Drilling thick leather for hand stitching?

[Tallbald]

I know I've mentioned my troubles with carpal tunnel syndrome and numbness of fingers when doing fine hand work. I've tried punching the holes for threading but can only do tiny sections at a time that make threading something I don't look forward to. One of my first holster attempts I did drill, but had problems with the bit wandering after entering the thick leather. I have to use my 17 inch drill press too, which is about like  icing a birthday cake with an axe head for a spatula.
I'm looking at the Proxxon variable speed hand grinder that can be fitted with a drill chuck. Has anyone done this and how well did it work? I know they also sell a drill press attachment for it, and am giving that thought too, or adapting my press to hold it. It's time to sew again and I'm not enthusiastic. Thank you all, Don.

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Thinking about this subject, " I am reminded of the cliche about 'paying your money and taking your chances'.

On the one hand a drill bit tears out the leather and the hole in the leather pretty much stays as it is.

On the other hand, using an awl leaves the leather, parting it so a thread can go through ... one can almost see the hole close and lock the thread in place.

So there you have it ... quick down and easy with holes left open, or tedious, painful and numbing but better quality and stronger stitching ...

[Tallbald]

I wondered the same thing. I guess having to compromise in our endeavors during life never stops does it....

[Ned Buckshot]

You could probably adapt an awl handle to fit in your press and use that?

Ned

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre]

       Right idea, wrong tool. I use a Dremel tool with a 3/32" bit for ALL my leather work. I use several of the large paper clamps to hold the piece together, removing them as needed to access the section I'm drilling, replacing them after drilling. This way, there is only about an inch of the seam unsupported at a time.
     I set the piece on a scrap piece of wood, and drill right into it. If you mark your stitching holes with a 5 to the inch stitching wheel, it won't wander, providing YOU don't.
     The high speed tool has the added advantage of burnishing the holes, preventing any tearing.
Use a good, waxed thread, pulling it snug every two or three stitchs.
     I've used this method on everything from knife pouches, .38 snubbies, Cowboy guns, a Taurus 92 WITH a laser, all the way up to a 6 1/2" Taurus Raging Bull with excellent results.
     Any further questions, please feel free to ask.

[Trailrider]

I groove the stitch line with a groover, and then mark with a 6-7 stitch/inch wheel. I then gently prick the marks with an awl, NOT all the way through, just enough to leave a little indentation.  Then I drill through the leather with a #56 drill bit chucked up in my drill press. I back the leather with some scrap particle board.  I drill each side of a holster separately, after making sure the holes line up at each end.  That way the drill bit isn't inclined to drift.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

  I use a 1/16" drill bit when the leather is too thick to get through with an awl or stitching chisel, and 5 SPI is a good spacing for holsters or gun belts, for putting the holes in I use a variable speed Dremmel Tool, if you plan on doing leather work, this is a great tool to have on hand, I prefer the 1/16" hole over a larger hole, because after sewing I can just tap my stitch line down with a smoothed headed hammer which helps close the holes up a bit, also walk your stitch marker over your stitches again, this will make them look nice and neat, if after the holes are made and the needle doesn't go through easy, I use my awl then to loosen up the hole, I go all around before sewing, also to , when drilling holes using the Dremmel Tool you have to make sure you keep the right angle so your hole will come out right on the other side of your work on the stitch line , a little patience/practice and keeping your mind on what you're doing, and you can do a great job, like I was telling you before, I'm left handed, and my injured hand is my left, you'll find you can do all these things in leather, but might have to adapt to a method that works best for you, and just a note, you might want to keep a tube of Arnicare Gel on hand for the AR, Marshall Will turned me on to this stuff, and works great for pain.


                 tEN wOLVES  

[rickk]

A punctured hole self-heals somewhat.

I drilled hole is more likely to tear later.

A pointy-as-heck diamond stitching awl is the best hole maker.

I wonder if one could adapt an Osbourne stitching awl point ( http://www.csosborne.com/no54-59.htm ) to a press.  When they are really sharp they go through leather pretty easily. I would think that a 1 ton press would be capable of pushing it through anything with ease.

Be warned that if they get dull and you push them hard they will bend. If pushing by hand you can sort of feel when they are needing to be touched up.  With a press you might not notice until it is too late and the replacement points are not the cheapest thing in the world.

[Cliff Fendley]

Rather than a drill bit try using a small finish nail. I like punching a hole rather than drill it so the leather can close back around the thread tighter. Many times I do this first then run my diamond awl through the holes as I stitch. Just makes pushing the awl through much easier. A lot of times I'll punch the front side first then run through after assembly so the nail doesn't wonder as bad.

I've really been thinking of adapting an awl in a press like what tallbald did with the stamping machine but haven't taken the time to do it.

[rickk]

When you make a hole with an awl, it will close up after a while, so if you punch them all out at once on your press you will still wind up opening them back up with the awl one at a time as you stitch.

I like to push mine through until the fat part is in the leather, then twist it a bit. That makes the hole bigger than the awl and allows easy removal.

[alaskapacker]

What is the advantage of a diamond awl, (or a drill bit) over the multi-prong punches that I hammer through? I know there is one, or so many of the top hands on here wouldn't use it. Is it because the prongs make a longer hole? I know on some of my smaller work I have used a 1/16th bit in a dremel tool because of size, but what about larger peices like holsters and such? Is there more to it than size of hole?

[rickk]

I for one have tried the 4 hole punches and found that the diamond awl along with a stitching wheel is easier. Other's have found the opposite to be true. I think this is a Ford/Chevy or Bud/Miller question that is best answered by trying them both.

For me, I groove and then mark one side with the stitching wheel and punch out that one side with the diamond awl. Unlike the 4 pronger, I can push it in, give it a little bit of a twist to enlarge the hole, and then pull it out with ease.

Then I glue the two sides together with barge cement.

Once the cement has dried I push the awl though the prepunched side and into the unpunched side one hole at a time and sew a stitch. If the leather is thick (it usually is for cowboy stuff) I put the piece on a poundo board and push the awl through the pre-punched hole and the unpunched side. If the awl is sharp (I sharpen before each session) it will penetrate the unpunched side easily. I give it a bit of a twist to temporarily enlarge the hole and then sew that stitch.

I use dull needles (they come that way). The prepunched holes do not require a sharp needle and there are less "incidents" involving blood with the round point needles.

I hope you know this already, but just in case... when using a diamond point awl the "holes" are sort of twisted at 45 degrees so that in spite of the fact that the holes are big, they are actually quite a ways apart and there is little chance of tearing leather between holes. The 4 prongers are set up the same way. This is a major advantage over drilling holes that are of course round and come very close to touching each other.

[Tallbald]

Thank you everyone for replying. I now have a better, more thorough understanding of the pros and cons. The Proxxon drill, I think, would be best for me at this time and I'll save my dimes (or get my tax return back) and go that route. I can use the tool also in making more embossing stamps to work with when a needle file isn't appropriate. Good things to all of you. Don

[Chuck 100 yd]

I use 5 stitches per inch and drill using a #55 drill. That`s about 10 thousandths smaller than 1/16" and makes a very snug stitch with my thread. I use my optivisor glasses so I can see well and drill with care. If the drill is wandering it is because the dent in the leather made by the stitch spacing wheel is not exactly centered under the drill bit. Being able to see this has made drilling so much better for me.
Try some strong readers available at most grocery stores and drug stores. They help a bunch .