Making a Simple Leather Scabbard
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2025
- For a list of supplies used in this video visit: www.weaverleat...
Making a leather dagger scabbard is easy as long as you know how to make the pattern. Join Chuck Dorsett as he makes a dagger scabbard from natural veg tan leather in 4/5 oz. and 2/3 oz. We'll show you how to make the pattern, cut the leather, hand stitch, mold, and dye the scabbard. You can use this same pattern and adjust your measurements for swords, rapiers, and falchions.
1:46 Making the pattern
10:00 Marking and cutting the leather
12:31 Adding a groove and bevel to the overlay pieces
13:50 Glueing the pieces together
18:25 Adding a groove line to the main body
18:50 Marking and punching a hole for the button stud
19:53 Glueing the scabbard to prepare for stitching
22:17 Punching the stitching holes
25:23 Hand Stitching
31:47 Hammering down the stitch line and beveling the edges
34:55 Wet forming the scabbard
38:18 Pressing the scabbard
41:08 Hand dyeing the scabbard
48:12 Adding a top coat
46:00 Adding the button stud
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Chuck Dorsett is the Bob Ross of leathercraft.
that is so accurate...
Very Cool!
Instead of "happy little accidents", we get "very clean, very professional."
Chuck Dorset is great. I am so happy I found this channel.
I don’t see any “happy little trees” on the leather...
Except louder. 😆 Each appropriate for their craft.
As a beginner, I find your "small" tips extremely useful!
The tups are great and in trying to figure out what i can use around the house as substitutes,
I didnt realise leather working needed so many tools
his way of speaking and lecturing encourages & motivates me. he is just like Bob Ross of leathercraft world.
This was my first leather working project, and I made it for a longsword instead of a dagger. It turned out great!
That's awesome, thanks so much for letting us know!
@@WeaverLeatherSupply 8:27 You can add a leather washer behind the rivet that is still on the inside of the liner and install it so that the inside has no metal. Then you have strength and craftsmanship.
I really like and appreciate the longer video format, and the informative tip and tricks. Thanks for the great video Chuck. Love to see a follow up video on how you make the frog.
M
My
I will be doing this for my LARP swords! Got all the materials and gear, and this will be my first project ever!
That's awesome, Steven! Have fun with it!
How did it go?
Yea how’d it go
*Being Japan* : How did it go?
@@violetviolet888 it was a challenge but got it done. Thanks for asking.
Nice to see someone so excited to make leather items for weapons! I Learned some tricks!
The material you made the insert from is called hardboard. You could also use polyethylene. Cut it out and smooth the edges a bit. Completely waterproof, lasts forever.
I was given a 1918 Australian bayonet, with a leather scabbard. 5 years later I met an Australian man and gifted it to his dad to hang on his wall. Always pay it forward.
Chuck you are an excellent teacher, presenter! You should do more stuff like this.
Thank you so much for watching our videos and following along!
Thank you so much, I've been trying for months to figure out how to stitch this type of scabbard, over lapping, stitching at 45 degree angle, etc, etc. I knew there was a better way, and it probably would be something simple I was just overlooking. Sure enough, wet forming it after stitching! Wow, such a "duh" moment. But this is why I love leather crafting, there seems to always be one more trick to learn. Again, thank you, and happy crafting.
Thank you, Mark! Glad the video was helpful, I'm still learning new things too!
It took some time because of me being unexperienced, but thanks to this tutorial I just made my first own scabbard! It works well! Thanks a thousand times!
The quality and instructiveness of this video is simply mind blowing. Great watch, thanks!
Wow, thank you Charles!
The short sword i have made is incredible “thus far” and now I know how to make a sheath so thank you
This is so enjoyable to watch!
Hey, thanks so much. I used your tutorial to make a scabbard for a small sword. It's turning out pretty good, a bit rough in spots but it fits like a glove. I molded the triangular blade using your wood method but clamped dowels on top to press into the hollow ground portions. The seam on the back put enough pressure to fill in the hollow ground portion on the back. It looks like a scabbard I saw in in the musee d'armee paris-- very slim simple black leather scabbard for an officer's smallsword that was molded into the triangular shape of the blade. Thank you for the quality tutorial!!! Superb effort, I love you creative folks sharing your knowledge and skills.
Nice. Very long video but extremely detailed. This is the type of scabbard my cutlass has.
This is exactly what I needed. I wear a kilt almost everyday, and I often wear my basket-hilt backsword along with it, however I have never liked the black leather scabbard that came with my backsword because I cant stand wearing black leather in the daytime. I am old fashioned and I only wear black leather after 6PM or for dress occasions. For daywear I will only wear brown leather. I had a Scottish cross-belt sword belt duplicated in brown leather from one I already had in black leather, however it always looked off when the black leather scabbard was placed in it. Now I can have a black set and a brown set, PERFECT.
Read this in my Scottish voice to the tunes of bagpipes
I want a fancy letter opener. Now I have the perfect case when I do
Wish I had found your channel sooner - I used to joust professionally full time, and having some custom scabbards for my swords would have looked great on the field!
That's really cool, Jeff! Glad you found us and hopefully you'll have an opportunity to still make a custom scabbard!
Chuck is a rock star
This guy is great in so many ways. Great lessons and always a joy to watch him work. I met him at blade show and he is super nice in person as well. I told him mostly thanks to his vidoes I now make my own sheaths and I showed him photos of a few. I am sure he gets that a lot but he seemed very happy to hear that he had inspired and helped in such a way. Looking forward to more projects for sure. Thanks Chuck!
Thank you so much, it's always good to see your work and I'm honored that you were inspired by the videos!
Learned something new and useful every second! Thanks Chuck! Your knowledge and expertise are greatly appreciated!
Thanks so much!
So THAT'S how it is done! Thanks. Now I have the confidence to try one of these for myself.
Chuck, you rock bro! I've learned so much from your videos, thank you! You know your craft inside and out & your a very good teacher. Every time I need some help or know how with leather, I go straight to your videos. I'm going to screen shot your portrait and print it on iron-on printing paper then iron it to the front of a black T-shirt with the caption saying " Chuck Trained" or something witty like that. I'll post it on Pinterest or something. Thanks again!!! DGD 💥USMC💥
Glad you love our videos, and that would be awesome on a T-shirt!
Thank you for explaining your sewing technique in such detail. I've really been struggling!
I just finished making a sheath and pattern using this method for my 11thc norman sword and it looks better than i thought i could make thanks!
That is awesome!
Extremely well done, thanks for this!
Sir, you are a perfect teacher
What a great video! Lots of useful information. I’m with the other viewer: the longer videos are so nice! Thank you Chuck and thank you Weaver!!
Thank you, Choya!
Weaver Leathercraft Absolutely!!!
that was a great tutorial! thanks much for it. I honestly wish I would've seen that 2 weeks ago when I was making a sheath for a dagger. I had to reverse engineer one on a previous dagger to (more or less) figure it out. End result was one that looks very similar to this tutorial. sure wish I woulda known earlier. Awesome job too!
I can’t even begin to say how much these videos have helped me advance into this craft of endless possibilities! You make every project seem so approachable for someone who has only been doing this for maybe 5 months. Thank you so much!
P.s. maybe do a frog/hanger for sword and dagger scabbards next?
Thank you, Luke, that means so much! I would love to do a dagger frog, hopefully soon!
Some of the best videos on TH-cam.
Thank you so much! 🙌
Loved watching this... and have a couple of tips that may enhance this a bit... first is the Frog... as you have a Sam Browne post on the sheath... what about putting in a Buttonhole Punch hole on the first strap of the sheath... that way you can capture the sheath with that, and drawing and re-sheathing the blade will be a lot easier... secondly, if you put a 1" to 1 1/2" band of unwashed sheepskin in the throat of the sheath, maybe even matching the overlayed throat piece and stitching it in following the overlay shape, it will do 2 things... first it'll hold the blade in the sheath more effectively, but secondly, it will clean and grease the blade as you insert it and pull it out... that layer of sheep's grease on the blade will ward off rust the natural way... I do Viking Re-enactment in the UK - the guy that made my sheath used the wool trick and it keeps the blade in pristine condition... every now and then as the sheath gets older, you can charge the wool with a few drops of olive oil or mineral oil to keep it doing it's work, and although we wouldn't use Sam Browne posts, I know of frogs from the medieval times and onwards that do have the button hole in them to capture the sheath... nothing is new under the sun, as they say... ;)
Just about to fall asleep and what do you come along with? An absolutely awesome instructional video for something I was just thinking about doing. I didn't know how I was going to get to sleep without watching this, then I saw the length of the video. Anywho, thank you for making these instructions, for making them easy to follow, and for having the same interests. Appreciate all your videos.
This is precisely what I needed for the Scottish dirk I made, I really have no way to easily make a brass throat and tip, this looks great and is way easier to make!
Bic medium point, I love those pens
Thorough, confident, encouraging and relatable presentation. Many thanks.
thats a beautiful rapier and dagger set. once again thanks for the video, i have made a few scabbards in the past but always learn something new with these videos!
Thank you, Robert!
Very nice. I have been trying for a long time to figure out how one would put that spleen in there. Now i know. I should have asked you first. Thanks. You make it look so easy.
Thank you, Alan! So glad it was helpful!
thanks again for another great video.
Great video! Chuck is an awesome teacher! I've been wanting to make a scabbard like this but didn't know where to start. Definitely going to try one this weekend!
Thank you, Brian!
Amazing! Thanks
Chuck thanks a ton for the great detailed video.
"That's about $3 worth of wood."
I miss you 2019.
Well done as always Chuck here in California we are out of luck on daggers not allowed you we might cut our selves twice but you can go down to home depot or low'es and buy what is called a utility dagger for cutting insulation . Oh what would we all do with out big brother watching over us . Happy trails
Be careful, the utility daggers, insulation, Home Depot and Lowe's are known to the state of California to cause cancer.
Really cool
take a drink every time chuck says thus far or very cool.
Great video! I have 2 or 3 of these daggers - can't wait to get started.
Thank you, we hope they turn out great for you!
Dang it! Got the leather and the tools. Now i just have to buy a dagger and a sword. Guess it's only peanutbutter sandwich without the jelly for 2 months! Thank you Chuck!
Great tutorial for a sword scabbord. Now, need a 18c baldric or a baldric with a frog.
I really love this guy's enthusiasm, it makes me want to try this style of sheath for the next knife I make. I also really like these videos, because they show beginner leather smiths how to use their tools.
(Ps. Is it leather Smith or something else?)
I'm very slowly working on an Aragorn costume and wasn't too happy with the sheath that came with the ranger sword. Look forward to remaking that. Just need to figure out how to stack the little knife on top now. Thinking just cut a slit and gluing a thin liner piece behind that maybe? Probably test that before going full size
Thank you for another wonderful video, Chuck! Always love to learn something new. As a suggestion for a future project, I would love to see an instructional video making a pair of leather boots. Hopefully not outside your wheelhouse!
Thanks for the suggestion, we'll have to mull over this one! 👍
Re treating edges: I like to rub beeswax into beveled raw edges(after dying) and using a slicker to "melt" the wax into the edge by friction. I've done this on belts, holsters, sword scabbards and knife sheaths . It gives a nice smooth look, and also waterproofs the edges. YOUR thoughts on this?
I do the same thing.
I LOVE when people give MEASUREMENTS in a tutorial! Sadly rare these days.
Because all daggers are the same? cx
He shows you how to design it for YOUR DAGGER/sword. He explained why he add size for bends/spine/leather thickness. The one part that different is your initial trace of the dagger
You should not use measurements as a replacement for offering parts to one another, nor as a substitute for a craftsperson’s voice.
Nice tutorial! Thanks a lot!
Thank you for watching!
How did you know I wanted to learn how to do this, Chuck?! I know what my next project is....
This is awesome! I can't wait to make one of these. Thanks so much!
Thank you, Mark!
Hey, I love this project! I was wondering if you could go over how to trace for a cut out at the top of the shear? I tried doing my own, and only got it on one side so my dagger doesn’t go all the way in, could use some advice or a tutorial on how to measure for the cut in
man, you're videos are amazing
Would love to see a shoulder rig setup for a knife , 👍
Beautiful
Thank you!
Thank you for taking the time and sharing the knowledge, greetings 👍
Lots to be said for experience nice work Chuck just so happens I got to make one thanks 🤠👍
Thanks so much, hope this will be helpful in making one!
Nice work!
Sir, i really like to hear your explanation and your explanation kill my sleepy. 1000000👍👍👍👍👍 for ur vdo
Great job
Thank you, Elton!
nicely done
I love your enthusiasm, makes it pleasure to watch you work. But I noticed you did not stich around the throat and tail piece, and simply allow the contact cement to do all the work. I have not done one of these yet, but will be very shortly for some of my swords I have built. ( thank you for the inspiration!!!! ) Is this technique reliable enough, and / or would stitching just be for esthetics?
8:27 You can add a leather washer behind the rivet that is still on the inside of the liner and install it so that the inside has no metal. Then you have strength and craftsmanship.
I believe scabbards are made out Wood.
When it made from leather it a sheath.
This man has me believing in life again
great video, thanks so much
Chuck, interesting point about “FROGS” . In the Steel business they make a “FROG” which is a steel an electric switch that’s used on Railroad Tracks to switch a rolling train from one track to another track. I guess you need to get your “FROGS” straight! Richard
Muy buen trabajo felicitaciones
Gracias!
Neat!
:26 "On that point..." I see what you did there 😎
Loving the videos and the positive attitude, Chuck! Do you think the leather balm would hold up to the daily use in a restaurant setting (on a sheath for a chef's knife)? Or would something waterproof like resolene be a better option for that particular circumstance? Thanks for sharing all your crafting wisdom!
Funny you should ask! A Chef’s Roll is on the list of future project videos. One of the most interesting things to me is watching a kitchen staff move. Truly amazing, unfortunately, that’s one of the places where my best input is to stay out of the way! Kitchens are wet and leather is porous, so, the Resolene is good, but, it’s impossible to get a finish on the top grain, edges, back, chisel/sewing holes…and water will always wick in somewhere. I may say go with (not a sales pitch but I know both work pretty well) the Bickmore Gard-More Water and Stain Repellant, or, the old school Snow Proof Original Waterproofing paste. We sell both and these will give the roll the best chance with liquids.
Using Imperial measurments - very traditional ;}
Ikr
Now we need the same video but in European paces.
I gotta make me one of these.
Love these videos keep them up. Break the fingers of the guy pounding in the back ground
Beautiful Project! What changes, if any, would you make to the scabbard if your Dagger was sharpened? I know a welt is added for a knife sheath to protect a side seam, but with this seam in the back, no need for that. Would you bump up the leather weight or will this weight hold up for a dagger sharpened on both edges? I'm thinking of a shorter dagger, legal length, of course. Thanks so much for your amazing videos, I'm always inspired!
So glad you’re happy with the video! I’ve gotten this question several times and I am sorry to say that I only have two options. Sewing on both sides with a welt is great, ample options for decorating, is easy to line up, easy to add multiple colors, stamps, and tools without issue…but, that makes the scabbard almost 50% wider in many cases. The width, to me and it sounds like to you, just makes the scabbard too wide and if that’s not the way you want to go then a full or side only insert with a material like Kydex may work (haven’t tried this yet). These would glue in pretty well and can mold down to fit the bends in the scabbard. Another option is a wooden scabbard with a leather overlay. The wood form is pretty easy to make with a jigsaw, plywood and a good rasp and it doesn’t have to look great, the leather will cover it. This also has some good options for multiple colors, spots, lacing… See if any of this helps?
@@WeaverLeatherSupply Thanks so much. Yes, I didn't want to widen the scabbard and I like the look of this back seam. I'm going to add a Bronze tip and decorative band at the hilt. I think I'll try the Kydex first, in a simple knife sheath with the back seam, and I'm pushing it further, using a more supple leather than I've used for any other sheath, just to really give that Kydex a test. Why not? Have you made a vid about the holder for the sheath? Again, thank you for your amazing vids, it's a pleasure to get that notification!
I enjoyed your video it has been very useful and informative.
I have a quick question - would it be possible to make a scabbard with soft leather then harden the finished product, or is it better to harden the leather prior to making the scabbard
Hi there,
It would be better to form the scabbard and then harden it. I'm not sure what kind of leather you have that soft, but veg tan is going to be the only type of leather that you will be able to harden. Check out this video to see how Chuck hardens leather by baking it: th-cam.com/video/hwGW_qwpxYs/w-d-xo.html
What dagger it this, I love it's overall aesthetics and purity
Love the video I do have a question. I would like to try to have the main body a contrasting color from the throat and the tip, would it be possible to dye them before gluing together?
yes, absolutely!
That's a splendid dagger. Link to maker? Lovely scabbard...
And hey - 48 minutes of instruction - let's see more at this length please. Thanks Chuck.
Hi Fil,
Got this one from Museum Replicas, LTD in Conyers, GA.
Have you ever made any moccasin boots and what kind of leather is good to make them out of
If you place the button stud between the sheath and throat layers would it not be possible to use a thin aluminum plate between the layers with the screw one side of it and the throat layer on the other side of the plate. It seems to me that it would amount to a large washer that would strengthen that area of the sheath.
Fantastic video, still keep referring back to it. Do you need to allow more width for the turn with thicker leather (6/7 oz)?
hey chuck, if you had to tool this, how would you do that?
If I wanted to make the throat and tip a different color than the body, are there any tips for that? I've heard wet forming after dying doesn't work out so well
Back in the middle ages what did they use for gluing leather? Square knot is left over right and under then right over left and under. That's how I remembered it anyway.
I’m not really sure. Glue made from horse hooves is an old school glue but I don’t know how far that goes back. Cool question! I would love to know (it’s’ probably some very gross recipe!)
@@WeaverLeatherSupply I would imagine the recipes were pretty gross back then but I'm sure they worked really well.
I'm guessing they probably used some combination of a pine-tar and hoof or hide glue, or possibly bitumen (asphalt) from a petroleum seep or tar pit. Those methods go back to pyramid times.
@@digitaliproductions that makes sense. Thanks.
Loving it as always Chuck. I'm a Fiebings guy myself, tried a few other brands and results aren't quite as satisfying.
Couple questions about the scabbard. Got a claymore that could use a new scabbard; Steep guard and deep plunge (3-3 1/2) on the inset (mirrored both sides of the blade). Would this be a problem with this form of scabbard? Second, curing on scabbards, yes or no?
Hi Jason,
The claymore with the barbs is tough but, without, I don’t think the deep inset will be an issue if it’s measured pretty well, and, the outside edges can be rounded a bit to allow for the deep angle on the guard. It may be a good idea to just make about 5” of throat as an experiment and see how that fits and holds up. This will really give you the chance for a good measurement with a pretty tight fit. I have never baked a scabbard. It should work nicely (if you have a big oven), but, one of the things a leather scabbard has over a wood scabbard is that it can bend without breaking and hardening it may crack if it’s ever bent hard. I have stepped on a few scabbards, sat on a few…and a wood one would have been destroyed but the leather is no issue. I hope this helps!
Great thank you. Working on a new style of bracers and then a helmet (think i may have figured out how to get one made). After that I should be able to get started on the sheath.
@@Rkurnelm you're welcome! Sounds like a cool project!
For the top of the scabbard. I would actually wet form the leather for button.
How would you adjust this pattern if you have a guard that comes down? I understand how to adjust it for a side sewn scabbard but not for this type
You say in the video, "About half the tools we used, we don't need." Do you have a video showing how to do any of these steps without the single-purpose tools that you're using? I saw a video of someone using a drill rather than a punch, for instance. Are there other easy substitutes like that? This will be my first project and I don't want to buy a lot of tools unless I decide it's a craft I want to continue.
Tried to make a english sword scabbard (the mortuary version that is looking like a musketter version) Struggled so much for three weeks and finally stumbled on your video. All that i tough i knew was blown away. But i do have a problem. I want a wood core in the middle and obviously i fear i might break the core by pressing it or cannot place the wood core once the leather is stitched and wet) Do you have an idea for that? I carved in white pine wood since its a soft wood.
Louis-Phillipe Thanks for sending in a question! Leather covered wood scabbards can be beautiful! I haven’t made one but have seen a production shop doing it so I can offer some advice. The way I’ve seen these made, most often, is to cover the wood with a lightweight garment leather (usually chrome). This allows you to go with some beautiful colors, combinations of colors and prints if you find a good one. For the veg I may suggest wetting the leather, forming into the scabbard and, once dry, use contact cement to attach the leather. I may not add glue right to the edge so you can lift the edge with the chisel holes and sew that down. The stitch will be mostly for looks since the leather is glued on and no real pressure is involved. See if this answers your question?
@@WeaverLeatherSupply Thank you for your answer. Since i am quite an amateur (let's just say i am completely new to this but oh the love is real) I tried this first step you are inquiring. I got the corkscrew effect on both tries but didn't used glue yet for this. With your way of showing how to measure i think this might work now. Practice makes perfect they say. I hope i will have a chance to show you the result when its done. I will continue watching your videos. They are well explained form A to Z.
What kind of leather is good for moccasin boots and have you ever made any
Will this work on a tanto style dagger?