How to Make a Leather Sheath

Not all knives purchased these days include a leather sheath. Some knives are sold more for display but are still fully functional, and could be carried and used if a sheath were provided. If you do wish to carry such a knife, you have to choose between one of two options. You can purchase a sheath not specifically designed for your knife and hope that it fits, or you can custom make your own leather sheath and insure that your knife fits. Here you will learn how to custom make a leather sheath for a single-edged blade.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• The knife you wish to make a sheath for
• Ruler
• Scissors
• 8 to 9-ounce piece of 12-by-12-inch leather
• Craft/hobby knife or razor blade
• Water
• Contact cement
• Drill with 1/16" bit
• Waxed stitching thread
• Heavy stitching needle
• Sand paper
• Paper at least 12-by-12 inches
• Pencil

1. Fold a sheet of paper in half lengthwise and open it back up.

2. Lay your knife to the right side of the crease with the blade facing outward. The knife should be approximately 1/4 to 1/2 an inch from the crease and the point should be approximately 3/4 to 1 inch from the bottom of the page. This is to allow for the folding and sewing of the leather.

3. Trace your entire blade of the knife on the paper.

4. 
    

   Flip the knife to the other side of the crease and repeat steps 2 and 3. See picture for details.

5. 
    

   Extend one side of your template above the tracing. This will be the piece that will be folded over to be used for the belt loop. See picture for details.

6. Cut out your template. Wrap it around your knife to see how it fits. It's always easier to modify a paper template than to modify the leather.

7. Lay your template on the leather sheet and trace around it.

8. Use the hobby knife or razor blade to cut out the leather.

9. Moisten the leather and place the blade in the position it would be in the finished sheath. Press the leather against the blade to form it to the blade's shape. Place something heavy on top of the sheath to keep it formed to the blade and allow the leather to dry. If the knife has a thick handle, place it on the edge of a table so the handle is laying off the table.

10. Remove the knife from the sheath once it is dry.

11. Fold the belt loop flap behind the sheath and set it to the level you wish the knife to be when it is worn. Once you are happy with the position, you can secure it to the back of the sheath with contact cement.

12. Draw a small rectangle on the back of the belt loop approximately 1/4 to 1/2 an inch from the edge. This is where you will be sewing the loop to the sheath.

13. Drill holes along the rectangle, spacing each hole approximately 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch apart. These holes are where you will be sewing the leather together.

14. Thread your needle with the wax coated thread and sew a "figure eight" stitch around the rectangle. This is done by sewing in an over - under pattern along the entire length and then reversing the over - under pattern on the way back.

15. Apply a small amount of contact cement along the edges of the leather and then press together to close the sheath.

16. Drill holes along the edge of the sheath to prepare for sewing the sheath closed. Use the same measurements used in step 13

17. Sew the sheath closed using the same "figure eight" stitch you used to secure the belt loop.
    Once this is done, your sheath is complete. All that is left is to dye or stain the leather. You can also choose to keep it the natural leather color, although this is not recommended due to the increased risk of getting stains in the leather.

Tips & Warnings

• Your knife should fit comfortably in the sheath, but if you wish to further secure it, you can attach a small strip of leather with a snap to the belt loop.

References

• Sheath tutorial