Showing off my wares...

Personally I prefer hand stitching. However your lacing looks much better than most I've seen.

 

Another vote for the hand stitching. I think Bill Moran's style of stitching would also look great with your style of knives, as the stitching also has a bit of a rustic appeal. I know Karl Andersen often uses that style on his hunter sheaths if you're not familiar of what I'm talking about. I dunno if Bill came up with it but I believe he teaches it in one of his books.

Nice work


(edited to add) You can see an example in the first part of the video below:




~Paul
My Youtube Channel
... (Just some older videos of some knives I've made in the past)

 

I am not a fan of lacing. The lacing is exposed and could get damaged and compromise the structural integrity of the sheath. This is why you cut a groove for your stitches to lay in. To my lacing just hooks hokey and cheap

 

Stitching is far better than lacing in most all cases. Use a stitch groover to get the stitching below the surface.

If you are going tom
lace,use a western triple loop stitch.

 

i vote for stitching.

 

To me lacing is pretty and impractical, nice for a look-at sheath, not so much for hard use.

 

I agree with everyone else hand stitching over lacing

 

If you do a saddle stitch when hand stitching each individual stitch is locked down. If one stitch is broken due to wear and tear your sheath is still functional and can easily be repaired. With the lacing this isn't so.

 

Lacing looks too much like the cheap Tandy Leather sheaths kits or perhaps some cub scout project for my taste.

 

Another vote for stitching!

The only other aesthetic adjustment I'd make (which you totally didn't ask for comments on) is to move away from the squared-off sheath top/mouth/opening. To me, that style looks like it was just chopped off with a paper cutter (not just yours, any done this way) compared to the pretty curves on your blades. Having some sort of contour there will also help your scale-fronts slip into the sheath easier, without affecting retention in a negative way.

More power to you for being willing to do hand-stitched leather! I gave up holster-making in part due to the excruciating finger work (investing in upscaling your tools I'm sure helps).

 

Another vote for stitching. I've had saddle stitched sheaths for 3 decades and have not had a lock stitch come undone.

 

I agree with Dan. Lacing is pretty but not very practical.

 

If you are interested in upping your leather skills and you haven't already, check out Sheaths and Such here on BF. Like here you'll get better results asking about specific techniques and or questions as opposed to saying tell me how to make a sheath. Incredible amount of info and experience there.

 

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My every day sheath has had a busted saddle switch for over a year. I will fix it if it starts coming apart, but none of the other stitches have loosened a bit!