leather sheath for small serrated saw, how to protect stitches from teeth

[TheUnicorn]

Not in any way a leatherworker, but I'm looking to make a simple leather sheath for a small toolbox saw, similar to the image below, I was planning to sandwich the blade between the leather, then glue and stich the seams, probably a rivet at the ends for extra strength. My concern is that the saw teeth will slowly but surely cut away at the seams. Does anyone have any suggestions to prevent this, I was wondering about running a small strip of wood on either edge of the blade, but no idea it this would work. I would also appreciate any thoughts on a choice of glue. thanks in advance.

 

[marcros]

could you add a third layer of leather, so that the blade hits this rather than the stitching?

 

[D_W]

saw a slot in a narrow piece of wood and attach it to the saw blade with strings or rubber band.

I wouldn't bother with leather - I'd use wood or cardboard, but as it sounds like you want to add something to the edge to put it in the leather - simple single ply (non-corrugated) cardboard folded over

 

[TheUnicorn]

could you add a third layer of leather, so that the blade hits this rather than the stitching?

that would be a good option, I'm not sure it would be hardwearing enough against the teeth, but certainly very doable

 

[TheUnicorn]

saw a slot in a narrow piece of wood and attach it to the saw blade with strings or rubber band.

I wouldn't bother with leather - I'd use wood or cardboard, but as it sounds like you want to add something to the edge to put it in the leather - simple single ply (non-corrugated) cardboard folded over

I found a load of leather scraps in my late father's attic and it seemed a good use for them

Cardboard wouldn't be strong enough

 

[marcros]

in theory though, if you are inserting the saw centrally, the teeth shouldn't touch the leather until it is fully inserted. Good theory, anyway. when drawing it out then the taper means that it wont touch at all. could you just make it ever so slightly wider than needed?

 

[mikej460]

You can also buy saw guards or make one out of upvc moulding. My last Magnusson saw from Screwfix has a magnetic one which is very useful, not sure where you can just get the guard though.

 

[Blackswanwood]

Would putting one of those plastic spines that are used to hold papers together over the blade before putting it in the sheath work?

 

[carpenteire2009]

I faced a similar dilemma when I wanted to make a leather sheath for my new Morakniv carving knife. a quick google, some youtube videos and I was prompted to make this. As another poster suggested the "traditional" solution is to glue a third strip of leather in the middle of the sheath, which will remove the risk of damaging the stitching. This was my first effort at any kind of leatherwork but I found that glueing the pices together first helped when it came to stitching it all together.

 

[TheUnicorn]

Would putting one of those plastic spines that are used to hold papers together over the blade before putting it in the sheath work?

yes, but I think it would be a bit clumsy in the sheath

 

[TheUnicorn]

... I found that glueing the pices together first helped when it came to stitching it all together.

What glue did you use?

 

[carpenteire2009]

I didn't have any Evostik Impact adhesive (which is what I would normally use) so I used UHU clear, applied to both surfaces and allowed to go off before clamping together.

 

[Nelsun]

I've made several axe sheaths and always used a leather spline between the two outer sides. Same glue as above and then saddle stitched - or rivets if you're in a hurry.

 

[Sideways]

You could also copy an old Scandinavian method and make the sheath from wood.
2 pieces slightly oversize to the plan of the blade. Mill out the blade shape just a couple of mm deep in each piece then clamp and glue them together all round the edges to form a rigid sheath
For knives, a leather collar an inch or two wide would be stitched around the open end of the wood to give a friction fit on the knife handle, holding it into the sheath. I doubt that would work for your saw but maybe a simple strap would serve.
Here's a nice example of the concept made from birch and seen on the website of kellamknives.com in the USA

 

[D_W]

I found a load of leather scraps in my late father's attic and it seemed a good use for them

Cardboard wouldn't be strong enough

I guess my question is what are you doing with it? storing it or wearing it?

Most saws ship with single layer paperboard or with a plastic sheath over the teeth. Which is another possibility - a plastic spine that would go on the edge of a clear plastic folder.

The deal with the paper liner is the teeth will stick to it inside the leather and neither the leather nor the paper will be worse for wear. Corrugated isn't as puncture resistant as the harder single-layer card.

 

[D_W]

someone beat me to the plastic spine. Heavy card would still be my choice, which would stick to the teeth (not move on them and get sliced up) and slide in the leather.

 

[kinverkid]

The first suggestion that I agree with, because I do this myself, is to triple the layer on the blade/teeth side so it doesn't come into contact with the stitching. The second suggestion that I agree with because I also use this method is to use contact adhesive for a more permanent bond, UHU if it's just to hold it together while stitching in this instance. The third I agree with is that the blade/teeth should not come into contact with the leather (triple layer method) until it is seated home. This does mean that just like a samurai sheathing his weapons, you would need to get into the habit of putting the saw away by sliding it in along the spine. Once it's secured with a clasp or a tie it should be sufficient to stop the blade moving.

 

[Ttrees]

I'd use an old belt for the job.
Prepare for rust, even if you keep the thing absolutely sopping with oil.
Seems like it might be good leather for the job, so maybe I'm being a bit over the top, as I used thrift shop leather jackets and old boots for my planes mostly, but I won't store my tools in a lot of the things I made anymore.
Maybe it was me salty toe juice that made the planes rust
Most of the suede seems good stuff though, and most of that still in use, not all is good for some reason.

I like the chisel roll, but more for putting the chisels on, rather than in.
The leafed black leather 'book' thing I made for the bigger saws doesn't make sense at all, and likely to be more harm than good, even if proper leather was used, likely to cause issues warping plates.

Best used for bronze or stainless things like a saw set or whatever, just wrapped and not custom made faffery.
Again preferred for the bottom of a box kinda thing for cushioning,
and never for something that will rust again.

Might make sense to wrap tools in plastic bags inside the leather, but not really feesable for sharp things.
Had to forget about using it for some stuff like a LN block plane which looked like poo, even after a full bottle of 3 in 1 was poured into the holster.

If wanted to make something from leather again, it would be to make an apron for metalwork, or dusty wood machining
(hung up on the back of the door, is a nice spot for one)

Still on the lookout for an old leather couch, as I can't be bothered to sew up a patchwork apron from the coal bag of left over leather bits that I just can't throw away for some reason.

 

[TheUnicorn]

hadn't considered leather as causing rust, are you saying it would hold moisture on the blade?

 

[--Tom--]

hadn't considered leather as causing rust, are you saying it would hold moisture on the blade?

veg tanned leather is normally fine so long as kept dry. Chrome tanned leather isn’t recommended for sheaths as it can cause corrosion. Hence why recycled leathers aren’t always suitable.

As has been said, a welt is the typical approach to stop the edge slicing the stitching.