What is the Best Leathercraft Work Surface?
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- Опубліковано 30 чер 2024
- Finding the best Leathercraft work surface is a quest that I find myself still on today. I began my leather work career cutting leather out on my bed in my apartment and doing all my work on a 2x4 bench that I made to fit by my desk. My roommate wasn't particularly excited about my late night basket stamping sessions. Fast forward to today, and some of my benches are much more nuanced when it comes to the Leathercraft work surface that I work on. Some of them are still hodge-podge assortments of materials that simply work... nothing more.
You can get lost in trying to find the absolute best material to work on. Different leather craft techniques and processes requiring different types of material to work on. The important thing here is to find something that works for you and go with it. When you are a famous leather craftsman someday you can worry about how pretty your work tables and benches are. For now, the only thing that matters is you being able to accomplish your work effectively.
In this video, I go through all of the different Leathercraft work surfaces that I use in my shop. Why I use them and for what purposes. These are the best materials that I have found for completing the different tasks in my work.
I did some research to find the company in San Antonio that made the plastic cutting board material on my cut bench. I did find a company, but since I have never done business with them I didn't feel comfortable recommending them here. I will continue to research a good source for this material and when I find a reliable source I will update this video. I do suggest doing a google search in your area and I bet you can find someone near you that has this material in any size you may need.
For more videos and blog post about the wild world of LeatherCraft, visit our website: dgsaddlery.com
All the paints on my paint table are from Angelus Paint and here is their website: angelusdirect.com
You can also find these paints and anything else you need for your Leathercraft projects at Maker's Leather Supply: makersleathersupply.com
Hahaha, that ending is hilarious! Thanks for a great video and a great laugh!!!
The joke at the end made me laugh out loud 😂😂😂. Great video. I hope people realize just how much time and money you are saving beginners by helping avoid many of the trial and errors that newbies make. There was a time when the professional leather workers held their craft in strict secrecy and didn’t reveal their techniques. Thank you for your wealth of information. I think the leather industry is being advanced by all the pros helping amateurs and hobby people. There are many very talented artists in other venues that we all can learn from when they bring their talents over to the leather industry. They just need someone like you to inspire them to give it a try. Leather craft brings art and craftsmanship together like nothing else.
Thank you so much dude! It was all taught to me so just passing along what works for me.
i agree, it was totally unexpected. haha great vid
Thanks for all the info you are putting out. It’s great to see folks like you passing on your knowledge of the craft.
Great video was already thinking about subscribing joke at the end sold it lol.. sense of humor and good energy make these types of videos so much better. Nice build on the oil drain bench.
HDPE or high density polyethylene for your cutting bench can be purchased online from several plastic manufacturing companies in custom sizes that you specify and they ship directly to your location. Pricing runs from about $5 to $7/sqft depending on thickness and custom sizing.
I enjoyed your sense of humor at the end.
It is good not to take yourself too seriously.
Best workshop work surface video on the internet! Thank you for sharing this with us. And if you ever get tired of Leatherwork you could try Stand-Up, your delivery at the end was spot on. Too funny!
Thanks for your tips on table types. just took my 35+ yrs reloading bench and made it my new leather work bench, 1 1/2 inch maple w/ 4x6 legs.
Pushing 150 lbs. Nice, didn't move with presses on it and so far now works well for leather.
I live in New England - lots of stone work and granite countertop places in my area. I went down to one, asking for a piece of scrap granite. Walked out with a piece of polished soapstone, about 8" x 12", for free. Up until that point, I was sticking a poundo board on my thigh, and whacking on the leather til my thigh hurt. It works, and certainly makes projects more portable!
Ditto. They give away scraps for free around here
Lots of good info here again Don I use steel plate to tool on its a 2’x3’ piece of 3/8 l countersunk into my work bench l kept breaking marble but never had a thick piece from a graveyard...its working good cheers
I just started listening to your podcast. Man it's so good
Great tour . My pounding bench is an umbrella stand base I pick up at good will for $ 7.00 2-1/2 inches thick 24x24 inches man maid granite took the wheels of of the bottom filled the whole up with epoxy works for me and over the years have picked up 2 more so now I have a hell of a pounding and tooling area . Happy trails
The ending cracked me up.....you have a straight face as you are speaking...that made it more funny....Thank you for the information & actually showing your different designated working stations all was very helpful!!!
A very cool video; thank you, Don ... love your sense of humour ...
“If you run across a headstone grab it ☝🏽, dnt steal it. . .” 🤣 lmao
thanks don, great tips for us all. your info is worth thousands of hours of trial and error for many!!!
thank you so much sir...... very useful guidance for beginner leather worker i am one of them. thank you so much once again.
Another great video, thanks Don.
3:30 I built a bench out of a solid core door and I screwed support blocks to the rails and side pieces, then I screwed the table top down from the bottom through those blocks. EZ-PZ and no screws/nails in the top.
Thank You again, Don. I now have three "ultimate".cutting boards throughout the years from T...Y.
Thanks for the tips don, bought a cobra class 4 cuz of you
Thanks... I was thinking of Delrin for cutting .. U saved me🙏🏽
Hey Don! Amazing video. I'm in the planning stages of my workshop. It's currently just an unfinished basement. Love these surface ideas. I found that you can get the big sheets of HDPE in almost any city in the USA through Google.
Loved the joke in the end of the video. Loved the advice. I'm now cutting leather on my bed and doing all the work on a small bench in my bedroom. Thanks man!!
Los Velez LOL Me too! Whatever it takes right? 😁
Awesome video, thank you so much for the information!
Great video and love the tips for a newbie like myself! Also love the comedy at the end!
That look on your face when you talk about going over a nail with your cutting tool. I use waxed paper when I glue because space is limited. Same thing for any dying. I need to go get a piece of granite for tooling. Nice shout out for San Antonio. Thanks for all your helpful advice, keeps me going.
Hahaha!!! Great video, very informative. Your shop is awesome!
Great video. Something to aspire towards!
Im late to the party, but when i worked in a furniture shop, we screwed all the tabletops on from beneath. When you had to change a top, it would take well over an hour crawling underneath to get it swapped. When it was my turn, i just didn't bother with all that and just fixed the new top on top of fhe old one with a few steips of doublesided tape. Took about 5 minutes and has the added benefit of putting no holes in the new top. Unless you manage to drill all the way through, you can later flip the second top for a fresh surface without having to make a new top. And no visible hardware.
Thanks Don more great info and loved your joke
Lots of good info and tips here. Really like the idea of the "Gross table" never thought about that till now. Thanks My additions if I may .HDPE plastic is impervious to all but the worst petrochemicals and all acids. fasten wood tops from beneath using cleats or table top hardware and screws, cleans up the top from fasteners. Polished and sealed concrete can make a great alternative to granite if you can not get granite drops from a counter top maker. Rubber horse stall mat is an alternative source for rubber work surface tops.
Really good information. Well put.
Good info, great ending 😂
For attatching your benchtop look at kreg pocket hole jig. Works fantastic, easy to use, quick, and no exposed nails or screws.
a saddle maker i know picked up a big sheet of cutting material from a butcher supply house ,thanks for the tour
Great info!! Thank you.
Mr. Don, I use a piece of 3/4 inch thick horse stall mat from tractor supply under my granite. Works great for me. May want to give it a try some day. I dunno. My granite is 4’ x 3’ and on a desk like yours. With all the help you give us just thought I’d pass it along.
Enjoyed the video thank you .. LOL . Headstone . Yes and make that a Granit not a Marble Headstone .. we also have one from the panhandle . Veterans often have an automatic h stone then family goes with something else . So most Stone places have them . I like your oil bench. Wish I had space for it .. it is great that we are learning after decades and you are sharing what you learn .. like the Green Matt board . Thanks again be safe and stay well
PT L
Nice Bible Timeline poster on the wall by your dying bench!
LMAO!! Great ending Don. 👏👏👏👏
Lil shop humor😏
Loved the video. It was very informative. I also loved the end bit too. Keep up the good work.........not the stone stealing though.
Thanks so much for this awesome video. Very informative. That ending had me!!! Hahahahaaa!!!
Don I’m fairly new to the leather world but wouldn’t it be feasible to glue the HDPE to your workbench? Maybe Weldwood Contact Adhesive Spray Grade. Would get rid of nails or screws. Thanks, I really appreciate your efforts to enlighten us newcomers. We would be lost without people like you.
Crazy that you just made this a few days ago. I watched your other video for slicking edges, you're amazing. But I'm also looking for the right type of plastic, found a few different types, if you know what type of plastic we should look for that would go a long ways! Thanks!
I'm fairly new to leather crafting and your videos definitely help me through alot of the obstacles Ive come across. As for the work bench, I did not think about using granite, quartz ect and instead I have a work bench made from a piece of ash live edge that's almost 32" x 8' x 2.5" and I'm quite happy with its performance, mind you I've only started learning the craft just shy of 2 years ago so I could be way off on the hardwood being a great surface...
Hello ! I'm curious how your hardwood bench is holding up 4 years later. About to make my decision on what I will use.
You might look into "Grainger Industrial Supply" if there is one near by. They have all kinds of different plastic sheets available.
I made a 6x2 foot table for under $40. Bought a pair of sawhorses for the legs. Had them cut a half inch 4x8 piece of plywood into 2 pieces 2x6. I kept the 2 foot piece to put the edges on the sawhorse so I had a 4' spacing then I placed the 6' pieces evenly on top, clamped and gorilla glued them together and clamped the heck out of it. For the surface I bought those stick-on floor tiles and put them on it, works really great and I added those heal themselves cutting mats on it from Walmart. To top it off I went to a granite countertop company and they gave me three 13"x13" slabs of granite, all for free! I place my granite block directly over the sawhorse and do all my pounding there, it is pretty stable. I use two stick-on floor tiles glued together for a pounding board.
You can drive screws from underneath the bench through your 2”x6” into the 3/4” plywood sheeting. Make sure that you don’t drive the screw any further than 1/2” into the plywood sheeting. When I have to do this, I grind off the tip of the screw for safety. Good luck and best wishes. Richard
Don, Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us, your experience is valuable and appreciated. On the "Marble" actually what you are working on is Garnet. Marble is soft, that why statues were/are carved out of Marble, it is workable and beautiful for the purpose. Garnet is harder, closed cell and easily polished.
A good source is of sizeable pieces if from Garnet supply houses/companies that make kitchen counters. the blank cut out for a sink is sometimes available is the buyer does not want the pieces cut our for the sink. Some companies keep these for sale or for other purposes.
Our locals periodically give them away for free
Great video.
Love the "Have a Great Day" sticker :)
In Canada 🇨🇦 we have puck boards… for hockey 🏒… it works fine. Can be sanded down if it gets roughed up. Also there is artificial ice… very slippery… we use it for curing… but it makes a wonderful surface also.
Dang... GREAT info! You just got a new subscriber... It's getting late now here in Kentucky, but I'll be certainly watching your other videos soon... I'm just now about to start getting into tanning, leather working and such as well. I have just made am awesome deal with someone that's a butcher that I personally know and have eaten at his house and has set me up on a great deal for hides... I'm straight but love that guy! My fiancee's ex husband. Was a Corpsman in the Army and now a master Butcher.
Don, in regards to your work bench with the nails, you can fix that forever, put down a new 3/4in plywood and use white or clear 100% silicone caulk. Lay down a 1/4in bead around the entire counter top (work bench frame top) put down plywood, press down all around and wait 24hr before using. I used to put in HIGH end around the San Antonio-Austin area, this is the way we did them. It will be on there solid forever.
The mat you use for punching is called
SBR (Styrene Butadiene Rubber) I use it too. Poundo boards are pretty expensive for the size.
👍😉. Lots good info.
If you all have Manards down there you can get the 4x8 sheets of cutting board there
I laughed out loud simply when you warned, "Dont steal them" in the middle of the video, and the ending was HILARIOUS! (Great delivery! ha!) Thank you for the good pointers too!
Thanks for the great video. Where in the panhandle did you get the headstone for your old tooling bench? I live in the panhandle and would love to get a heavier stone for tooling on.
That High Density Polyethylene cutting surface can be ordered in all sizes and thickness from E-Plastics in San Diego CA. It is amazing stuff.
Tandy sells those dense black rubber mats. They call them poundo boards. I have one the same size as what is shown here and it was $20. Well worth it.
I use figure 8 fasteners for my benches and table tops. I hit a screw with my bench plane and I can understand what you mean by "ruined my day"
I've started using a separate table for dying and all that. You where right, I've saved a couple of projects by having a second table.
Another great video that will save beginners a lot of time. Always have trouble with the cutting surface affecting the way the knife moved through the leather. Does the cutting surface have any grain to it? Great tip on the thin green matte board for thin leather tooling!!!!!!!
Duuuude. I broke a marble slab just yesterday. I really dig the headstone. Keep up the great videos man.
Thanks man! I have broke a few myself.
The plastic in the beginning of the video, from what I've gathered on leather working forums, is (likely) HDPE (high-density polyethylene) used in butcher shops, food prep, also called puck board, arena boards etc. Many professional leatherworkers love it, easy on knives, on leather. Most areas will have a local industrial plastics place to purchase in any thickness and will cut them for you. Apparently you can get them lathed down after they wear if you buy them thick enough.
Apparently the low density type is good for punching, easier on chisels etc.
I'd love to see them put one of those big ole cutting boards in a lathe
I know what you meant but it made me chuckle
Milled down. lol
Can order just about anything through McMaster these days including the HDPE cutting board table top. 4x8’ anywhere from 1/32” to 3” thick.
Awesome work shop. Great info.
Here's a question for you, can I tool matte leather finishes?
That ending though 😂😂😂
Hi, I was curious how the green mat on your tooling surface is working out for you? I have been looking to add something between my granite and leather for the same reason you described. Figured you have been using it for a bit wondered if it is working out. Thanks for all the videos!!
Ha! Funny! Great video. Thanks.
Thanks
A nail set to countersink the nail and a random orbit sander with 80, 120 and 180 grit sandpaper will get that plywood looking like new.
Don, you can add another piece of plywood to that bench and use dry wall screws and screw it on from the bottom. Use short enough screws it doesn't come through the top piece.
OCD here: I rigged up the roll of brown paper from Lowe’s up under a work bench so it feeds over my work bench like that doctors table you sit on..... used metal yard sticks over edge to feed it through so you just pull clean paper though and tear it off as needed
The joke at the end of the video had me rolling...
I use old conveyor rubber belt for punching..its good though.. 1inch thick..
I was considering a cast concrete benchtop covered in MDF for a pound bench, thinking that would sufficiently deaden and absorb any vibration. Any thoughts on that?
Hello Don, thank You so much for this tour through Your shop. I am currently planning a steel workbench to function also as welding table. Instead of a granite slab, could I simply put the rubber mat on the 1/4'' steel plate that is the top of the table? Much obliged!!
I was looking at getting a used grade b surface plate as alternative to granite but just 2 days ago I was able to get a 2' x 3.5' x 2 " granite piece for $50 at a counter installer. The surface plate would be much more than that in shipping since I live in the middle of nowhere. But if you don't live in BFE it may be an option. I may still go that route and get one just for a pounding slab like Don's headstone. Thats a bit down the road if ever as I'm already at 3 dedicated tables and I don't have unlimited space, unless I move out to the garage which is a whole other set of problems. Anyway I hope my suggestion helped and have a great day!
What a coincidence that you happened to post a video on work surfaces. I have been researching good budget options for a cutting/work surface, over the last few days. I haven't purchased anything yet but I found something online at Menards that I want to look at. They have 4'x8' sheets of HDPE starting at $50 bucks and they go up to $99 bucks depending on thickness and color options. For a 4 x 8 sheet of thick plastic cutting surface, I thought that was pretty good. If you look around you'll quickly find some places asking for $300+ for a large plastic work surface...
Spectt84 I bought one of those HDPE sheets from Menards. It is a 1/4” thick. Like it so far. It is a little soft but don’t have any complaints so far.
@@godseybs7.3203 Awesome! Thanks for the input. The first chance I get, I'm going to head over there. 1/4" is fine, I don't think I'll be slicing through that anytime soon. Also, I don't know if it's a "special order" thing or what but on the manards website they show the 1/4" thick that you have, and also a 3/8" thick one as well. And I think I saw it in both black and white. Im probably going to go with the one you have anyway but its good to know there's options if they can in fact get the thicker ones...
Just a tip about the self healing cutting mats, buy Fiskars, they have a lifetime warranty. Other brands don't.
@@penelope-oe2vr-thanks for the info! Good to know. I have one and had no idea it had a warranty. That must be the most popular cutting mat "of all time", it's seems anyone who does any kind of bench top work or hobbies has one...
How do you feel about using the backside of an frp panel as the table top for the cutting table?
Don, Is your studio in an Old radio or TV station? Just noticed the slanted window...a sign of noise reduction in a Broadcast Studio. Uncle John
Yes sir! It use to be a private recording studio for musicians. My last one was an old beer joint... I’m on some kind of trend I think... not sure what trend, but there ya have it.
far and away the best material to use is acetal co pom or delrin. not cheap but overly expensive. its great for saving and edge on a knife or for using your pricking irons. it truely is a one slab for all. the best is you need less than a qtr inch thick. hardly leasves a scratch and if and when you might just run a glass slicker or a glass bathroom tile over it and the scratch is gone
that ending tho hahaha
Restaurant supply companies can provide HDPE (cutting board) sheets. As I understand it, though not confirmed, they charge in the low thousands for a 4x8'. FWIW
alpha numeric Graingers sells 1/8" sheet thick for $74.50. Buy several and stack them!
What about quartz from tandy? For hammering Thanks
the cutting top material that I believe you're using is U.H.M.W. (ultra high molecular weight) plastic, or H.D.P.E. (high density polyethylene) I work with the stuff at my day job, and was able to rescue a great piece from the scrap. it can be sourced reliably from www.grainger.com or www.mscdirect.com. Also worth noting, Teflon (P.T.F.E) can be used, but i think its quite a bit more expensive.
Grab it, Don't steal it! LOL.
Hey I read somewhere that you use olive oil the o condition some of your projects, I have a pair of leather boots I conditioned with olive oil but after hearing some debate on it possibly degrading leather over time and possibly going rancid I'm worried about how it will affect my boots. What do you recommend I do
Have you had issues with this method your self
I do my work on my grandfather's glass table.
I am posting this from a 6by8 cell, medium security.....I would highly recommend that you pick a headstone from a private infantryman, not a 4 star general like I did....might stand a better chance of not getting noticed.....
There is a company called Interstate plastics, info@interstateplastics.net, that has several sizes if HDEP cutting boards in 4' X 8' and can cut custom sizes. They are in all Pacific states plus Idaho, Austin, Tx, Iowa, and Alabama.
Thanks for the link!
Im six foot tall and find standard height cabinetry uncomfortable to work at whilst standing. What bench height would you recommend?
I'm not an expert at all first off. But, I am in the process of building a specific area here in my house (recent empty nester), for work. I got a frame only, crank height adjustable table on Amazon. The width is also variable from 44" to 64" wide and the height goes from 28" to 48".
The same frame with a office table top is $400 and up with only a depth of 24" or so. The frame was only $130 because I didn't buy it new from Amazon ($178 new) I got a warehouse deal where the box was damaged.
I am going to install a 30" x 72" x 3/4 plywood with a piece of hardboard (like a clipboard) on top. I am going put a piece of 1" half round on the edge but not glue the hardboard down, this way I can flip it over for staining and edge treatment. As well as cheap vinyl tension roller window shade mounted on the side and pulled up and over the hardboard will really keep the mess away from my work area and once dry it will just roll away.
I built a similar work bench top out in my garage but I used a solid core door as my top with the hardboard as my top. When it got nasty i just buy a new sheet for $9 and a new shade is $9 at home depot. It has worked awesome.
The only down side is the max weight on the table is 132 lbs. So I'm figuring i have about 100lbs left after factoring after factoring in the weight of the top and fudge factor. I was thinking about pouring (when I say "I" read that as "getting one of my sons friends to") an 18" square concrete slab and flush mounting it (like DG did here with his headstone) but to get the benefits of it may make it too heavy to make huge difference over one just sitting on the surface. Since I am just making watch bands, wallets and pouches and am just starting out in tooling I will access it and re visit it later, since I just got the frame last week and am getting the top in the coming week (HD will cut it for free 😁)
Sorry for the long reply but too am tall at 6'2" and struggle with "normal" height items as well as medical issues which makes working impossible so money is tight, so building a height adjustable worktable for under $200 was something to share when an inferior table would cost double.
Do you have any tips for a small household work area? I am also probably going to get a sheet of polyethylene cutting board for cutting. They sell large sheets for not a whole lot and just store it under the top in using L brackets so I can just slide out when I need it. Just some thoughts.
@@densealloy Thanks for the excellent reply and insights. I was invalided out of the army after 16 years service and throughout my service ended up having several surgeries including an L5/S1 discectomy which still gives me problems just washing the dishes at a kitchen bench which is too low but 'standard' height. I like the idea of an adjustable height workstation and have thought about using a scissor lift or something similar to achieve that. I will check out your idea. Cheers
if you look for the cutting board in big sheets Canada or America redwood plastics that were I buy the boards from they told me they could cut to need a size for my needs build a cutting table for cutting matt for the fabric they made landscaping paper I was able to have 4 of them cut to the size I need
Lmao, nice end to the video
Thanks... That cool, but what about your " butt" ? Sorry to put it that way, but what do you use for seats? Do you have a "bar stool" for ine station and computer style at another?, or roll between? Just curious
"Someone in San Antonio" 🙄
Thanks.
Cutting board material www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=23751
Great end to the video. ROFLMFAOOL
Mother, how many meals are you !!!! I have only one :( granite is much harder than marble, what you think there is a Chinese 603, but if you want a rough granite to get a Impala granite .... and the rubber mat that I think is from a conveyor belt from the gravel pit, mine ... greetings from Europe