I just wanted to say I really appreciate the fact that you don't spend a lot of time showing *how* to do certain steps. You have a good sense of pacing and you know how to get to the point, which is rare. A lot of other instruction videos spend far too long showing the process of, say, cutting or gluing wood, which takes away from the instructional value of the video by wasting time on things that anyone looking for this kind of tutorial already knows how to do.
Thanks Harry. I live 2 blocks from a Tandy Leather Factory Store. I began building this stitching pony today with scrap material. With all hardware and lumber under 5 dollars the Tandy price for the pony at 100 dollars. Thank you for posting this, from the Texas panhandle!
brings back memories. Don't do what i did and skip the sanding. Using one I made in my bedroom as a teenager while making a knife sheath I ended up with a splinter right in my thigh due to working a little before I was going to go to bed.
Its thanks to your web site that I am about to start my first leather project - a leather belt. Please keep up the good work in producing informative videos so that newbies can learn more. Many thanks.
Excellent job! Boy, the oak boards you obtained from your neighbor were perfect for this project. Now, if I can find a neighbor who has some offcuts I'll be all set for my stitching pony. Thank you for the tutorial!
Hi Harry build my pony Today . I was bit limited with tools took me the whole afternoon however I am chuffed with it. I have just started doing leather as a hobby. I am actually a photographer but find that working with leather is a great and relaxing.
Thats great - makes the films worthwhile - thanks. I do enjoy leatherworking as you say its relaxing and creative at the same time, and a bit of a lost art these days, but then you find there are a fair number of people quietly making beautiful things.
Hi Harry, I made my stitching pony by following your guidance and it works very well, thank you so much for making these videos, I'm learning so many things from your videos, I also like your ever smiling face😊.
Thanks so much for your great stitching pony video. I made mine a few months ago. Your instructions were so easy to follow and the resulting pony is such a joy to stitch with. I especially like the fact that the upper part of the unit swivels. Makes it so nice to work with. And it gets constant use.
I've just started to pick up leather work as a new hobby and was looking for a stitching pony. Got this done over the weekend as your instruction. Got a small accident while drilling one of the hole as I have never used an impact drill before :) Thanks very much for your video!
I've watched a few videos on making one of these, and I think I am going to make this one. I like the design and the fact that it can swivel. Thank you for making the video.
Your toolchests sound good - you are right about the shakey filter - I have stopped using it now - though it may remain on another upload I will avoid it in future - thanks for the constructive feedback - always learning with this film stuff - regards Harry
Excellent quality pony Harry. Thank you for making a very well done tutorial on the leather pony. I have to say that I had the same thoughts as yourself when looking at ponies in the store. I also must add that your design blows them away! I am going into the shop right now to make my copy of yours. Thanks again.
Thank you for sharing this, Harry...I am now at the point where I want to start making pieces which require stitching...so I will be off to the hardware store to collect the required components...thank you.
BRILLIANT Harry!!! Thank you. I've just started doing some leatherwork, knife sheaths, and wondered how a stitching pony worked, so now I know and also know how to make one. As always a great video, thanks again. Cheers Bruce
Hi Harry, I just built one today. Took me about 3 hours, but it was fun too! Thanks for the video, it kind of gave me an idea how to do it. The whole thing cost me about 6€ and some time. :) Greeting from the Czech republic!
That bit seems OK, but yes I have been chamfering some of the base bits so that the edges are rounder and less likely to knock ones hands. Good idea about using it for other workholding jobs! Thanks Harry
found your videos while looking for leatherwork videos to cover handmade books and this little device looks like it would make a great clamp for binding and sewing books together. I've never seen or heard of this before.
+Devra Robertson I guess you could make extra wide jaws for books!.....plans for this and my traditional saddlers clam are in my Etsy shop...link above.
you did a great job, and if you covered the heads of the clamps with soft leather, will be greater, because if thight too mutch the leather, it will let destortion after finishing job, sorry if my english is not good, i hope you've understood what i mean
Very nice! Thanks for putting together such a clear and useful video. I like your little work area. Looks like some thought had gone into the design. Good job. I'll be checking out some of your other videos. Thanks again..
I did lots of leatherwork when I was a teenager and always wished I'd had one of those. Considering my dad was a carpenter, you'd think we could have figured something like that out. I guess working 6 days a week then coming home and working on our house on Sunday was enough for him though! So I'll make one now, 45 years late.
Great vid M8. I am finding all sorts of handy items that are far less expense to make. Creative, as you are. I will most definitely scrounge a bit of flooring and give it a go. Made my own extremely sharp diamond point awls from steel rod from the last few years political signs I scrounged while walking :>) Finally a good use for politics. Hafts are hard wood and high density nylon block cut to size and drilled. I did order Speedy Stitcher for some work. Excellent tool btw. I make my own camp knives from discarded butcher/carving/steak knives (full shank) with finger guards. Blades re-ground to configuration. Sheaths are the leather part. Many discarded leather belts :>) Thread is from tarred 'bank' line (fishing), unwound into three thinner threads, by a drill spun triangle with 3 spinners. A tool that I devised (reverse of twisting rope). Fast and cheap way to create sewing thread. Thank you again for the great vid. Nice day for outside work. If I lived closer nearby (across the pond), we could construct you a shop:>)
Great video - I'll be making one of these soon! If you have a large piece of leather you could take out the bolt and use a C-clamp, which give a bit more space.
Great video. I think I will give this a go. I may try and put a light spring in between the upright arms so that it always comes open when shifting my projects. Thanks again!
Nice video, I am going to build one based on your instruction, in fact, although it's 2 am here in Colorado, I'm going to go out to my shed and see how much oak I have left, cheerio!
90 pounds?? Blimey! I paid about the equivalent of 10 quid or less for mine here in the USA. Not surprised you made you own. Nice job too. Cheers, Frank.
Great video, I thought I would make a suggestion, and that is to glue some soft leather into the jaws of the vise, so you want mark up your leather. Great plans excellent video, Have A Blessed Day form USA......
Gracias a ti construí uno para mis trabajos, y aunque no hablo inglés, te entendí perfectamente porque lo explicaste muy bien sobre la práctica, aveces sobran las palabras. Por cierto me quedó muy bien y todo gracias a ti
Not a criticism but more a suggestion,I noticed your vice,(which I would dearly love ),could do with a coat of rust killer and some paint,Merry Christmas regards Bill
Hi, Excellent. Great quality, sound recording and well explained. Would it be possible for you to send me the measurements. Keep up the good work and thanks for putting it on UA-cam. Nigel UK.
Thanks Harry. I made one like this and I find my thread catching on the bolt head and the end of the bolt. There has got to be a better way to maintain tension without some kind of projection catching the thread as you sew. I have seen removable spring clamps used. I may try some bungy cord low on the jaws. It is annoying to get into a sewing rhythm and have to stop to untangle the thread from the bolt sticking out.
Hi Bruce, I have since put a leather cover over the bolt end so the thread slips off....i.e. a leather bridge over the bolt end so no sharp object. I hope that helps.
Thank you for making this video. If I might ask, what is the purpose of hinging one side of the pony? I'm going to be building one soon as I also just started out with leatherworking and I'm inclined to build this rather than pay for a built one.
Hi, I liked the video as I like to see someone having a go, but do have a few of observations that may help. You would have been better off running the blocks you used to thicken the jaws with the grain running in the same direction as the uprights. That way you would be able to use someones band saw and shape the interior of the jaws without having short grain issues with the wood. You only need the jaws to be 3/4 to 1" high. Any more is can get in the way when sewing some items. I have a couple of clams one is a full 4" wide of the English style given to me as an apprentice and the other is home made in the same style and is about 1 1/2" wide. I had a professional steam bender shape the staves for me. 90 pounds is cheap for a pair of clams when you have actually make a set and know what is involved. I have tried to use the hobby style clams with the screw when showing a friend how to stitch leather and they were almost more hassle than they were worth. The thread is constantly hooking over the bolt and wing nut and they do not hold well and make it difficult to reposition the work. We solved it by wrapping several turns of 6mm bungee cord around the lower part of the unit. The tension is plenty for most sewing but when you need more you have two knees just bring them together as you push the awl through for exta grip. All the best.
Hello - I like the sound of your modifications.....so I will use that in mind for a mark two - Thanks. I have a steam box and boiling bath, so perhaps I might have a go at making some traditional clams some time....as you say its a lot of work to get it right - I had to make a special jig to make the read legs of the Sussex Chair that I show in one of my other films. Thanks for taking the time to comment and adding a lot of richness to this project and discussion. Harry
Thanks for sharing your video. I have taken the liberty of sharing it with my Facebook followers. Once issue that you may or may not have encountered already is the thread getting caught up on the bolt. I have a counter for this on my Facebook page. Good Day!
I'm pleased to see you have a sense of humour about it...yes the thread seems to manage to get caught on the bolt, on the workpiece and just about anywhere else if using two long ones - I hope your Facebook followers enjoy the film.
Great video. This is off topic, but why do some Brits still use the Imperial system and others use metric? I've seen a lot of craftsmen from the U.K using the Imperial system on UA-cam.
I think it depends on how long ago you were at school,the metric system was the main taught measurement practice from about 1974 so anyone who attended school before that would probably use imperial system throughout their lives or as i do a mixture of the two. Hope this helps.
I just wanted to say I really appreciate the fact that you don't spend a lot of time showing *how* to do certain steps. You have a good sense of pacing and you know how to get to the point, which is rare. A lot of other instruction videos spend far too long showing the process of, say, cutting or gluing wood, which takes away from the instructional value of the video by wasting time on things that anyone looking for this kind of tutorial already knows how to do.
Thanks.
Agreed
Agree
My thoughts exactly, a much apreceated approach and video
Thanks Harry. I live 2 blocks from a Tandy Leather Factory Store. I began building this stitching pony today with scrap material. With all hardware and lumber under 5 dollars the Tandy price for the pony at 100 dollars. Thank you for posting this, from the Texas panhandle!
Manuel - you are very lucky to live near a supplier - and I'm pleased to help.....thanks for your comment.
Thank you again, Harry...finally got to go to the hardware store today...I have my stitching pony nearly finished!!!
brings back memories. Don't do what i did and skip the sanding. Using one I made in my bedroom as a teenager while making a knife sheath I ended up with a splinter right in my thigh due to working a little before I was going to go to bed.
Its thanks to your web site that I am about to start my first leather project - a leather belt. Please keep up the good work in producing informative videos so that newbies can learn more. Many thanks.
Excellent job! Boy, the oak boards you obtained from your neighbor were perfect for this project. Now, if I can find a neighbor who has some offcuts I'll be all set for my stitching pony. Thank you for the tutorial!
Yes, I think that will be particularly helpful for the rather crazy task of reupholstering the worn out leather seats in my old car. Thanks Harry.
Simple hand tools and steps to make what is a fairly complex Leatherman's stitching tool. Brilliant!
h baker Thanks.
Hi Harry build my pony Today . I was bit limited with tools took me the whole afternoon however I am chuffed with it. I have just started doing leather as a hobby. I am actually a photographer but find that working with leather is a great and relaxing.
Thats great - makes the films worthwhile - thanks.
I do enjoy leatherworking as you say its relaxing and creative at the same time, and a bit of a lost art these days, but then you find there are a fair number of people quietly making beautiful things.
Thanks Harry. Your efforts are appreciated. I liked how you explained everything. Take care.
Hi Harry, I made my stitching pony by following your guidance and it works very well, thank you so much for making these videos, I'm learning so many things from your videos, I also like your ever smiling face😊.
Thanks
Thanks so much for your great stitching pony video. I made mine a few months ago. Your instructions were so easy to follow and the resulting pony is such a joy to stitch with. I especially like the fact that the upper part of the unit swivels. Makes it so nice to work with. And it gets constant use.
Thats great Kim - thanks.
best stitching pony I have seen so far, and hand made from surplus materials. I am making one. Thank you
I like the idea that it swivels. Good idea and good job on the build.
Thanks and I like your stove - great.
I've just started to pick up leather work as a new hobby and was looking for a stitching pony. Got this done over the weekend as your instruction. Got a small accident while drilling one of the hole as I have never used an impact drill before :)
Thanks very much for your video!
That's one dandy pony amigo. Great piece. I'll try it now. Salutations from Texas.
Great video! You helped me get my plan for my clam and now I'm working on making watchbands. Thanks so much from the States!
+TheK9COPPER Thats great - hope the watchbands go well.
You make me smile because you get right to the point thank you did a great job
Many thanks for sharing.
This is a project I am going to make myself.
All the very best.
I've watched a few videos on making one of these, and I think I am going to make this one. I like the design and the fact that it can swivel. Thank you for making the video.
You did an awesome job ... I like the idea of it swiveling for adjustments .. and the idea of the different heights for the bolt
Thanks very much.
Your toolchests sound good - you are right about the shakey filter - I have stopped using it now - though it may remain on another upload I will avoid it in future - thanks for the constructive feedback - always learning with this film stuff - regards Harry
Cool project a must for stitching. Making mine after the weekend thanks for sharing bud
Great ...and good luck with yours....I would probably put a little more curve on the internal jaws next time..though not essential.
Excellent quality pony Harry. Thank you for making a very well done tutorial on the leather pony. I have to say that I had the same thoughts as yourself when looking at ponies in the store. I also must add that your design blows them away! I am going into the shop right now to make my copy of yours. Thanks again.
Thank you for sharing this, Harry...I am now at the point where I want to start making pieces which require stitching...so I will be off to the hardware store to collect the required components...thank you.
Thats great Isabella - sounds like you are a true artist and get things done - I hope it goes well I am very happy with mine. Regards Harry
Nicely done! This will be my project for this weekend. Thanks for the guide!
It works really well - you may want to put a bit of curve in the jaws, but its fine without - goodluck.
BRILLIANT Harry!!! Thank you. I've just started doing some leatherwork, knife sheaths, and wondered how a stitching pony worked, so now I know and also know how to make one.
As always a great video, thanks again.
Cheers
Bruce
Thanks Bruce
Excelente, justamente o que eu precisava, você explicou muito bem!
Vou fazer o meu, gratidão!!!
❤🇧🇷🇧🇷
nice one harry,simple and efficient not forgetting free!.need one for making knife sheaths so thanks for the vid.
Thanks for the tutorial! I like that it swivels.I just made one in about an hour and a half.
Thats great Charlie
Thanks for this Harry. I'll be making mine tomorrow. Excellent video.
Thank you for a great video on a must have tool. I am just starting to work with leather and this will be a great help in my journey.
Very good video as I need to make one to get my leather projects underway.
Nicely done, I am going to make one next week, I like the swivel idea
Thanks for the tutorial.Thumbs up !
Thanks - probably best to keep the jaw bolt a bit shorter - good luck.
Hi Harry, I just built one today. Took me about 3 hours, but it was fun too! Thanks for the video, it kind of gave me an idea how to do it. The whole thing cost me about 6€ and some time. :) Greeting from the Czech republic!
Thats great Josef - and a very useful thing to have.
That bit seems OK, but yes I have been chamfering some of the base bits so that the edges are rounder and less likely to knock ones hands. Good idea about using it for other workholding jobs! Thanks Harry
I've watched many of your videos. Just want to tell you that I Love You!
found your videos while looking for leatherwork videos to cover handmade books and this little device looks like it would make a great clamp for binding and sewing books together. I've never seen or heard of this before.
+Devra Robertson I guess you could make extra wide jaws for books!.....plans for this and my traditional saddlers clam are in my Etsy shop...link above.
you did a great job, and if you covered the heads of the clamps with soft leather, will be greater, because if thight too mutch the leather, it will let destortion after finishing job, sorry if my english is not good, i hope you've understood what i mean
Yes - a good addition - thanks
Good work Harry and well presented. I'll be making one of these. Thanks
Thats great - I am pleased with it now I am using it quite a lot.....good luck with yours. Harry
Excellent video... Because of you, I am going to make a "Made in the US" leather clamp...
~ Cheers
Great......best use a shorter bolt in the side compared to mine!
Very nice! Thanks for putting together such a clear and useful video. I like your little work area. Looks like some thought had gone into the design. Good job. I'll be checking out some of your other videos. Thanks again..
Another excellent video from Mr Rogers.
Excellent, very good tutorial. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, that makes us grow as human beings. Greetings from Chile :)
Thanks you are very welcome.
Another great video Harry.
Well done, sir from the Colonies! I am building mine this week!
Ive been wanting 2 make one. I like ur ideas.Keep up the good work.
Thanks
Thanks for your film, really helped a lot.
I did lots of leatherwork when I was a teenager and always wished I'd had one of those. Considering my dad was a carpenter, you'd think we could have figured something like that out. I guess working 6 days a week then coming home and working on our house on Sunday was enough for him though! So I'll make one now, 45 years late.
Funny how it goes but I am sure that strikes a cord with a lot of us!
Great vid M8. I am finding all sorts of handy items that are far less expense to make. Creative, as you are. I will most definitely scrounge a bit of flooring and give it a go. Made my own extremely sharp diamond point awls from steel rod from the last few years political signs I scrounged while walking :>) Finally a good use for politics.
Hafts are hard wood and high density nylon block cut to size and drilled. I did order Speedy Stitcher for some work. Excellent tool btw. I make my own camp knives from discarded butcher/carving/steak knives (full shank) with finger guards. Blades re-ground to configuration. Sheaths are the leather part. Many discarded leather belts :>)
Thread is from tarred 'bank' line (fishing), unwound into three thinner threads, by a drill spun triangle with 3 spinners. A tool that I devised (reverse of twisting rope). Fast and cheap way to create sewing thread. Thank you again for the great vid. Nice day for outside work. If I lived closer nearby (across the pond), we could construct you a shop:>)
Sounds like some great projects...I like your inventiveness.
Excellent wok and educational, congratulations
Thanks
Great... continues to be a great reference, years later.
Graph Guy Thanks
Excellent work, chap!
absolutely fantastic. loved it. this is my next project
+Nita Gabriel good luck with that.....its a useful accessory
Great ideas, you save our pockets.
Great video - I'll be making one of these soon! If you have a large piece of leather you could take out the bolt and use a C-clamp, which give a bit more space.
Richard Merrill Hi Richard - yes good idea, I do not see why not.
Great video. I think I will give this a go. I may try and put a light spring in between the upright arms so that it always comes open when shifting my projects.
Thanks again!
Thanks and a good idea re the spring - might also be worth angling the jaws a tad - good luck with yours Regards Harry
Thanks for sharing . Love your accent.
+Kim Shing Miew Thanks
thanks dowserdude - I have just come back from Glasgow so at some point there will be some on Arts and Crafts there! Harry
Perfect exhalation love and like it,very good.
Hi just finished mine most excellent many thanks cheers Michael
Michael Brown That's great thanks Michael.
Well done Mr Harry, I should do the same Pony, So thanks a lot for Your help :)
Un gran trabajo una mejor explicación...GRAN VIDEO!!👏🙇♂️
Gracias
Thats great - good luck with yours. Harry
Nice work an a beautiful piece
Great......I have been using mine quite a lot and seems good - I will post something on handstitching axe covers at some point. Harry
Awesome...I need to build one... getting into leather working and need to start using an awl. Thanks!
Nice video, I am going to build one based on your instruction, in fact, although it's 2 am here in Colorado, I'm going to go out to my shed and see how much oak I have left, cheerio!
90 pounds?? Blimey! I paid about the equivalent of 10 quid or less for mine here in the USA. Not surprised you made you own. Nice job too.
Cheers, Frank.
Very interesting, very clear, so much so I think I could run to making one - who knows?
Great video. I think I'm going to make one today.
Great video, I thought I would make a suggestion, and that is to glue some soft leather into the jaws of the vise, so you want mark up your leather. Great plans excellent video, Have A Blessed Day form USA......
+3228000 Thanks - yes that is a good idea
Great idea. Great video. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing. Excellent video
Nicely done, I like it.
Functional. Very good job.
Finished it. Works great, though not as pretty as yours. Thanks for the video. Made my life much easier.
Gracias a ti construí uno para mis trabajos, y aunque no hablo inglés, te entendí perfectamente porque lo explicaste muy bien sobre la práctica, aveces sobran las palabras. Por cierto me quedó muy bien y todo gracias a ti
Maria De La T Tamayo Gracias y bueno Maria.
Not a criticism but more a suggestion,I noticed your vice,(which I would dearly love ),could do with a coat of rust killer and some paint,Merry Christmas regards Bill
Excellent....I shall start work on mine soon.
This is a great how to video. Thank you!
amazing harry, I´ll try to replicate this tool, thank you so much :)
great job. Very usefull video. Thank you very much!!
Hi, Excellent. Great quality, sound recording and well explained.
Would it be possible for you to send me the measurements.
Keep up the good work and thanks for putting it on UA-cam.
Nigel UK.
Hi Nigel - at 1.20 there is a sketch - you can freeze the view there - good luck - it works very well.
Thanks Harry. I made one like this and I find my thread catching on the bolt head and the end of the bolt. There has got to be a better way to maintain tension without some kind of projection catching the thread as you sew. I have seen removable spring clamps used. I may try some bungy cord low on the jaws. It is annoying to get into a sewing rhythm and have to stop to untangle the thread from the bolt sticking out.
Hi Bruce, I have since put a leather cover over the bolt end so the thread slips off....i.e. a leather bridge over the bolt end so no sharp object. I hope that helps.
great job !! Love your vids! Thank you a lot for sharing the knowledge :)
Carlos Sanches Thanks Carlos
Thank you for making this video. If I might ask, what is the purpose of hinging one side of the pony? I'm going to be building one soon as I also just started out with leatherworking and I'm inclined to build this rather than pay for a built one.
Hi Thomas - the hinge is there to allow for different thicknesses for pieces being sewn....its a good project and saves a lot - good luck
Great work.
Thanks - its proved very useful!
Hi, I liked the video as I like to see someone having a go, but do have a few of observations that may help.
You would have been better off running the blocks you used to thicken the jaws with the grain running in the same direction as the uprights. That way you would be able to use someones band saw and shape the interior of the jaws without having short grain issues with the wood. You only need the jaws to be 3/4 to 1" high. Any more is can get in the way when sewing some items. I have a couple of clams one is a full 4" wide of the English style given to me as an apprentice and the other is home made in the same style and is about 1 1/2" wide. I had a professional steam bender shape the staves for me.
90 pounds is cheap for a pair of clams when you have actually make a set and know what is involved.
I have tried to use the hobby style clams with the screw when showing a friend how to stitch leather and they were almost more hassle than they were worth. The thread is constantly hooking over the bolt and wing nut and they do not hold well and make it difficult to reposition the work. We solved it by wrapping several turns of 6mm bungee cord around the lower part of the unit. The tension is plenty for most sewing but when you need more you have two knees just bring them together as you push the awl through for exta grip.
All the best.
Hello - I like the sound of your modifications.....so I will use that in mind for a mark two - Thanks.
I have a steam box and boiling bath, so perhaps I might have a go at making some traditional clams some time....as you say its a lot of work to get it right - I had to make a special jig to make the read legs of the Sussex Chair that I show in one of my other films. Thanks for taking the time to comment and adding a lot of richness to this project and discussion. Harry
I love your videos
Thanks Nicole....there will be one on belt making soon.
Thanks for sharing your video. I have taken the liberty of sharing it with my Facebook followers. Once issue that you may or may not have encountered already is the thread getting caught up on the bolt. I have a counter for this on my Facebook page. Good Day!
I'm pleased to see you have a sense of humour about it...yes the thread seems to manage to get caught on the bolt, on the workpiece and just about anywhere else if using two long ones - I hope your Facebook followers enjoy the film.
In the UK 90 pound and both on eBay sells less than 20$, why I did not make myself, although I had all types of equipment to make a pony.
Top instructions! Nice one.
wow i just looked for things to make this with the other ..very nicely done but I'm not skilled enough to do this..nice to watch though..thnx
Gute Arbeit und gut erklärt Daumen hoch :-)
Great video, thanks for sharing
Awesome work..i need this
Thanks Dinesh.
Great video. This is off topic, but why do some Brits still use the Imperial system and others use metric? I've seen a lot of craftsmen from the U.K using the Imperial system on UA-cam.
I think it depends on how long ago you were at school,the metric system was the main taught measurement practice from about 1974 so anyone who attended school before that would probably use imperial system throughout their lives or as i do a mixture of the two. Hope this helps.