techniques and processes requiring different types of material to work on.  The important thing here is to find something that works for you and go with it.  When you are a famous leather craftsman someday you can worry about how pretty your work tables and benches are.  For now, the only thing that matters is you being able to accomplish your work effectively.

In this video, I go through all of the different Leathercraft work surfaces that I use in my shop.  Why I use them and for what purposes.  These are the best materials that I have found for completing the different tasks in my work.

I did some research to find the company in San Antonio that made the plastic cutting board material on my cut bench.  I did find a company, but since I have never done business with them I didn’t feel comfortable recommending them here.  I will continue to research a good source for this material and when I find a reliable source I will update this video.  I do suggest doing a google search in your area and I bet you can find someone near you that has this material in any size you may need.

For more videos and blog post about the wild world of LeatherCraft, visit our website:  https://dgsaddlery.com

All the paints on my paint table are from Angelus Paint and here is their website:  https://angelusdirect.com

You can also find these paints and anything else you need for your Leathercraft projects at Maker’s Leather Supply:  https://makersleathersupply.com

What Leatherwork Tools do I Keep in my Tool Belt?

Posted by Don Gonzales

Everyone has their own way of organizing their leatherwork tools in their shops. In my shop, I have always worn a tool belt. My tool belt is where I keep my most used tools so that they are always close at hand.

When I am working on a saddle or helping Freddy with a repair job at his bench, I don’t want to have to hunt for my tape measure or knife if I need it. The tool belt allows me to always be prepared and helps me to be more efficient during the day.

Some of the tools in my tool belt are included in a blog article that we wrote called “Top 5 Essential Tools for the beginner Craftsman”

In this video, I show you all the tools that I keep in my tool belt.  These are the tools that I need daily to do my job as efficiently as possible.  Keeping them in a tool belt that I wear in the shop keeps them close at hand.  Check out this video and let me know if you wear a tool belt currently in your shop or if you prefer to keep them on your workbench.

Top 5 Essential Tools for the Beginner in Leathercraft

Posted by Don Gonzales

Leathercraft can be intimidating to the uninitiated.  The tools for the beginner can be hard to decide upon and even more difficult to find.  Since leatherwork is not a common trade skill, many of these tools can not be purchased from local hardware stores.

In this article I hope to give you some assistance in this area.  If you are new to leathercraft and are searching for the most essential tools to add to your workbench, then my hopes are that this blog post is for you.

Here are the Top 5 tools that, I believe, are essential for anyone beginning their leathercraft journey.  No, these are not the tools you will need to accomplish all aspects of leatherwork.  The size and scope of tools for different areas of the craft are vast and almost never ending.  The majority of tools used in leatherwork are subject greatly to personal choice and preferences.  Instead, this is a list of 5 tools that I think are foundational in every aspect of your work.

These tools are simply the tools that a craftsman, at any level, will need on a daily basis to work in this medium.  Some of these tools will seem arbitrary and may already be in your collection.  But this does not lessen their importance.  If you have never worked with leather, then you may not be aware of the attributes of the material, and you will find that these will be the tools most helpful in all of your projects.  Or in the very least, the most used tools on your bench. Continue reading →

Leather Sewing Machine Best Practices

Posted by Don Gonzales

Sewing leather is by far the most common task that we have in our leather shops.  Whether you are hand sewing everything, or using a leather sewing machine, you will have to sew leather on just about every project.  In this post, I share the first of a three part video series on leather sewing machine best practices with the hopes of helping you become more efficient and safe while using an electric sewing machine.

When I started doing leather work, I didn’t have a leather sewing machine and spent many hours hand sewing my projects.  Though this is not the most efficient way to complete projects, I do believe that it is very important to become proficient at this skill.  So if you are still in the hand stitching stage of your leatherworking journey, don’t fret!  You are at a very important stage and learning this skill will serve you well for the rest of your leather career.  But when the time comes when you can upgrade to an electric sewing machine, I would highly recommend adding this piece of equipment to your shop. Continue reading →