For a Mother’s day present last year, I got my Mum some small pruning scissors for when she’s out in the garden and wants to quickly do some deadheading. Of course, these needed a proper sheath to store them safely!
I decided to make a sheath out of oak to protect the blade, with a leather surround and belt loop, so my Mum could have options for how to carry it around.
I cut some oak to the right dimensions using a coarse cut hand saw and then ripped it in half to give me two thinner pieces. I then chiselled out a suitable size indent in one side for the blades of the pruning scissors to fit into.
I gave both pieces a sand to make the joining edges flat and then clamped them together to test the fit. As I was happy it was a sufficiently snug fit but not too stiff, I glued the two pieces of oak together, using some kitchen roll to soak up any glue squeeze out inside the sheath.
Once the glue had dried I gave the oak a thorough sanding, using my belt sander to assist with shaping the sheath and then hand sanding for final shaping and to round over the edges. I selected a suitable piece of leather and moulded it to fit the oak, wetting the leather to soften it and then clamping it in place overnight to dry and fully take the shape.
I punched holes at regular intervals around the edge using an awl and then sewed the leather together to secure the oak piece within the leather holder.
I gave the leather a polish as well as bevelled the edges using the tools I had available. I will have to invest in proper leather working tools to make completing larger projects easier in future!
I did a final fit of the pruning scissors and added some leather cord to hold the scissors in place when not in use, feeding one end through the sewing holes to ensure the cord was secure.
For a first attempt working with leather, I’m really pleased with how this turned out. I also taught me a whole load of things about working with leather and the best tools needed for different tasks. I shall definitely explore more projects involving leather, as I feel it goes very well with wood workpieces!🔨
The Woodworking Scientist 