A needle book or stamp case is another handy article to make in leather. The sketch shows the design. A piece of Russian calf, 6-1/4 by 3-3/4 in., is necessary. This allows 1/4 in. on each side and end for pinning down the pattern. Fold a piece of paper into three parts as A, B and C, the front being A; the back, B, which is folded underneath the part A. The flap C folds up with B and then over A toward the front. When the pattern is open, the design for all parts must be on the same side of the paper. The design for the back B is put on the leather upside down. When the pattern is folded this makes the design upright. The parts A, B and C are equal in length and width. The part C may be cut in any shape desired, but keep the tongue D long and narrow. Make two horizontal cuts in the front A about 3/16 in. apart.
These cuts must be at the same distance from the bottom of the front as the narrowest part of the tongue is from the end. The tongue will then fit the cuts. Make the horizontal cuts a little wider than the tongue. The design is put on the leather in the same manner. It can be worked out in line, tooling or stamping. The parts A and B are sewed together.
A Mat
The mat illustrated is another useful article and easy to make. Any size may be used, and the method of lining or tooling the design, or both, gives a very beautiful effect.
How to Make a Wood Lathe
A strong, substantial lathe in which wood and light metal articles may be turned can be made by carefully following the description below and the detailed drawings of the parts.
Detail of Wood Lathe (Fig. 1)
The bed is made of two pieces of straight-grained, smooth, 2 by 4-in. hard wood, 5 ft. long. They are held apart at each end by blocks of wood 2 in. wide. The bed can, of course, be made longer or shorter if desired, but the above dimensions are very satisfactory. The frame of the headstock, Figs. 1 and 2, is made of hard wood. The two end pieces have the dimensions and shape shown. These are fastened with screws to the base.