Sacramento CA Leatherworkers?

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Hi,

I am semii-retired and at a great time to start doing things I like to do for work rather than getting some one else rich.

Is there anyone in the Sacramento, CA area that would trade enthusiastic labor for knowledge of [woodworking] replaced by leather makeing (at a later date)?

Or is there an affordable woodworking course that anyone knows in the area?

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Wad, check your Colleges, and Trade Schools, a co worker of mine helped the instructor out so he didn't have to pay a fee, he was considered an employee, but with no benefits or pay, and had to sign a waiver for accidents that could ac cure, an this was in an beginner to advanced wood working class. I'm sure they must have something out your way. try Googleing  wood working classes

                                            Regards


                                       tEN wOLVES 

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Ten Wolves,

Thanks for your reply.

I wish I was looking for woodworking classes near Sacramento ... I already have taken four or five classes at Sierra College in Rocklin.

Attached is a pic of my woodshop.

What I am looking for, and even what Sacramento Tandy seems to have little or no knowledge of, is leatherworking classes in the Sacramento area ... I mean, if I can make an Adirondacks Chair and more, it would seem that I could fasihion leather goods ... the skills are not exclusive.

But there seems to be no leatherworking or apprentice leatherworks positions in Sacramento.

Or is there?

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Ten Wolves,

I am so sorry to cause the confusion ... while my conscious brain was on leather working (and possibly making a B Grade Buscadero Rig for my two Schofields), my subconsicious must have been on the 40 or 40 linear feet of 6 inch wide lyptus I have waiting to be made into a gun cart....  Again I appologize for the Typo.

But I am looking for Sacramento Leatherworking sources.

[cowboywc]

The Gold Country Leather Guild meets the 2nd Sat @ 5:30 pm.
Contact Cathy Schlim 916 363 1562 or cschlim@yahoo.com
Hope this helps.
WC

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Gotcha Wad, maybe one of the other pards can help you with this, you have a nice shop, I did wood work before I had my accident in 05, CowboyWC talked me into trying leather craft, so I'll tell you if you can work with your hands and do wood working you can do this, wood was and is rewarding when working with it, but I have to tell you leather has taken over with me, I can't get enough of it, and look forward to everyday I can get out in my shop and work with leather, Wad get yourself some books for beginners and start slowly and see if it is for you, it won't take long to know if you're going to enjoy this, this is a craft I hope to be doing for many years to come if my hands hold out. if you don't have a Tandy store around, you can order on line. I see WC chimed in , looks like you're in luck

                                           Good Luck Pard

                                           tEN wOLVES  

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Hi,

Thanks for all your responses ...

Ten Wolves, thank you first for your graciousness for my dyslexic response .... (have you heard the dyslexic battle cry,'Dyslexics Untie!') Sorry, a bad joke: but obviously this was a case where one side of the brain was working against the other ...

Cowboy WC: thanks for the email address; I will send her an email as soon as I get off this post!

[WaddWatsonEllis]

I am sure a 'real' leatherworker would have gotten quite a laugh ...

I bought all the stuff from Tandy to make a 'knee belt' that would buckle just above my boot top (with a tie that went about my ankle).

Problem was that the belt strapping was about 3/16' to wide for the buckle.

Again, I am sure that any leather worker would have broken into belly shaking horse laughs to see this woodworker use his orbital belt sander to tale 3/32nds off each side of the belt ...

But, hey, it worked!

BTW, the buckle matches the cartridge belts!

[GunClick Rick]

Another one of them goofy fellers that likes big knives I'm gonna get a DVD from Chuck Burrows in the next few days.Heck watchin the guys here,and WC doin some u-tube lessons and a DVD from Chuck outta do a feller pretty good i would think,but i ain't never done it so i could be wro~~~wro~~WRONG~~ and ya know if ya buy somethin from somebody you can get a good close look,heck i tor aprt all the stuff Ned Buckshot made me just to see....

NOT!!!!

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Rick,

First and always, good to see you.....

And to answer your question, what can I say, I'm an FNG and it was 19.95 at Texas Jacks ..... *S*

But to put your mind at ease, Chuck Burrows is taking a stock knife (slightly smaller and damascene Bowie) and trimming it out so that the sheath and bowie will 'look' more cowboy .... one of the things we talked about was taking the snap safety leather strap off it ... the first snap copyright is around 1920 ... one of my personal quirks ... and is going to replace it with a latigo and horn cinch similar to a cowboy hat lanyard .... I can hardly wait!

I am enclosing a pic of the original knife ....

[GunClick Rick]

Good idea,i have one the size of a volks wagon.Big elk horn handle,almost to thick for my short fingers to go around.I'd like to put some finger grooves in it,but don't know what to use to do it.Don't want to go too deep either.

Good to see you also,hope your good and healthy.. How did ya like the Cowboys show tonight,i enjoyed it..

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Rick,

I just measured this one, and it is just 15 inches, and the handle is a little over 5 inches of it ... and actually, because of the big brass hilt of it, has a decent heft to it.

But the sad thing is that I was just learning to order online, and actually bought two of these. I think I will have an horn handle put on one, and perhaps put brass tacks into the handle of the other one ... I know I eventually want a diamond pattern of brass tacks, but have not been motivated enough to make the pattern. Then it would just be putting pre-drilled holes in the handle and pushing/epoxying in the tacks ... but if anyone has suggestions, I would be all ears ....

[Ace Lungger]

Howdy WWE, 
I can tell you one thing, If I hadn't of blown my back out, i would of done my best to trade you out of your thickness plainer, i have a 12 inch but not as good as I would of like to had. I have 200 board foot of the most beautifull quater sawed oak that I have ever saw!! But now thats a no go!
I hope you find what you are looking for!
Later ACE

[Slowhand Bob]

Wadd, you will find that most of us use power sanders on leather reeeal regular.  Over the coarse (git it) of a day I might use a small 4" belt sander, a Dremel with 1/2"drum sander mounted or my table mounted oscillating drum sander and there is a box of sanding sponges on the shelf near by!    Though I have half a dozen head knives, each with its own little blood stain, my favorite leather knife is a simple utility knife.  Sometimes the best tool is where you find it while the three figured job in some catalog may be useless as teets on a boar hawg.  As to education, you would be hard pressed to beat what most of the guys on here have to teach every time I've been on here asking for help.   

[WaddWatsonEllis]

I lust after one of those Dewalt Thickness planers ... but have no place to put it in my little 1 1/4 car garage-turned shop. As well as a jointer ... but I think a Dewalt might have my name on it during one of the after Christmas sales ...