Top 20 Leather Projects For Guys

There are different reasons that could make a guy enter the world of leather crafting. One may choose to do it as a form of business or simply a weekend hobby. Besides that, choosing the perfect leather project for you could make you get up from your bed and grab your tools to start working on your leather. I’ll be doing that now in this article by giving you the best leather project ideas that you could work on.

What are the best leather projects for guys? Leather wallets, watch straps, and boots are just some of the best leather projects for guys to work on. Leather key chains, mouse pads, and dog collars are great, too. These are things that can be useful to a guy’s everyday needs and a must-have for every man. 

If you’re still stuck figuring out what leather project to work on after finishing your previous one or you’re a beginner who wants something memorable to begin your leatherworking journey with, then you’ve come to the right article. I’ll be introducing you to 20 leather projects that are suited for guys and what makes them as such. I’ll also be familiarizing you with the basic leatherworking tools and why you’ll need them for these projects.

Best Leather Projects For Guys

For guys who are into leatherworking, they must be able to find something worthy of their time for them to work on. Especially for the ones that have a busy schedule, whether it may be due to family, work, or friends, a leather project must pique a man’s interest enough to make him find time for it. 

There are men who travel a lot for leisure or work regularly and have leather crafting as a side hobby. There can also be men who are planning to dedicate most of their time to leathercrafting, both as a profession and a form of leisure. 

The right leather project must suit its maker. The leather project must be simple but finely made; it should be tough and reliable. Moreover, a leather project for a guy should also be something that can be used regularly. It should be something that would be of use in everyday life and for whatever task it was made for. 

Leather Key Chain

A leather key chain would be the perfect leather project to begin leatherworking with. It’s useful for keeping your keys together. This would be the perfect leather project for most guys who keep house and car keys with them at all times. If you’re the type of guy who holds different sets of keys for multiple apartments or vehicles, then you should explore crafting a leather key chain.

Leather Mug Coozie

If you’re mindful of water marks on your table while having dinner or just simply want to add some flavor to your dining table aesthetic, go for a leather mug coozie. Instead of having to wipe your dining table after every meal or scalding your hands while drinking tea, protect your wooden dining table with a leather mug. This is perfect if you’re the type of guy that appreciates wooden furniture and would do anything just to preserve them. 

Aside from home purposes, this would be a great leather project idea for guys that run their own restaurant. If your establishment serves hot beverages like tea or coffee, then a leather mug coozie would be a great addition. You can even design your mug coozie such that it will match the theme of your restaurant.

Leather Dog Collar

If you’re a guy that’s sick of having to change your dog’s collar from time to time, then a leather dog collar would be the perfect leather project for you. Traditional dog collars made from polyester absorb liquids and therefore mimics the odor of your dog. Instead of having to wash your old dog collar, you could just easily clean a leather dog collar with a damp cloth to remove the smell. 

When crafting your own leather dog collar, you could adjust and custom fit its measurements to fit your dog. This way, you wouldn’t have to keep readjusting the collar whenever man’s best friend is feeling a bit irritable. You could even etch your pet’s name into the collar if you want it more personalized. 

Leather Mousepad

A leather mouse pad would be the perfect leather project idea for guys who spend a lot of time on their computers. Whether it may be for work or gaming purposes, surely you’d want a mousepad that would last a long time and looks exactly the way you want it to be. You could choose its color, size, and design just the way you want it.

You could opt for a glossy finish if you want your mouse to easily slide around your mousepad. What’s even better is that a leather mousepad wouldn’t absorb the hand sweat from long hours of working on your computer. If you’re set on the workstation that you currently have, you could even permanently attach your leather mousepad to your working table. This would prevent your mousepad from moving around whenever you’re sliding your mouse across it.

Sunglass Case

If you love feeling like a rockstar and wear different shades on every occasion, then a leather sunglass case would be the perfect leather project for you. Forget about canvas sunglass cases because they’re now a thing of yesterday. Leather sunglass cases look more elegant and would suit the avid sunglass collector that you are. Aside from its appearance, a leather case could protect your sunglasses more than a canvas could with its more solid structure. 

Consider engraving your name and other contact details on your leather case if you want it more personalized. This could also come in handy in the event that you misplace your leather sunglasses case.

Leather Cord Keepers

Whatever background a guy has, he most probably has at least one electronic device. With a leather cord keeper, you wouldn’t need to worry about losing your devices along with its chargers. It can also prevent your wires from tangling up with each other and therefore protects them from possible breakage. 

The use of leather cord keepers is not limited to small chargers. Create a bigger cord keeper if you want to store long extension cords or even strips of LED lighting. Auxiliary cords could also be stored in your leather cord keeper. 

Laptop Case

Ideal for guys who work on the go, a leather laptop case is a classy piece of leatherwork. It protects your laptop from spillages and external damages. If you consider yourself a clumsy type of guy, you could even consider adding a little bit of padding layer in your laptop case for bonus shock protection. In the unfortunate event that your laptop slips away from your hand, you’re guaranteed that it will still boot up in one piece. For your case security, a zippered case or a strapped case are two great ideas for your leather laptop case.

Most importantly, size can be purely up to your needs and preference. You can craft your leather laptop case into whatever dimensions you need it to be. This is so much easier than the burden of scrambling for the case size that would fit your laptop.

Leather Journal

Whether you’re a writer by profession or you simply love keeping a diary of poems for everyday life, then a leather journal is perfect for guys who love to write. If you’re the type of guy that tends to forget his daily errands, this leather project is perfect for you. You could write down your daily routine from morning up to bedtime all in one place. You could even use this for other practical purposes such as school if you’re still attending college. 

You could add modifications like a buckle lock strap or a pen strap to keep your pen attached to your journal at all times. Instead of a usual notebook covered with a cheap plastic cover, a leather journal is perfect for guys who want to keep their writing works in style. 

Leather Camera Strap

Conventional camera straps are made from nylon or fabric. While they may seem harmless at first, they can absorb and accumulate a foul smell, especially when you sweat. With a leather camera strap, you wouldn’t have to worry about it having an odor. You could easily maintain it by simply wiping with a damp cloth and re-dyeing it from time to time.

Like the usual camera straps, you could incorporate the use of buckles for length adjustment and swivels for easy attachment or detachment. A padded neck piece could also be added to your camera strap for comfort. This leather project is perfect for any guy who owns a camera and loves to take photographs.

Leather Wallet

This is the classic good ol’ leather wallet. This is a great idea for a leather project for any guy, especially for beginners, as it is easy to browse old leather wallets for reference. You could even modify how many pockets and the number of cardholders. The decision of whether or not it would have room for coins is also purely up to yours. There is a lot of freedom when designing your own leather wallet. From its size, layers, and all the way down to the color of leather you will use.

As a bonus customization idea, you could engrave your full name on your wallet or just your initials. You could have a button lock or a securing strap that goes around your leather wallet.

Watch Strap

For guys who love to collect vintage watches, the dial is the most important thing to preserve. If you find that the strap of your vintage watch is breaking down, consider crafting your own leather watch strap. Aside from it being less expensive than just purchasing, you could also customize sizing. You could freely decide on the strap length, the number of holes, and the stitching on your strap. Add a buckle of your choice that would complement the color of your leather watch strap.

You could also create multiple leather watch straps if you have quite a number of dials at home. This way, you could create the illusion of having an endless collection of watches. Switch up your pairing of leather straps and dials for each day of the week for a fresh look every time. 

Leather Satchel

The leather satchel is ideal for guys who want to make big moves in the corporate world. You could see this in every movie. Almost every guy wearing a suit does not go to work without a leather satchel. This could protect your documents and whatever pieces of paper files that you need for work. 

Your leather satchel could either be hardbound to protect documents or have a fluffy texture.The size of your leather satchel could fit a large file accordion or maybe just a few pieces of personal documents. These decisions are all yours to make when crafting your own leather satchel. 

Leather Boots

The classic leather boots have been the symbol for the hardworking man for ages. Whichever style it is, a pair of leather boots could be the finishing touches of your outfit. If you’re a guy that works a lot in the woods, a pair of protective heavy-duty leather boots would be perfect for you. On the other hand, you can also craft oxfords or loafers if you want something for office work. Whatever choice you may go for, leather boots would never go out of style. 

Beer Carton

Instead of paper beer cartons that break down when wet, craft your own leather beer carton. While this may seem like a bizarre idea in hindsight, you’ll have more trust that you wouldn’t drop your beer before you even get home. From the number of bottles of beers it can hold to whether it will have a handle or a shoulder strap, the choices are all yours. You could even customize it to fit the shape of your favorite beer.

This leather project is perfect for guys who love to have a beer, whatever day it may be. This one’s for the ones who’d like to crack a cold one for the boys. 

Leather Belt

Similar to a leather wallet, a leather belt is a must-have for every guy. If you’re tired of going for belt sizes that could either be a hit or a miss, then go and craft your own leather belt. Get out there, plan the number of holes, strap length, and buckle style. Multiple leather belts could also be crafted for different occasions, some could be for casual use and others for formal events.

Leather Tool Roll

A leather tool roll is perfect for guys who work with tools a lot. Crafting your own leather tool roll has its own privileges. You can decide on the number of tool pockets and their sizes depending on the kind of tools that you use. Labels on which tool goes into what pocket could also be added to your leather tool roll. 

Leather Phone Case

This is one of the most basic leather projects that a guy could work on. If you have a relatively old phone model, you’d notice that it gets more difficult to find a case for it. Simply craft your own and you’d be surprised at how good it would fit your phone. A great addition to it would be external straps to secure earphones and keeps the wire from entangling while in use.

With the number of available colors of leather, you’d have unlimited aesthetic options that will complement the look of your phone.  

Roll Up Travel Charger

This project is ideal for guys who just stuff their chargers into their luggage when traveling. With a  leather roll-up travel charger, your charging devices wouldn’t be buried under your clothes in your luggage. You can even carry multiple chargers in your hand-carry without having to hold each one of them individually.

Leather Whiskey Holster

A leather whiskey holster is perfect in giving padded protection for your liquor. It gives you added grip to prevent your bottle of alcohol from slipping away from your hands. Add custom engravings to suit your favorite whiskey brand or even have your name on it. Straps could also be added for an easier hold if your whiskey bottle is too thick for your grasp. 

Luggage Tag

Plastic luggage tags are now a thing of the past. Craft your own leather luggage tag if you want to travel in style. This leather project is ideal for guys who travel a lot and want a small leather project to work on. Pick a color for your leather luggage tag that will match the color of your luggage and your travel outfit. You can also have this leather project as gifts to friends and family who travel frequently. 

Common Materials For The Leather Projects

Before you begin on any one of the mentioned leather projects, I’ll be giving you an idea of some of the common tools that you’d be working with. These materials are usually used in every type of project, whatever size and difficulty it may be.

Leather Project Template

For beginners in leatherworking, it is highly suggested that you go for pre-made leather project templates. These templates are widely available online and are easy for beginners to work with. They serve as tracing guides for your sheets of leather when cutting the layers of your leather project. Templates come with guides that would tell you where to cut your leather and the dimensions your leather should come in.

As you advanced in your leatherworking journey, you could challenge yourself more by creating your own leather project templates. In this way, you could say that you made a leather project from literally just scratch. You could even gain monetization from this by selling your templates online and giving beginners an idea of how to create fine leather work. 

Threads And Needles

These two are the fundamental materials when stitching your leather. While the right type of adhesive could do well in sticking layers of your leather together, refined leatherwork must have fine stitches. There is a diverse pool of options when choosing your threads and needle. Picking the right one could make the process of leather crafting so much easier. 

Needles and threads should also match the weight of the leather you’re working with. Too small of a needle would make it hard for you to stitch through your leather. Going for the wrong or weak thread type could render your leather project vulnerable to immediate breakdown.

When stitching your leather, some thread and needle types are more suited to either hand stitching or machine stitching. Consider the stitching method you will use before buying your threads and needles. 

Stitching Pony

Stitching ponies are used to help you get a better grip on your leather project while stitching through them. Although they’re not necessarily required, they prevent your leather from moving around and give you more stitching precision. 

Stitching ponies are sold in different varieties. There are stitching clams that resemble stitching ponies but are much smaller in scale. They are more portable than stitching ponies and could be carried around anywhere. 

If you do not want to spend a few extra dollars, you could use two pieces of identically-sized scrap plywood. Squeeze these two plywoods between your legs while sitting down and put your leather between the top of your plywoods. This way, you’re clamping onto your leather tightly as if you’re using stitching ponies without spending an extra amount of money. 

Pricking Iron

A pricking iron works hand in hand with your threads and needles. Before you stitch your leather  project, mark the holes with your pricking iron. Pricking irons have varying sizes depending on the size of the stitching channel you want to mark. This tool would serve as the guide for the holes that you would later pierce and stitch through.

Leather

You can’t come up with your leather project without having the correct type of leather. The bulkier the leather project you want to create, the more you need a heavy-duty leather type. There are multiple leather types that you could choose for your leather project.

Some types of leather are synthetic while some have a more natural composition. This means that others are made to last longer. Be sure to carefully read on these types to find what is best suited for your leather project. 

Leather could also be sold pre-dyed. This means its color has already been processed and the only thing you’ll have to worry about is how you will use it. To improve your skills in leathercrafting, begin by using pre-dyed leather for your projects. As you gain more confidence in your skills and experiences, you should opt to learn how to dye your leather. This gives you more freedom in choosing how you want your finished leather product to look.

Cutting Board

Without a cutting board, there’s a high chance that you could damage the surface you’re working on while working on your leather. You’re going to be working with sharp objects and sometimes corrosive materials. Be sure to protect your working surface by using a cutting board when working on your leather projects. 

Stitching Wheel

The stitching wheel has a nearly identical purpose with the pricking iron. Stitching wheels also have different sizes that correspond to the number of holes it could mark within an inch. For example, a number-six wheel means that it marks 6 holes in an inch. Be sure to go for the right size of stitching wheel by evaluating what’s best for the size of your leather project. 

Leather Adhesive

If you want to bond your leather project successfully, get the right type of leather adhesives. There are multiple brands of leather adhesives available on the market with different adhesion capabilities. Be sure to go for what would suit the weight of your leather project layers.

Skiving Knife

Skiving Knives are commonly used to refine the edges of your leather. They are commonly used for the finishing touches of a leather project. It takes steady hands and a long period of practice and experience to master its use. Skiving knives are available in three shape options: diagonal, curved, and diagonal curved. Each of these shapes is made for different situations. As you work on more leather projects, you’ll definitely be able to experience using all of these skiving knife types.

Mallet

The purpose of a mallet in leatherworking is simple; to push down on your pricking iron when marking your stitching holes. Like skiving knives, it takes hands-on experience to master its usage. Remember, tools work perfectly in the hands of any experienced person. Be sure to practice your skills with tools by exploring different types of leather projects to work on. 

Conclusion

Explore these leather projects if you want something that you could work on and use on a daily basis. If you want to get better at leathercrafting, you must always set a goal on working on something new in order to improve your skills. Familiarize yourself with the different techniques that each of these leather projects would require you to do.

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