Reddit Reddit reviews Tandy Leather Craftool� Spacer Set 8091-00

We found 3 Reddit comments about Tandy Leather Craftool� Spacer Set 8091-00. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

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Tandy Leather Craftool� Spacer Set 8091-00
Tandy Leather Craftool� Spacer Set 8091-00
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3 Reddit comments about Tandy Leather Craftool� Spacer Set 8091-00:

u/give_me_candy · 14 pointsr/DIY

I just posted another comment so you'd see a notification.


Here's the list! Hope it's not too long. All the tools listed are the ones I bought. If I have other suggestions, I've listed them as well. I've also listed details on the functions of the tools, and why they're superior to some other alternatives. If you look for the same amount of tools in one of those "kits," they would set you back roughly 200-400, depending on where you bought it from. The tools in these kits are usually quite inferiorly made as well. This list is a result of about a week long search and perusal. Tandy is a well known and easily accessible aggregation of tools, but they're overpriced for what they do and their quality is mediocre at best.

  • Stitching Chisel Set Amazon - $19 - Used for even stitching holes. An alternative to this tool would be something called an overstitch wheel, but from what I've read, the consensus seems to be that pricking irons are better and more reliable for straight lines. Also, overstitch wheels don't pierce the leather all the way, and only mark the holes, meaning that you have to pierce each hole individually with an awl after you're done. Double the work.

  • Stitching Groover & Edge Trimmer Amazon - $22 - This tool combines three tools into one. The edge groover, edge trimmer, and fold liner. It's not amazing quality admittedly, but it gets the job done well, and for the price I really can't complain. The edge groover cuts out a thin channel which sets the thread in deeper in the leather. Edge trimmer smooths the sharp corners, and the fold liner makes a line if you want to fold the leather somewhere.

  • Cutting Mat Amazon - $10 - I'd say absolutely necessary for anything leather related. This one is really cheap, works great. I have the 18x12 inch model, and the price is for that one as well.

  • Hole Punch Set Amazon - $9 - I'd say this one is more on the optional side. Mostly needed if you're interested in putting in hardware like rivets or snaps. Also good however for oblong rounded holes, like I showed in my project.

  • Mallet Amazon - $8 - Needed for all sorts of things. A normal metal hammer won't work because it won't absorb any force at all and all energy will be transferred to the leather, potentially damaging it. A rubber mallet allows for a softer hit.


  • Diamond Stitching Awl Ebay - $9 - While technically not necessary if you're using a stitching chisel, if the leather you're working with is extremely thick, it might help to have it. You should get one anyway though. You'll inevitable end up using it. Also, make sure to get a "Diamond" pointed one. Normal awls with round points just poke a hole in that doesn't close back up. Diamond points are wide and thin, and this allows the leather to close back up on the thread after it has been sewed up. C.S. Osborne is also American made.

  • Skiving Knife Ebay - $9 - Needed for thinning leather when folding, or simply trimming thick leather. There are several different styles, and they all definitely require a bit of finesse to be used properly, but are immensely rewarding once learned. Also a C.S. Osborne.

  • Bone Folder Ebay - $7 - One of the tools you can improvise for. It's needed to crease corners when folding to flatten them out. Also can be used to burnish. The cocobolo burnisher that I made ended up working just as well as this for folding as well. Any smooth, rounded/flat long object will work well for this. This one is also a C.S. Osborne.

  • Harness Needles Ebay - $7 - Size 2 is what I got, and it fits with 0.8 thread, also what I used. These needles are handy because the tips are somewhat rounded, which means no pricked fingers. Comes in a pack of 25, and the first two that I pulled out are still going strong, so they're quite sturdy.

  • Ritza "Tiger" Thread Ebay - $7 for 25m - Obviously endless varietes of alternatives here. However, in my research it seemed to be the consensus that this was the superior thread. It comes already waxed, and it's extremely durable. The 0.8mm size fits the size 2 needle, and both are great for small projects.

  • Barge Cement Ebay - $4 or $23 - Barge cement is a well known glue for leatherworkers, and works well. It's used to hold edges together to make sewing easier, as well as holding folds down. The thing is, they released a new formula, (the $4 one) that is "eco-friendly" and is missing some key chemicals. This is the one I got. It also kinda sucks at holding leather together. The original formula, (the $23 one), comes in a quart size at the smallest, but from what I heard this one is rock solid and the origin of their reputation. If you're planning on doing many projects I'd just say to invest in the quart.

  • Stitching Pony This is what it looks like - I didn't put a link to a product for this one because all the ones I have seen are ridiculously overpriced. I made my own out of some more scrap hardwood I had laying around, (you can barely see the tip of it in the sewing picture here and it works flawlessly. It's used to hold the leather together so you can saddle stitch it, which requires both hands. Besides the wood, it cost me about $3 in hardware to make my own. You can easily whip one up with some 2x4s and a long bolt, knob, and some screws, for a grand total of probably $5 from home depot. You may need a table or miter saw, or equivalent.

    *Some of the eBay listings might have ended, but I'm sure you'll be able to find identical tools for the equivalent price or even cheaper.

    For me the tools came out to a grand total of roughly
    $115. You can give or take $20 if you want to improvise your own tools, or switch them out. I'd say this setup works just fine for mid to smaller projects like what I made, or wallets, etc.

    As for the leather, Springfield Leather sells some quality leather by the square foot, which is nice for first timers, as most tanneries only sell by the side, like what I had, which usually average around 21-28 square feet. Pretty big investment. Maverick Leather Company sells quality leathers as well as Horween "Seconds", like what I got for a very nice discount. These seconds are full sides with minor defects in the leather, but unless you're making huge bags it's easy to cut around the brand marks/scars etc, and your leather will look spotless. I got a full side of Horween Essex for roughly
    $130, and I'm guessing if I bought the same straight for Horween it would have run me in the ballpark of $300 or so. Since my laptop case only used about 7-8% of my leather, I used about $10 worth of leather. Quite a bargain if you ask me. If you're looking to do many projects like I am, I'd advise you to invest in a nice Horween side. Can't beat it for value and price.

    All told, the laptop case itself cost about
    $11-12 worth of materials** (leather, fabric, thread, glue) and took the better part of 2 days to complete. Granted, much of that time was spent just sitting and thinking as most of it was improvisation, as you can see by my horrible sketch.

    As far as my "learning" went, it was literally just Google. Some youtube videos help, and I glanced through some forums, but overall, as I've often found in woodworking too, nothing beats hand-on experience.

    Well, hope this helped you guys out and answered some questions. I know I definitely would have appreciated a specialized list like this when I was starting out.
u/staggerb · 2 pointsr/Watches

At the very least, most of the research I've done recommends using an awl for the holes, which would probably speed it up quite a bit and be pretty inexpensive. Some people prefer a stitching wheel, which marks out the holes, but still requires an awl to punch through. The irons are great, though; I just put the first tine in the last holes that I punched, and it lines up perfectly.

Backstiching is pretty simple- after you've finished your stitching, do two or three stitches coming back from the way you came. It doesn't require any knots that stick out, and it holds everything in place nicely. Just make sure that you pull the thread tight so that it doesn't stand much prouder than the rest of the stitches. I've read that you can cut a slight groove under the stitches that you want to backstitch to help to keep it down, although i never remember to do so.

I haven't worked with kevlar thread, so I don't know how it compares to waxed. However, the wax is nice, as it (1) is fairly slick, so it slides through the holes easily, and (2) helps to resist stains.

As someone else mentioned, /r/leathercraft is a treasure trove of information, so if you want to go in deeper, they're a great resource! Be warned that it is a time vampire, though- there are hundreds of techniques to try that yield a huge variety of results, so I've spent hours trying out different methods to see what works best for me.

u/McCoy1996 · 1 pointr/fountainpens

I used a stitching awl. The needle that came with it is far too large for detailed work though. For another project, I bought a machine sewing needle. Far less ripping and allows for finer threads. You could also stitch using a normal needle.

Something like this is very necessary too for making the spots to place the holes with a normal awl:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0038HWMB2/ref=yo_ii_img?ie=UTF8&psc=1