How to make a Japanese leather skiving knife with common tools

This is how to make a pretty mediocre leather skiving knife with some basic tools, a rocky table, and a slab of elbow grease.
Credits to Aaron Gough for the jig : / aaronmarkgough
Here's if you're interested in what I'm up to: / allanyeo

[@Belows682]

Geat job on that piece. Its 7 years later and i bet it is still a great tool. Thank you for the inspiration.

[@AndTheCorrectAnswerIs]

Good work! Our ancestors didn't have big stores or the internet and often had to make what they needed from commonly available items using only hand tools. The skills to do something like this are the building blocks for even greater accomplishments down the road.

[@allanyeo]

I think it's fun to be creating things. Yep! These skills will be nifty to have in the future.

[@wickedways1291]

The idea he made the very tool he used in order to create the sheath is brilliant. There's nothing like creating your own tools. It ingrained in us.

[@DylansDIYWorkshop]

Beautiful blade!

[@treigert]

wonderful piece of art!

[@Donegaldan]

Alan, You created a quality functional tool with only a few hand tools. Well done and thanks for sharing.

[@gs42816]

Exceptional expertise.

[@tedhobgood]

llent video. I learned a lot. Thank you for sharing your work!

[@maynardconde.2954]

Great, Allan!!!

[@dbirdez]

Great job , end results are what counts.

[@phillynn79]

What an adventure, awesome video.

[@AlexanderGoroshilov]

Great job man!

[@ILuv2learn]

Impressive. You made a nice leather working tool with a hacksaw, a drill, and a file. Well done! Very interesting video. Thanks!

[@Yoshikaable]

I love it and will be making one myself. Nice to see how you solve the challenges!!

[@Broney-tw3vy]

Outstanding video!

[@stepcorngrumbleteats7683]

Exceptional ! You cut and assembled using only a hacksaw and file...Respect !

[@samaker4]

That looks like a lot of work but the end product is great! Cool video as well.

[@veemercer1698]

Wow, beautiful blade. Lots of precise work and end result is well worth it.

[@darkshadowsx5949]

i didn't see any precise work. it doesn't take a watchmaker to make a knife. the knife doesn't have to be perfectly crafted to exact detail.

[@gwynneclark6372]

A good demo to show a very nice leather knife can be made by anyone

[@dixonqwerty]

Nice work!

[@LetsPrepTogether]

Nice work! Especially considering the basic setup you have to work with! Well done!

[@johnbravo7542]

Very nice work

[@tishimself126]

Excellent!

[@richardrichricky]

Wonderful work,thank you for sharing...

[@allanyeo]

Thanks for thanking me!

[@robertbrunston5406]

Good job! Tool looks like it works very well! Thanks.

[@allanyeo]

worked so-so to be honest haha! i think its because i have not sharpened it enough. Didnt have a leather strobe at the time of me making this video, so im not too sure of how well it'll work when its really sharp

[@enzosantomarco9974]

Very good work...

[@johno7808]

Excellent leather knife! Well done! 👍

[@nicolaquintavalle2476]

Fantastic! No matter if you spend more to make it yourself, thank you from Italy. ;-)

[@allanyeo]

Nicola Quintavalle thanks! Though this knife have its own flaws such as being too heavy and a little to thick, making it a little cumbersome to use. It's still fun to make!

[@schuylerrobinson1927]

Great work! Going to give this a try. Thanks.

[@allanyeo]

Great! All the best in your project

[@orlandodilasso]

Great to see how you make new tools with old ones. Nice leatherwork too!!!

[@allanyeo]

thanks! still really amateur with them though. Right now i'm more focused with my leathercrafting skills!

[@giovannifontanetto9604]

You had a really good result

[@billbox8659]

Very nice!

[@manicheanwarrior8589]

Very good job. Thank you.

[@allanyeo]

thanks :)

[@wyoblacksmithtools3097]

Truly beautiful! Relaxing to watch you work!

[@allanyeo]

thank you!

[@douglasascencio9140]

What a great video, awesome technique both with metal and wood. Keep it up pal I am totally subscribing :)

[@joemudd6466]

great results using, to be honest, not enough tools. respect.

[@Iammightymeaty]

Nice work.

[@allanyeo]

Iammightymeaty thanks 👌🏼

[@grumpymuggles]

Amazing! Exciting!

[@allanyeo]

You're amazing and exciting too!

[@ToddAndelin]

You are really talented... great video!

[@allanyeo]

Thank you!!

[@Nissimus]

Beautifully executed! I want one :)

[@allanyeo]

Nissim Whba go try it out for yourself!

[@joeorton1218]

That sounds omg good job

[@zeroa6]

Wow!!!! great work! all in your home... =)

[@ZippedUpKitz]

Very nice.

[@nikolaarandjelovic1930]

definetly very interesting didnt think you could make a tool like this without specialty tools

[@miguelvaliente1475]

Thanks for the video. If you lubricate your saws and drill bits when using them they last longer. Also if you avoid dragging the saw on the backstroke.

[@bossdaddy1919]

nice job

[@ThePointstheif88]

Just made one of these today from an old rasp. Wish I watched this first so I could have done a few things differently.

[@raygetoutdoors6151]

very well done, especially with just mostly hand tools. ray...Oklahoma

[@valkadrygoods6001]

brass and cooper inlay look really awesome men!

[@allanyeo]

though it tarnishes after awhile!! :(

[@dominicdelprincipe2583]

Dig the motion of that workbench! Mine does the same thing. I love your beveling scheme. Eyebolt+steel rod=precise bevel. Beautiful. Subscribed :)

[@allanyeo]

The workbench caused me much more work cause most of the energy is spent rocking it LOL. The beveling jig is designed by aaron gough! Go check it out if you intend to create one yourself :)

[@silverwiskers7371]

good job

[@giovannifontanetto9604]

I live in an apartment too, having the same tools you have as the only option. Seeing what you can acomplish inspires me.

[@giovannifontanetto9604]

I have found a old heavy wood beam in the church garbage, plan to make it into a sturdy table.

[@valterleao6795]

PARABÉNS, quanta habilidade, muito bom, melhor.... ÓTIMO! Obrigado por compartilhar comigo seus conhecimentos! Abraço aqui do Brasil 🇧🇷

[@barthik77]

Beautiful. More videos!

[@allanyeo]

Nolan MacGregor Ill try to when I have more time :)

[@MobyBrickFlicks]

Very impressive, especially seeing as how the only power tool you used was a drill! My only question is in the heat treating, it looks like you only heated and quenched, but why no tempering process?

[@stevemiller2052]

I wonder if he tempered off camera. The other thought I had as I'm making some leather knives myself right now, is maybe they don't get tempered so they can hold an edge longer, since the use is very specific and not very demanding against wicked hard steel. I honestly don't know, though

[@coffeeaddict409]

Unmistakably Singapore. Kudos to you... I wonder what your neighbors think. "Hmm.. its that guy filing away at along the corridors again"

[@allanyeo]

HAHA im blessed with a big corridor for me to do my projects. ^accurate description

[@natarae]

If i were your neighbor id cry because of the noise. But dont get me wrong i love these diy. The noise and potential disturbance to others is what will cause me to shy away from trying to do these projects.

[@crypto_pinto2660]

Awesome and no power tools

[@kingfisherblues57]

Respect.

[@erikparker9900]

Good usage of the hacksaw to file wood. Smart kid! one point to remember: the chirping of a file means the file is skipping and not cutting efficiently. simply change the angle and/or speed to make better cuts.

[@allanyeo]

Thanks for the tips!

[@achappel]

Really nice project! and really nice looking knife! i like the rough finish on the blade. What steel did you use?

[@allanyeo]

Alexandre Chappel thank you Alexandre! I used 1095 steel, though it's a rust magnet here in the tropics :p

[@oldschooljack3479]

First thing I would do is take a few of those common tools and secure that damn table to the floor. 😉

[@armandocasasconcosas9651]

Buena pieza, me suscribo.

[@daz.r1994]

Great how thick is the steel you used to make the skiving knife in.

[@davidbarta8799]

Nice

[@lm386opamp]

terrific job! I am going to follow your example!

[@allanyeo]

George Suprenant sweet!

[@melindakeppler656]

I would love to see how a swivel knife is made. I've been look for that kind of information for awhile and other than taking one of mine apart the information isn't handy.

[@ken1shum]

Why don't you use electrical grinding machine?

[@BeachBoi1000]

Nice stuff! Great to find a local DIYer! Familiar ST newspaper and HDB!

[@allanyeo]

Thanks! The thing with DIY in singapore is that there's no space!! im lucky to have a large corridor as well as neighbors who tolerates the noise

[@BeachBoi1000]

No choice, just don't burn up your flat. Haha.

[@allanyeo]

of course man haha. reminds me that i should get a new fire extinguisher

[@apoloniorodriguez7251]

Puedes hacer un video de como construir la guia de afilado. Gracias

[@edwarnock4534]

nifty knife!

[@allanyeo]

Thank you :)

[@ahmedghandour1723]

What kind of steel did you use ?

[@antonc81]

hope you're planning to make videos of some of your leather projects!

[@allanyeo]

antonc81 I am planning to when I have more time!

[@allanyeo]

antonc81 I am planning to when I have more time!

[@victoriomaestro7656]

antonc81 ';;;

[@allanyeo]

Just made a video on one of my leather project! You can go check it out :)

[@andimayermayer]

very nice work. Liked and subbed :)

[@allanyeo]

andimayermayer thank you!

[@jimfreeman3636]

Do you not feel that a bit of offsetting the blade near the handle would be nice? Not sure if that could be done, but 1095 is pretty easy to work with in a simple shop. BTW, I have some cheap wood chisels that sharpen up well and work well for rough shaping handles. Might be quicker that a hack saw. Great work!! Thanks.

[@ardalan1473]

Great job. Which steel do you use?

[@christofear]

looks like 1095

[@flashthejoy]

are you a famous youtuber now

[@crossgrainwoodproductsltd9230]

Buy a rasp and it will remove more wood easier than a file. Also, try cutting the corners off before attaching the blade. Nice project!

[@albertoarnaizt.9746]

Buena navaja, me podrías decir que grados de inclinación al filo, Gracias

[@Rainquiller]

hey bro, i'm in sg too, where can i got atorch like that? been looking around to find something like that but idk what it's called i need it for heating the edge creaser. thanks!

[@allanyeo]

NEVOJ it's called a mapp gas blowtorch and you can get it from Horme hardware near UBI there. The fuel itself was $10 per can and the head was around $60-70? Though i think you should look into those smaller butane torches that are sold in Pasar Malams since this is quite overkill LOL. I use this smaller $20 butane blowtorch for my edge creasing hahaha

[@BlueLineofthesky]

Nice product and admirable perseverance. Especially considering the painful working condition and tools you use. That workbench moving like that...it freak me out. :)

[@allanyeo]

The table was falling apart while the project was ongoing. I threw it away afterwards LOL.

[@TheBootneck]

Impressed, Liked, Subbed and Downloaded. I just have to watch this again. And maybe again. Just repair the table please! What oil did you use to quench the blade please? That looked like Raw Linseed Oil on the handle - Yes? Regards and praise, John

[@allanyeo]

threw the table away! I used vegetable oil to quench the blade. boiled linseed oil on the handle yes!

[@wontondestructxn]

You made this at an HDB flat? How much did your neighbors complain about the noise? Great work by the way. Very impressive that you did most of this without power tools.

[@allanyeo]

I try to do these projects during the weekdays when my neighbors are working :P Though one time my neighbor came out and told me that it was too noisy and they couldn't sleep cause of the noise (opps). Thanks!

[@bert3064]

Where are you from?

[@MrVilidat]

I came across your post from the reddit community about a week ago. Thanks to you and Aaron I have been on a rollercoaster of searches and videos on steel, forges, heat treating...! I really loved the video and how you took inspiration from Aaron and made a skiving knife out of it. Could you help me with 3 things: 1) Why burn the wood handle slot before placing the blank? 2) What additional info did you read or watch before starting? 3) I noticed your in SG, I'm in Taiwan and it is always humid what do you do to protect your blade from corrosion? And will the leather sheath increase the likelihood of corrosion? Again great work?

[@allanyeo]

Sounds great! id love to help. 1) I drilled a few holes through the wood and burnt away the rest of the wood so that the knife would fit snugly into the handle(hidden tang knife). You can create a full tang knife to skip that step, but I felt that a full tang knife might be too heavy for delicate work like leathercrafting. 2) I honestly can't remember, since most of the information are gathered from so many videos. I mainly watch tons of build alongs and observe their steps and procedures. From the top of my head, i watch Diresta, Walter Sorrells, Aaron Gough, The Art Of Weapons, Peter Brown(non knife), John Heisz. Go check out Aaron Gough's video "Making a knife with only common tools - time-lapse" if you haven't. 3) Yep! its crazy humid here so my knives just gets buried in rust if i don't use it often, so you can apply a layer of mineral oil when storing it. I normally don't since i'm quite lazy and most of the knives i make (kiridashi) are meant to be beaten around so i normally dont bother. Another way is to force a patina by dunking it in hot vinegar so that it forms a protection against red iron oxide. It depends on the type of leather that you're using and how you treat it because the moisture in the leather might cost your blade to rust. Maybe you can treat the suede part of the leather with oil or beeswax? So that it forms a protective barrier. So far without treatment, the leather does provide more protection against trust as compared to leaving it out in the open (due to the high surrounding humidity). Are you going to do it by hand?

[@MrVilidat]

It's actually a huge coincidence I came across your post when I did. I needed a skiver and was searching around for info and pricing. Seeing it done by hand with minimal tools from a-z has pushed me to give it a go. Yes I'm going to do it by hand. Oh by the way did you have any issues tempering the O1 without a forge?

[@allanyeo]

haha nice. Actually buying a skiver would be much cheaper since the tools adds up to the cost of it. However, i guess its a fun little project to do!

[@UriValdez]

Im making my own skiver

[@NantachaiChootien]

สุดยอดฝีมือดี ขอบคุณครับ

[@user-kr7wj5qq9d]

做的很好奥~ 比较推荐用复合钢

[@yewsengcheong1637]

Hey Allan! Nice project! That's beautiful craftmanship. Did you make your own marking knife as well? Are you from SIngapore? Just happened to notice "Straits Times". =)

[@allanyeo]

Hi! thanks man. Yep i made a few kiridashi knives as well as i wanted a few of them laying around in case i need to open letters etc. However they're rust magnets so i gave in and bought a better one online made in japan! Yes Singaporean too :)

[@TheMrdemetrius]

What are you doing sharpening angle on skiving knife?

[@allanyeo]

Katinava Ka it's roughly 20 degrees

[@albertolambach5395]

Un trabajo EXCELENTE!

[@allanyeo]

Alberto Lambach 😁

[@vieiram7235]

Qual aço ?

[@lalalalallolo9778]

I like how there’s Hong Kong drama in the background

[@ladygardener100]

Ty, I can make tools too :)

[@blackout57]

THat is a very nice piece of work, but isn't the handle way to large for skiving at low angle?

[@allanyeo]

thanks! and yes it is. the steel used was too thick as well. Because of that, it's much harder to achieve a razor sharp edge as compared to the thinner knives.

[@konstantins.4722]

+1!!!

[@stevethomas7463]

👍

[@densealloy]

I'm sorry for the truly idiotic question about leather work. I am just getting to it and am designing my first piece. my question is about edges and the typical space left from the edge of the item being sheathed. I want them to look nice but it seems like when I am doing my pattern I have to much left over. is there a good standard measurement to use. 3mm looks right but doesn't appear to have enough to stitch without issue. 5mm seems to big but my instinct is 5mm from edge the item to the edge the leather leaves enough to finish the leather and add a groove and stitches. am I over thinking this but I was hoping someone good give me a tip or steer my to a video. I don't have a lot of extra money so I am not able to buy a video or something like that. thanks for a great video I admire your talent.

[@allanyeo]

Hi! Sorry my comment might seem too late, but im not exactly sure myself. For me, my stitches are 3mm from the edge and they seem to work fine. if it doesnt appear to have enough to stitch you can consider trying thinner prongs? Since some of the prongs produces really large holes.

[@marine0v061]

Allen, nice work! 聽到背景收音機聲，香港人？ 我也是，也愛DIY, 近來開始玩皮製品，想找一把鋒利耐用的刀，周末剛買了很原始未開鋒的扁鋼條平口刀，看到你的 youtube,也想做一把日本刀。 想請教，為什麼要把刀燒紅？

[@allanyeo]

我是新加坡人! 只是我妈妈喜欢看香港片。 对不起我的华文不太好。买了也可以做多一个，我做了这把刀又买了一把新的。因为我这把刀太厚了，不够利。我把他烧红是为了把铁硬化，不然用了两下这把刀很快就不利了。

[@marine0v061]

Allan Yeo, Thanks. It looks really sharp when testing with paper. Yes, creating one just for interest. I like the elliptical steel piece you made. It upgrades the knife much. Not sure I can get a steel strip and a strong gas burner. I think your knife is very sharp as long as the steel is strong enough. I saw a KZbin before telling how to sharpen a knife. I will send the link to you if I can find it. Hoping that it helps.

[@marine0v061]

Allen, I found a Hong Kong Allen who has created some great videos for sharpening knifes. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4PMZqKCqMudqMU I think your DIY knife is great and can be really sharp just by a suitable "開鋒" which " 打薄把刀" at the very beginning.

[@MountainFisher]

Did you temper the blade? If you didn't that knife will be extremely brittle on the edge and can break if you ever drop it. 1095 steel isn't a beginner's steel, 1084 would have been better, or even O1 tool steel. I'm a knife maker, which is what got me started in leather making my own sheaths.

[@allanyeo]

Yep i did but i didn't include it in the video. Ah i see! thanks for the tips. i wanted to get 1084 initially but at that time the store (jantz supply) wasn't carrying them in their stores.

[@Azhang22]

what was the finish you used on the handle?

[@allanyeo]

Boiled linseed oil :)

[@Azhang22]

@@allanyeo came out really nice!

[@Azhang22]

@@allanyeo also did you soften the steel before filing? I tried filing and got nowhere after hours.