So I had the same problem you’re currently having. In fact, I joined the Makerspace specifically for access to Thor when I can get trained. Your best bet for the thicknesses that you’re describing is a stitching pony, a hand drill, and a very tiny drill bit. That’s what I used for my really thick stuff. I made a gun belt and holster. Used 13oz leather.
As you can see, that’s 3 layers of it with the fold and the welt. Worked out beautifully in my opinion. I don’t think you’ll find a machine that’s tough enough to stitch 3 or 4 pieces of 9oz without spending quite a lot of money sadly.I made four stitching ponies for DMS: they are in the top of the right-hand cabinet.
I’d be glad to share plans for making them: it’s pretty easy and does not require much in the way of materials:
- 6’ 1x4 Board (I used red oak from Home Depot)
- 1 door hinge with screws
- 2 bolts with nuts (exact size escapes me, but I’ll re-measure mine and update)
- 3D printed knob (I have the OpenSCAD source and STLs available.
- 2 4x4” scraps of leather to pad the jaws
If you have them handy, I’d love to see what you did. I’m working on a design that can clamp on my desk (I’m pretty heavy invested in the multi-use resources just because of space) so I’m interested to see what design decisions you went with and maybe learn a thing or two…
A couple of C-clamps would hold Mike’s design to a surface.
I’m just going to leave this lying here…
And put a $1.00 next to it that says Mike has updates to add…
It’s actually designed to be straddled. A stitching horse is a chair with a leather clamp built in. The “pony” is smaller and more portable: the base goes under the legs an the clamp comes up between the legs to a comfortable working height while seated.
I use it in a chair or even on the couch so I can stitch while watching TV.
I’ll try that with this Tandy stitching pony I have. I wondered why it was so tall…
What I was thinking for my design was something that I could clamp to the desk. It would give me something to do while waiting for a compile at work. (I work from home so it’s convenient.)
The link that @jast dug up covers it pretty well. I’ve made a couple of these for my own use and some for DMS and the Fort Collins Creator Hub as well. The design works fine. I added a 2nd hole to the lower crosspiece on mine which allows it to be removed and bolted to the side of the moveable arm for storage/transport. Other than that, I’ve not needed to make any significant improvements.
The repeated tightening/loosening while under tension will eventually wear the upper bolt - I had to replace it once on my home pony. Perhaps the use of a Grade 5 or Grade 8 bolt could be justified here instead of a standard carriage bolt.
Nice view!
No mask needed there!