The Wood-Lined Leather Sheath

The liner

Johnson’s sheath is “constructed of wood” and leather ¹. A sheath maker’s version ²:

1. Cut three thin layers of pine.
2. Make the middle layer about 1 mm thicker than the blade and cut the blade’s outline out of it.
3. Make the three layers together as thick as the bolster, so the sheath’s mouth fits the bolster.
4. Glue them, then carve the outside to a smooth, slightly flattened shape.

A Lauri plastic insert is the quick alternative ³.

Pattern

Lay the knife and liner on paper and draw a pattern that wraps around both, with a seam allowance along the back edge. Norwegian sheaths are deep: an 1899 knife measures 21 cm sheathed though the knife is 17.5 cm and the sheath 15 cm, so the sheath covers several centimeters of the handle ⁴. Bring the pattern up over the lower part of the handle; the leather will grip it by friction.

Mold and stitch

1. Wrap the knife in plastic film ².
2. Soak vegetable-tanned leather until it is limp. Groven’s class uses vegetable-tanned leather ⁵; Johnson’s uses what the class calls German half-tanned leather ¹.
3. Wrap the leather around knife and liner and mold it with a bone folder, pressing it into the shapes of the handle and bolster ².
4. Stitch the back seam starting at the tip, about ten stitches at a time, molding as you go ². Use two needles and waxed linen in a saddle stitch.
5. Let it dry on the knife.

Decorate

Norwegian sheaths were carved, stamped, or embossed ⁶; the Telemark knife by Hallstein Kroken Midbø has a thick, ornamented dark-brown sheath ⁷. Groven’s class makes its own leather modeling (pauting) tool and explores decoration and finishes ⁵. Model or stamp the leather while it’s still damp.

The braided hanger

Johnson’s sheath includes “one piece of leather braided and capped with antler or wood” ¹. A likely reading is a trick braid: slit one strip of leather into three strands still joined at both ends and braid them, which can be done without cutting the ends free. Pass it through a slot at the top of the sheath and finish the loose end with an antler or wood cap or toggle. Groven’s sheath has a belt hoop or none ⁵.

Dye and finish

Punch the hanger slot, trim the edges, dye, apply an oil and wax mix, and burnish the edges ². The whole sheath took that maker about three hours.

Try it

Before cutting your good leather, mold a scrap of the same leather around the knife and liner and let it dry. It shows how far the leather stretches and how much seam allowance you need.