Leather Tools

My workshop is really a 14'x 12' bedroom at one end of our mobile home. Photo one is taken from the door looking towards the leather workbench. On the extreme left you can see the drafting/drawing table. The tool box is fully stocked. (I'm a licenesed aircraft mechanic and certified small engine mechanic.) The plastic tubs on the floor hold leather, drawing supplies, patterns, books, etc. All the things I need to do my various types of work. In the closet are more tubs full of computer bits, boxes of books and other stuff.

In the second photo I am standing in front fo the closet looking back towards the door. Here you can see the computer desk, large cabinet covered in computer stuff, camera gear, stereo, scanner, and camera bags on the top. Also used for general storage. What you don't see in these photos are the bookshelves. They cover the other wall. And that's only about 1/2 of our books! (I like sci-fi, mystery, and tech books. My wife is in to mystery, historical fiction, and cookbooks.) The large shelf unit on the extreme left, between the cabinet and the wall is stocked with more computer parts, monitors, and disks. These are the parts I use to build computers for people who can't afford them. Mostly they are salvaged and obsolete parts. <.P>

And if you have a really strong stomach, you can view my own ugly mug. Don't say I didn't warn you!

The Po' Man's Maul.

I wanted a custom made maul but couldn't afford a nice one. So I built it! The head is made of UHMW plastic, purchased from a local supplier. The shaft and handle are iron pipe with a coupler below the head. The head was drilled using a 7/8" spade bit and is held on by two large steel washers and a pipe cap. The entire maul is filled with steel shot (BBs) and the ends capped with hot melt glue. A leather cover (Some old chrome tanned leather I had laying around) was fashioned and sewn over the iron handle. Overall weight is 2 lbs. (.9 kg). It sure is nice! Total cost invested: $15US. That includes enough plastic to make 5 more heads.

UPDATE! 4-3-98
I wasn't happy with the balance of my maul. There was way too much weight in the handle and not enough in the head. I removed all the BBs and filled the pipe in the head area with lead. I used some lead balls I have for my muzzle loading rifle but large lead fishing weights would work as well. I dropped the lead balls into the pipe, then pounded them into place using a large punch. A hardwood dowel, steel rod, or large nail, head down, with the point cut off would work well too. The soft lead was easy to deform and now is in very solidly. This gave me about the same weight, but moved it all to the head area. The maul is much easier to use and I am happier with it since I made this modification.

I'm working on another maul with brass weights. I picked up some scrap brass at my local recycler for $1 per pound. I'll have more on this as work progresses.

Hand Made leather stamping tools.

These are some of the tools I have made using large nails, steel rod, and bolts. Each is carefully formed using a Dremel tool, files, silicon carbide sandpaper, whetstones, and finally polishing with jewler's rouge. I still haven't found a way to get a nice cross hatch pattern that I like with a needle file, but I'm working on it.

For more info on building tools, keep checking back. I'm working on an article on building quality tools for low cost.

Stitching Clam

Stitching Clam

Inspired by Johan Potgieter's description of a "stitching clam" used to hold leather items tightly while stitching them together, along with a photo on the IILG website I set out to build this simple, elegant and functional tool.

Detailed construction article