James Pratt

Photographer, Writer, Storyteller, IT networking professional

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I built a leather stitching pony

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What in the heck is a stitching pony you might ask? Good question.

This is my newly-built DIY leather stitching pony. It holds leather pieces while I hand-sew them. I made it out of odds and ends around my shop.

In junior high and high school I started leatherworking as a hobby. I made the obligatory belts, purses, gun cases, bible covers, and horse tack. I got so good at it that people started paying me to make things. I eventually built a leather stitching pony to hold leather while hand-sewing the pieces together. It was made out of wood and was big and bulky, but worked great. During my last couple of years of high school, I even worked for a saddle maker in OKC learning some tricks of the trade. But even back then I knew I didn’t want to build saddles for a living. It was a great hobby and something I enjoyed into my 20’s, but eventually, I sold most of my gear and moved on to other hobbies such as flying, motorcycles, and photography, along with a career in information technology.

Leatherworking again at 58

Fast forward to a couple of years ago when I finally got tired of watching television and pounding on my keyboard for relaxation. I sit in front of the computer most days and while I really enjoy my work in the IT industry, I also enjoy working with my hands. I decided to pick up my old hobby during the long winter evenings when it was too cold to work in my shop. I needed something to pass the time. Reading is great but my eyes are not so great anymore and I like creating more than reading at this point in my life.

I put a nice desk in my office and started outfitting it with some leatherworking tools. Some I bought new, some I made, and some I bought used. At first I started with figure carving leather, since that is my favorite thing to do. It is nice to make cool pictures to hang on the wall, but eventually, I wanted to make things that were useful. I made a belt using some old buckles I had saved. I made a notepad case, a frame bag for my bicycle, and a few other odds and ends. I purchased a cheap leather stitching pony from Tandy, but after using it once I decided it was a piece of junk and not worth the effort. I was used to working with a quality stitching pony like the ones found in a good saddle shop.

DIY stitching pony

I decided to take the time and make my own stitching pony, but this time I wanted to make it better. I now regularly work with steel and wood. I have a very well equipped woodshop inherited from my dad, and a nice welding shop (another hobby). So rather than make it from bulky wood, I decided to use a mixture of steel, wood, and leather for this project. I knew what I wanted based on my many hours of using a stitching pony in my teens. And I didn’t want to take the time to draw it up on my computer in Sketchup, so I just “winged it” on the fly, like my dad used to build everything he did. I used material I had around the shop leftover from other projects, and some leather I had purchased a year ago on a super sale at Tandy.

The jaws clamp together to hold the leather tight so I can hand-stitch it with two hands. I used steel jaws with wooden blocks to clamp the leather. I wrapped the wooden blocks in leather to protect the workpiece, and then draped the left-over leather down over the steel jaws to protect the workpiece from scratching or any rust that might accumulate. I can easily replace the protective leather and the wood jaws if they wear out. I welded the jaws where they belong and made the wooden blocks. After mounting the block I sanded them so they clamped parallel for a nice even clamping action. The left jaw is fixed in place while the right jaw pivots on a hinge.
I used some leather I had purchased two years ago at Tandy at 70% off. I wasn’t sure at the time what I was going to use it for, but came in handy for this project. I had some neoprene leftover from lining my toolboxes and used it as a cushion under the leather.
I cut these serrations in this small piece of plate steel using a band saw. This is for locking the jaws in place. The leather strap runs up to the jaws and clamps them together. The leather stretches just a bit when clamping, which is good and puts tension on the jaws. When I first made this leather strap I was going to use a buckle so I could adjust it – hence the holes. But during the first use I figured out all the clamping pressure was on a single belt hole in the leather and it ripped out and broke the buckle. So I salvaged the leather strap by sewing it together double-thickness.
The strap goes up and over a pully I made out of tubing and spare bolt, then wraps around another bolt on the opposite jaw. The right jaw is fixed in place and the left jaw pivots on a hinge. The only additional item I had to purchase for this project was the hinge.
I decided to brace the legs underneath the seat so I used some steel tubing leftover from making luggage racks for my dirt bike. I crossed the tubing so that it wouldn’t interfere with my legs or the tension belt.
This is the piece of junk I bought retail from Tandy. It works but is very cumbersome to use. You adjust the tension with the bolt and spread the jaws with the square block. This makes it a two-handed operation so no way to hold your leather. Even adjusting the leather is a pain. With my design, I use my foot to release tension, move the leather with both hands, then step on the tensioning lever to clamp the leather in place. Much faster and less cumbersome. This one is available cheap if anyone wants it.

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About James Pratt

I am an Oklahoma based writer, commercial photographer, editorial photographer and adventurer based in Oklahoma City. I love telling stories about people. A motorcycle is my preferred means of travel, and I have over 5,000 hours piloting small airplanes. My editorial photography has been published in hundreds of magazines and my commercial photography has been used by dozens of companies worldwide.

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4x5 film 4x5x365 agriculture Amazon Web Services bicycle Bill Dragoo BMW Brass Ball Bobbers combine Darwin Motorcycles dirt bike drag racing Edmond El Reno film Fortinet Guthrie Ilford Delta 100 Ilford Delta Pro 100 Ilford HP5 Jeep John Deere Kawasaki Kay Pratt Kodak TMAX-100 Lexington Micha Young motorcycle New Mexico Nikon Norman Conquest Oklahoma Oklahoma City Oklahoma Living Oklahoma Living Magazine Oklahoma Today Ride Oklahoma South Canadian River Thunder Valley Raceway Tombo Racing Tommy Bolton Toyo 45A Toyo VX-125 wheat harvest Wrangler
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