Sacramento Beginner Knife Sheath Class

[WaddWatsonEllis]

I have looked around, and it seems that all leather classes require:

About $75.00 for class costs

Purchasing a set of tools ~ $300.00

All I want to do right now is make a nice knife sheath. I have no idea if I have the interest to take up leather as a hobby.

There out to be a class where one pays for the leather, pays the $75.00 for the class, and is allowed to rent tools long enough to finish the project and decide if it was fun before the tool purchases are necessary.

Am I 'way off base here, or does this seem reasonable?

[JD Alan]

Check out your local Tandy store. The one in Portland has tools people can use there at the store. They always have scrap leather for sale, in large enough pieces to make a sheath. The manager, Donna, will demo tools for people, and show them how they should be used. I think we have a really great Tandy store, so I don't know if they are all this helpful, but you might want to check it out. Good luck.

[Curley Cole]

I took a short class at a Tandy store years ago, didn't cost much, but I have always been one to be self taught. So I took what I got from that class as a basis and took the book that came in the kit and did the stuff on my own. I am sure I could have made less mistakes from a class ( like not letting the leather twist when doing a lacing the first one looked like hell, but after that I found lacing to be kinda theraputic...

anyways good luck

curley

[WaddWatsonEllis]

It was Tandy that had the class I  was speaking of  ... and it will probably fit the needs of the average person who already knows that he is interested in leatherwork.

But my last serious 'leatherwork' was stitching a wallet together in summer camp some 45 years ago.

Even if I was to find that I am fanatic about leatherwork, I would be begging, borrowing and buying (occaisionally) to start out.

And when I went to the leatherworking meeting held at Tandy, they were forthright that the tools could be used in the shop but not taken out .... very fair .... but in the same breath, they said that the class required doing homework that would require the use of tools.

I try to be fair about this ... if they lent tools, most certainly the majority might (or probably) would not return. And to pay an instructor, his wages must be paid from the class. And a profit must be seen; Tandy must be paid for the use of their shop time and use  of their tools .... and for the avarage employed person, this probably works. It just doesn't work for me at this point ...


Perhaps later....

[Ned Buckshot]

What type of knife sheath do you want?

Perhaps I can help you out. Let me know.

Ned

[Ned Buckshot]

Hey WWE, sent you an email clarifying my last statement!

I think you'll like it!

Ned

[JD Alan]

WWE, I'll bet someone like Ned, or another experienced sheath maker would cut out some leather to fit your knife and send it to you. Then you could take it to your local Tandy store and borrow some stamps, and crate a sheath to your liking. I've seen Donna at the Portland store help people put together their first project, even helping them to sew it together. I've got leather I would donate to your project. I would mail you some tools for stamping as well, if you knew what you wanted to use, and I had them.

I'm sure the same offer would come from quite a number of guys here, who've been so helpful to me. Just a thought.

[Arizona Cattleman]

I know that we all have duplicates of tools, stamps etc.  Maybe we could set up a broker location where we could ship to, then when a pard needs a basic set to get started, it could be put together and sent to them.  Just a thought, whats your feelings or ideas.

AZ Cattleman

[Springfield Slim]

WWE; Anytime you feel like it you can come on over and use my stuff to make something. It's not like you are going to wear out my stamps and blades are either replaceable or can be sharpened. And I won't even charge the 75.00! I'm in San Jose so not real close but not really that far either, a couple of hours maybe.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Gosh guys, I am humbled and a bit red faced at your outright kindness.

AZ Calltleman sent me enough tools to get started ... if these are duplicates, you mush have a HELLACIOUS shop .... thank you so much!

In fact, it got me out in my woodshop.... always thereapeutic, don't know why I don't get oout there more more often... I had some old scrap 1 1/4" plywood .... squared it up .... took it over to the drill press and made four rows of holes that stop 1/40 inch shy of the bottom ..... in the different diameters of the tools

This AM when I went out to my Friday AM Men's Meeting from church, i stopped next door at Home Depot for some water based polyurethane and some library index card style handles and some 1/4" dowel. So now all I need to do is find someone in Sacto with a floor model drill press so that I can drill into the ends and dowel them and drill for the handle screws ...

I placed a pic of the half finished tool carer on this thread ... I am hoping it will fit inot the lower bin of a tool box so that I can use the top for long handles, scissors and whatever.

I think I may have gotten the bug...