A Knife Sheath to Last

By Jim Sowers
Published on October 11, 2017
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Knive sheaths make great gifts.
Knive sheaths make great gifts.
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Roll the knife with the broad side parallel to the folder crease.
Roll the knife with the broad side parallel to the folder crease.
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Draw a dotted line at least 1/2 inch around the edge of the knife.
Draw a dotted line at least 1/2 inch around the edge of the knife.
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Draw your belt loop.
Draw your belt loop.
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Cut out your pattern.
Cut out your pattern.
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Test the fit.
Test the fit.
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Trace the pattern onto your leather.
Trace the pattern onto your leather.
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Cut out the welt from the leather.
Cut out the welt from the leather.
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A leather groover makes folding easier.
A leather groover makes folding easier.
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Test fit your welt pattern.
Test fit your welt pattern.
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Shave the bottom edge of the welt, called skiving.
Shave the bottom edge of the welt, called skiving.
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Place stitch grooves if you choose.
Place stitch grooves if you choose.
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After stamping, a coat of neatsfoot oil conditions the leather.
After stamping, a coat of neatsfoot oil conditions the leather.
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Size up the belt loop.
Size up the belt loop.
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Glue and clamp the belt loop.
Glue and clamp the belt loop.
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Mark where the stitches will go.
Mark where the stitches will go.
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Sew the belt loop, or use rivets.
Sew the belt loop, or use rivets.
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Tan-Kote helps protect and seal the leather inside the sheath.
Tan-Kote helps protect and seal the leather inside the sheath.
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Glue the welt into place.
Glue the welt into place.
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Pricking irons are helpful for evenly spacing marks for the stitching.
Pricking irons are helpful for evenly spacing marks for the stitching.
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After the welt is glued in place and stitching marks are made, the sheath can be glued and clamped shut.
After the welt is glued in place and stitching marks are made, the sheath can be glued and clamped shut.
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Excess welt can be sanded smooth.
Excess welt can be sanded smooth.
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Burnishing the leather with a piece of canvas helps seal the leather further to protect from dirt and other debris.
Burnishing the leather with a piece of canvas helps seal the leather further to protect from dirt and other debris.
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An optional step is to use an edge beveler to round off the edge of the sheath.
An optional step is to use an edge beveler to round off the edge of the sheath.
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The final product will last you for years to come.
The final product will last you for years to come.
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A homemade knife sheath is a fun introduction into leatherworking.
A homemade knife sheath is a fun introduction into leatherworking.

One critical step to making sure your knife stays sharp and well-protected is to have a good, strong knife sheath in which to stow it when not in use. The following are the steps I use to make my sheaths. I’ll show you how to make a pattern to fit a knife you already have, cut the pattern out, and assemble a good strong sheath that should last for many years. But I’ll leave out a few of the more intricate parts of the process, like stamping and saddle stitching. These steps aren’t pertinent to assembling a workable sheath. Information on either of these is fairly easy to find online these days.

Let’s start with a basic sheath.

Materials and tool list

You don’t need the fancy tools to make a good, strong sheath. The tools help, but aren’t necessary.

• 1 piece of 7⁄8-ounce vegetable tanned “belly” leather
• 2 manila folders or other strong paper

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