two pieces of a chest harness sitting on a messy workbench. both pieces are about 8 inches long total and consist of two large o-rings joined by a dark teal leather strap. the o rings and rivets are matte black.
reference
leather
practices
cardboard templates have been really handy for the spacing of rivets and such. I use cereal boxes since they are not corrugated.
tools
If I have linked a tool, I really like that specific tool and find it stands out. Otherwise, idk, I've used precisely one edge beveler, I have no idea how it compares.
(need to have) some kind of scratch awl for marking
(need to have) cutproof mat
(need to have basically whenever you are using a mallet) "poundo board" or cutting board (this is just an example, I got mine elsewhere) - importantly, this is distinct from your cutproof mat. you can use this in place of your cutproof mat but it tends to pick up a lot of punctures which can leave indents in your leather with pressure - so I only use mine for mallet-ing and otherwise use my cutproof mat
(nice to have) pattern plastic - but like I said above you can use non-corrugated cardboard
(nice to have) acrylic leather thickness gauge - but you can also just use a ruler or calipers, or learn to gauge by eye/feel
cutting
(need to have) metal cork-backed ruler (cork backing will keep it from slip-sliding around)
(nice to have for small objects with a lot of layers at the seams, like wallets) skiving knife of some kind. there's a lot of different types out there. I have a CS Osborne leather knife and I don't love it, but idk if that's just because I am still learning how to skive.
you're supposed to skive on a fucken rock so as not to absolutely wreck your cutproof mat. I haven't got my rock yet but I haven't ruined my mat yet either.
ok so I got a skiving knife from Weaver and it definitely beats out the CS Osborne leather knife
edging and burnishing
(nice to have) edge beveler
(need to have) sandpaper in maybe two grits. I have 100 and 600 sitting around right now
if you don't want to go in on a $50 push drill, start with just some simple single-hole punches or a rotary punch. rotary punches are pretty heavily recommended since they come with a range of punch sizes; I avoid them like the plague because I have small shitty hands and I think those would pair poorly with a rotary punch.
if you're going to be attaching buckles, you'll need oblong holes for the buckle tongue. two options:
punch a standard hole at each end of your eventual oblong, then using a ruler and sharp small blade cut between those holes to create your oblong
get an oblong punch. shaped punches are expensive as shit but if you're doing more than a few buckles this is worth it.
another shaped punch: the english point strap end punch. I don't own this yet but am heavily considering it if I am going to make more harnesses (and I am). you don't specifically need english point - there's other strap end styles - but having a strap end punch in the size of your choosing is useful for harnesses, belts, anything with a lot of straps.
with strap end punches, you can use a larger punch on a smaller strap (for an imperfect result, tbf) but not vice versa
there are also strap end acrylic templates out there on several retailers sites - I have a tandy one
riveting, snapping, etc
for any given size/brand of rivets, you can usually buy a setter and anvil for maybe $25 together
also I have one extra of both of those specific linked items, so if you're short on cash lmk and I will ship em to ya - since I have switched over to the next option
however, if you think you might get really into leatherworking, or if you think you will be getting multiple sizes of rivets, attaching snaps, attaching other types of rivet-style clasps, whatever, I would highly recommend this setter post and base and a rivet setter die or whichever setter die you need for your specific thing
these dies also work with larger presses and make it much more possible to transition from a hand press to a full press without having to re-buy all your dies
according to Corter Leather at the very least (I don't really have the experience to make a full comparison) this system is much more reliable for well-balanced, well-rounded rivets, snaps, etc
stitching
(nice to have) wing divider for drawing stitching lines
(need to have) stitching chisels! if you want to save some money, you mostly need the 6-tooth and the 2-tooth - 6 for straightaways, 2 for curves. I occasionally use my 4-tooth and very occasionally use my 1-tooth (except for zippers. if you wanna do zippers get a 1-tooth).
my stitching chisels are 4mm spacing. I picked this pretty arbitrarily :)
technically you could just buy a diamond awl or a 1-tooth chisel and poke each hole individually and that would be cheaper but oh my god love yourself
(need to have) thread - I am using Ritza 25 Tiger Thread (currently I have the 1.0mm size. I find it a little large and will probably size down when I order other colors - update, sized down to .8 and even have some .6 - much preferable) and have also used MeiSi Superfine Linen Thread but polyester threads are easier to seal off with a lighter
(nice to have) some kind of silicone needle puller (I don't actually have this one, I was having trouble finding what I have - little pink finger covers that are all grippy) for gripping needles. or just use the back of a mousepad? or something?
tool care
(need to have for certain blades such as skiving knife) jeweler's rouge for stropping
I am not an expert here so I am not making firm recommendations. I got mine from Springfield Leather
tooling
(need to have) swivel knife
(need to have) a beveler. I have a smooth beveler at the moment, but am waiting on a checked beveler in the mail as I think I will like that look better
(need to have) as mentioned previously, mallet or maul
(nice to have) literally any other stamps i guess
(nice to have) templates! it really helps to start out with some designs made for swivel knife. I got a few (both free and paid) from dadhands
zippers
okay so I bought them because they are pretty but these rainbow zippers actually make it so much easier because you can differentiate each tooth from the next!!!
