Rogue Leather

A while back a buddy came to me with a minor problem, his oldest boy had managed to lose the scabbard that came with his machete while using it to break trail on a recent hike. Normally no big deal, but this machete is more like a falchion or a scimitar, so the design had to take a bit of a turn.

The only way to get that fat part covered without having the skinny bit by the handle rattling around was to go with a slit sheath, open about 3/4 of the way down the spine.

For belt attachment, I went with a frog-style attachment so the scabbard can tie to the leg and flex with the leg rather than being stiffly attached to the belt. Being me, I also made it so the frog can flip down and you could just string it onto the belt.

For leather, it’s 4/5-oz veg tan as per usual. Here’s the halfway point, all the parts cut out and on the dye table.

On the front side, I tooled a couple of windows and then made a ‘frame’ out of some 2/3-oz veg tan as a way to attach a couple of snaps in such a way as they won’t rub on the blade.

Here we are about halfway through the assembly – I’ve got the tie-strap loops in place and the frog ring all set.

So, several hours and some sore fingers later (I’m out of practice and my calluses have receded…) we have the finished piece. I added some rivets at the critical points, plus one along the edge to keep the blade from rubbing on the stitching.

It’s a little bit snug right now, but it should loosen up with use – or a little judicious “persuasion” with a ruler or something.