Leather Tool Holder for Scallywags and Tinkerers
Introduction: Leather Tool Holder for Scallywags and Tinkerers
There are so many fasteners in the world, and so many bits to go with them. This case is to take to project bigger than a cell phone and smaller than car. I mostly intend to use it for fabrication, working on machine tools, my telescope, and appliances. I needed someplace to stash common metric and imperial bits, some bit holder handles, a small wrench, and some pliers. It has a removable cover to keep metal swarf and dust away from the magnetic bits, a handle that can be moved out of the way, hinged pallets to make it easier to see and grab bits, and is open on the bottom so it can be blown out with compressed air. The general idea is to avoid making trips back to my big toolbox and keeping bits in their final storage as I use them, rather than collecting a pile of bits that has to be sorted and put back at the end of a project.
I'll spend some time talking about how to make square cuts, use dividers for layout, make a topcoat finish, measure for pallets, and fit hardware. Some measurements are listed. But since I doubt many folks have the exact same collection of tools and bits, it is more a discussion about how to organize and layout bit holders than a set of plans.
Tools
Powered: vintage Singer walking-foot sewing machine, miter saw, rotary tool, hand drill
Layout: Starrett spring divider with round legs, Pentel Graphgear 500 mechanical pencil with soft 0.9 mm leads, 12" rule, 6" rule, yard stick, plastic squares
Cutting: Gingher 10" forged scissors, Swann-Morton scalpel, large end nippers for pulling rivets
Leather: set of hole punches, seam ripper, squeeze action micro scissors, letter stamp set
Hand: ball pein hammer, transfer punch set, hex/allen driver, p1 Phillips screwdriver, clamps
Supplies
Dye/Coatings: Fiebings Professional Oil Dye in black, bee's wax, mineral oil, neatsfoot oil, Fiebings Resolene, barge cement, Black Magic patina, yellow glue
Hardware: leather rivet assortment, button studs, Chicago screws, screw assortment, pop rivets, hinges
Materials: resawn white oak or mahogany, tanned leather hide, milled leather hide, wood scraps for clamping
Step 1: Arrange Your Tool Collection
The first task is to identify the minimum height and width of the pallets. What is the longest bit, and what is the widest set? The pallets can be bigger than that, but not smaller. My goal was to have all of the bit tips flush with the top edge of the wood backer boards. I left some unused space to accomplish that, and still had one pallet with two rows, but generally was able to make really fast access to almost everything in the case. 582
I've made tool organizers that required some fumbling, or two hands to get to things, and wanted a more ergonomic design this time.
The second photo jumps ahead in the build process, but shows how the tools are arranged.
Step 2: Layout Sleeve Sizes
Good dividers make this step so much easier. Starrett makes really good tools. These are quality tool steel instruments that are heat treated to perfection. The moving parts are all silky smooth. They are tough enough to punch through leather, and make a nice dent for your mechanical pencil to find when connecting points. They are set to a distance with an etched metal rule, or from marks that need to be repeated.
The distance to layout between the sleeve tubes will depend on the thickness of the leather. I've tried a measuring tape, but the easiest way to lay these out is to mock-up a sleeve with scrap pieces. Loop the leather over the bit shaft, push it down tight against the bit, and mark the seam on the pallet back piece, and the piece that loops over the top. Then use a pencil to mark a square seam line on the back piece and top, and sew it to test. When the measurements are in hand set dividers for the top and bottom using the pencil marks as a guide. Walk the dividers to mark the stitch lines, and either connect two rows of marks or create a single row and use a triangle to create a stitch line. Create stitch lines on both the top and bottom pieces.
The height of the panel is about 1/3 the length of the bit.
Step 3: Cut Square Panels for Pallet Backs
The photos are mostly annotated, but the general idea is to avoid creating a parallelogram. 316