Saturday, May 30, 2015

Canvas tool roll for regular chisels 2

After sewing on the two major parts that will form the base for the individual pockets, I laid out the sizes of each individual pocket.
I graduated the pockets in size, so the narrowest one is approximately 3/8" wide and the widest one is a full 2".
Off course it is possible to put a narrow chisel in a wide pocket, but if the size fits - the chisel won't shift around, and it looks better in my opinion.

For closing of the roll I would have liked to use a leather strap with a small belt buckle, but I didn't bring any leather with me, and I wanted to finish the project. So instead of waiting for home, I sewed a strap out of canvas, and made two rings that will form the closing mechanism.
If this should later turn out to be a bad decision, it will be a fairly small job to remove the strap and go the leather route instead. But I think this will be a viable solution.

The strap was made by folding two edges and then fold the strap once more, so there wouldn't be any loose sides that could fray. This actually meant that it was basically quadrupled. Therefore the rings also needed to be a bit larger than the D-rings I used for the tool roll for the mortise chisels.

The rings for this tool roll are made out of 3 mm (1/8") bronze rod that I wound around a shaft and then silver soldered.

A benefit of alternating the handles of the chisels is that the tool roll will be more round once rolled up. Since there is thin blades and thick handles in both sides.

The re-handled chisels now rest in the tool roll, and that should provide a safe haven for them during travelling and storage.

Conclusion:
Sewing a tool roll out of heavy duty canvas is possible, but it does take some time. The stitches are a lot more coarse than what can be attained using an industrial sewing machine.
The good thing about such a project is that it can be carried out basically anywhere. It doesn't take up much space and it doesn't make any noise.
In theory you can do it in the living room with the rest of the family, so it is one of those projects that can be carried out if the weather makes it difficult to get into your workshop.

For the record, I do not have a Speedy Stitcher, so that is why I have used regular sail makers needles and a sail makers palm. From what I have heard, the Speedy Stitcher can be used on a project like this, but you would have to find a description on how to use it somewhere else.



Chisels neatly tucked into their pockets.

The wrapped up roll.


10 comments:

  1. Turned out great! I like the extra flap that folds over the handles. I like the ring buckle closer too. Most tool roles I see, and the ones I have, use ties. The buckle makes more sense to me.

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    1. Hi Greg.
      The ring buckle is a bit difficult to operate right now since the sewn strap has is still a bit stiff. But I think that after a couple of operations the strap will soften up and that should take care of it.
      We have a lot of small leather straps with buckles at home on account of the horse equipment.
      I once purchased a large (12 gallon) bucket filled with old reins and bridles. Those bridles have a lot of small straps made out of heavy quality leather with buckles on them. I am pretty sure I would have used one of those if I had done this project at home.
      Thanks
      Brgds
      Jonas

      Delete
  2. Excellent, your chisels are now well protected and you got a compact roll.
    Alternating the handles is also a good way to make a better fit when rolling them up, as you found out.
    Good job, cant wait to see what is next
    Bob

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    Replies
    1. Hi Bob.

      Thanks for the nice comment.
      So far the plan is to sign off the ship Wednesday, so I won't be doing more woodworking out here this time except packing up my stuff for travelling home.
      When I get home the plan is to make a peg board for rugs (for horses). The local horse club is having a small dressage and jumping competition, and I have once promised that I would be happy to supply them with a prize for one of the classes. So I better make good of that promise.

      The big challenge this home period will be to make a porch for the house. I expect that it is going to take most of my time at home. But it will be great once completed.
      Brgds
      Jonas

      Delete
  3. Nice.

    I like the up and down layout. It is good that you left room for more chisels.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Brian.
      Extra room might come in handy in the unlikely event that I should find some more chisels...
      Hmm, thinking of it, I actually think I have seen an extra chisel or two somewhere in my workshop :-)

      It could be fun to test Olavs sewing machine on some canvas like this. I guess that would significantly lower the production time.

      Brgds
      Jonas

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  4. Once again I am impressed but not surprised by the level of your work. More impressive is the needle work by hand. I've never used a sewing machine myself, but my sewing expertise is limited to attaching buttons to my fatigues when I was in the army.
    I like the idea of a canvas roll not just for chisels but many hand tools. I'm sure you have wrenches, screwdrivers, files, etc that could all use a nice home. I know I do.
    Bill

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    1. Hi Bill

      Actually my screwdrivers and wrenches etc. are all mounting hanging on the wall behind the workbench with my machinists vice.
      I could use a tool roll for some of my auger bits though. But that could be a future project out here.
      My large files are rather strangely pretty well protected. They are located in a drawer with a divider system, so they don't touch each other. This was something that was employed when I was at the basic workshop school as part of the engineer study. And I liked the idea a lot.
      The smaller files are in another drawer, so they could technically use a tool roll to protect them a bit better.

      I am bit lucky to have a large dedicated workshop, and it does make it easier to protect your tools when they each have their own place on the wall or in a drawer. The drawback of the open storage system is the amount of dust that is created in a workshop.

      I have installed some shelves in the shop that I have often considered moving out. because they more or less function as storage space for stuff that could come in handy and off course also for some tools. But the "could come in handy" stuff is slowly taking over the space. Maybe I should just get better at throwing stuff away (or try to sell some of it).

      We just got news that we will be relieved a day early, so I am going home tomorrow instead of Wednesday. That is definitely a positive thing.

      Thanks
      Jonas

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  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  6. Thank you for the nice comment.
    Brgds
    Jonas

    ReplyDelete