Tutorials:
Leather Sheath 2:    Layered Sheath

Click on any of the thumbnails below for a more detailed photo

	Another style of knife sheaths that has always been very popular is the layered construction knife sheath. Easy to make, this style provides an attractive and secure way to carry your prized creation. The knife shown above, by the way, is a modified Commando blade as shown in the Full to Hidden Tang Tutorial
		A picture is worth a whole bunch of words. This picture shows the basic construction that can be modified for just about any knife. Think ahead when you lay this out. I designed this for a right hip carry- right hand draw.
		Experiment getting the size right with a paper template first. Much more economical to goof up a piece of paper than an expensive piece of leather. Hold the paper template to your hip to make sure the orientation is to your liking
		Use the paper template to cut out the leather pieces. Did you notice how I forgot the grommet tab on the bottom of the sheath on the paper template? I remembered before I cut out the leather
		I used a good contact cement to glue the layers together and used various clips to hold it together for a few minutes while this cures. They do make specialty glues designed for leather but I've always found that the more economical contact cement is plenty strong.
		The leather strap is added through two slots cut in the back off the sheath. Try to make this a snug fit.
		I'm so lazy. I used a fine drill bit in a Dremel tool to put the lacing holes along the sides of the sheath following a line I drew with a light colored pen.
		I use a figure 8 stitch, identical to the one used in the Pouch Sheath Tutorial   to tightly stitch this sheath together.
		I picked up these metal grommets at a craft store. Installation is fast and simple with a hammer and the tool that came with the grommet kit.
		Slide the knife into the sheath, wrap the straps around the handle and use a needle to poke through both layers to mark where the snaps are going to be installed.
		Lay out the male and female halves of the snaps before proceeding and make sure you've got them oriented correctly before installing them. The snap setter is a specialized ( but economical)  tool specifically designed to peen these in place.
		Check to make sure that you have the male and female halves of the snaps laid out correctly.
		Add a couple of quick stitches through the back of the sheath to hold the strap in place.
		I chose to use a  dark brown dye  ( although not designed for leather, I used Minwax stain and was happy with the result) before folding over the belt loop to be able to get to all surfaces.
		Fold the belt loop over, use  a thin bead of contact cement to hold it in place and secure it with two rivets. Afterwards, I thought it might have been more useful to use two snaps here to allow easy removal from a belt. Too late.
		Not too bad. I like it. The large flat front  surface just cries out for some kind of embossing or decorative embellishment. To see what this sheath looks like worn, click HERE