● Making a Hook Knife Sheath

I like making thoughtful covers for my edge tools using simple patterns. After making a handle for the hook blade in the previous post, it’s time for some protection. Let’s see, I will make a hook knife sheath. Why wouldn’t I make one? Safety is the number one priority. This exercise will complete the carving hook knife project.

Actually, this was a quick scheme that can be completed during a weekend.

I decided early on that this sheath would be as minimal as possible. It would be sewn with strong thread rather than fastened with rivets. Rivets would have required more leather at the margin.

To start, I shaved the underside of the leather since it was more than 8mm thick. Now at 4mm thick, the thinner medium was easier to fold and to punch holes for sewing.

I did not use the wet molding method for this sheath. All I did was bend and test-fit the leather on the blade. The curve was simply glued and paper clipped to hold its shape.

After letting the glued and clipped leather dry for a few hours, I used an awl to make the needle holes. Then I used upholstery thread to sew each margin.

Sewing did not take long. The hardest bit (which really wasn’t) was maintaining the curve when I pulled the thread through the leather. When I finished sewing, I trimmed the thread ends and narrowed the margins to 1/8″.

Done.

A Hook Knife Cover-up

Lastly, I used a water-based dye stain for the leather, let it dry, and used mink oil as a protective finish.

Here is a collection of tools and the sheaths that fit them.

• adze here
• elbow adzes here

Baadaye

Shirley J ♥️