Sheath for Robens Saw

 

Gear Belt – Another Upgrade

The gear belt is something that constantly gets upgraded. The other day I had to cut a lot of wood in the forest, and several times I missed my small folding saw. That was a bit annoying, so I decided to make a quick sheath for my Robens folding saw.

I am really happy with the saw, and it has held up for a long time. In fact, I have never owned anything from Robens that has disappointed me. The saw costs around 80 Danish kroner. The design looks like the cheap 35-kroner saws from Biltema and Harald Nyborg, but the quality is infinitely better.

If it dies one day, I will buy one from Bahco or Silky. But for now it has lived for several years. The cheap ones tend to bend at the blade or break in the locking mechanism, but the Robens just works.

The sheath took a single evening on the sofa to make, so that is not too bad. Even if I switch to another saw one day that does not fit it.

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Template

I traced around the saw and cut the shape out. Then I placed it on a new piece of paper that was folded. I cut out template number two and checked that it could actually wrap around the saw – which it could.

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Cutting, Holes, and Edges

I transferred the sketch to the leather and cut it out. Then I punched holes on one side, folded the sheath, and marked the holes through with a pencil. After that I punched holes on the other side so they lined up.

I rarely use an awl, and I do not have a sewing machine for leather. So the hole punch works fine, and it is also easier to sew through the slightly oversized holes. Before stitching, I ran an edge beveler along the entire sheath.

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Stitching

The sheath is stitched with a saddle stitch and has been sewn twice, so it is nice and strong. Before stitching it together, I slightly dampened the leather to help it take shape around the saw.

I have never tried drawing in leather before, but I drew an eagle on baking paper, dampened the leather, and traced over the sketch. That left a faint mark in the leather. I pressed the eagle shape with a knitting needle and then scratched/dotted it using an awl.

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Dangler

I really like dangler sheaths. Especially on a work belt, it is nice that things can move freely. When I move around, sit down, and so on, there is no tool suddenly digging into my side or anything like that.

So I simply riveted a small strap with a D-ring onto the sheath. In the D-ring hangs a small strap. On my dagger the dangler can be unbuttoned, but I do not mind having to remove other parts of the belt to rearrange things properly.

The good thing about riveting the strap is that I will not accidentally pull the buttons open.

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Current State of the Work Belt

So this is what the finished work belt looks like right now.

What am I missing on the belt?

• A new belt that is wider and stiffer

• A sitting pad / thigh protection for carving