Leatherworking can be a fun and relaxing hobby, so I incorporated it into my main hobby, building custom minibikes and motorcycles.
This project is a handmade vintage-style suede seat for a custom minibike, but I've included pics of several more seats I've made to show other types and styles of seats. There are many variations of stitching, lacing, mounting and materials, and they can be combined in a number of ways to create a personal style of one's own.
Pic1- This vintage-style minibike seat begins by cutting a half-inch thick plywood base, sized to compliment the symmetry of the bike it will be mounted on. I painted the wooden base to seal the pores. Foam is then glued to the base with contact adhesive, and excess foam is trimmed away. I use a bandsaw to cut the base, and also to trim the foam, using the plywood base as a guide. Foam density is a personal choice, depending on how soft or firm you want the seat to be. I like to laminate different densities of foam, allowing a firm layer on top that can be shaped or rounded on a bench belt sander. This also allows the seat to better retain it's original shape.
Pic2- On this particular seat, I had forgotten to drill the mounting holes through the base before I glued the foam on. I chose to drill the holes and install the tee nuts without removing the foam, but this is the side the foam should have been glued onto. It still works. In my defense, I make most of my seats with metal bases, and you'll see some of them in later pics.
Pic3- I use several different types of leather, some new, some cut from old jackets or other sources. This alligator skin is near the top of the price range for leather, but there are much cheaper sources. This project uses a new suede welding apron purchased from Harbor Freight. They cost only about $9, and are almost a square yard of decent-quality suede. The garish yellow color fades with age, and softens to a nice buckskin color and feel.
Pic4- I start with side panels, rough-cutting them with scissors and gluing them to the foam with contact adhesive. I use the adhesive sparingly...it soaks through and stains the material if too much is used. The adhesive isn't needed to hold the seat together, only to aid in the construction of the seat. The stitching or lacing added later will keep the seat together.
Pic5- If the base is wooden, and the bottom of the seat won't be in plain view, I use staples to attach the side panels to the base. Other methods will be shown in later pics.
This project is a handmade vintage-style suede seat for a custom minibike, but I've included pics of several more seats I've made to show other types and styles of seats. There are many variations of stitching, lacing, mounting and materials, and they can be combined in a number of ways to create a personal style of one's own.
Pic1- This vintage-style minibike seat begins by cutting a half-inch thick plywood base, sized to compliment the symmetry of the bike it will be mounted on. I painted the wooden base to seal the pores. Foam is then glued to the base with contact adhesive, and excess foam is trimmed away. I use a bandsaw to cut the base, and also to trim the foam, using the plywood base as a guide. Foam density is a personal choice, depending on how soft or firm you want the seat to be. I like to laminate different densities of foam, allowing a firm layer on top that can be shaped or rounded on a bench belt sander. This also allows the seat to better retain it's original shape.
Pic2- On this particular seat, I had forgotten to drill the mounting holes through the base before I glued the foam on. I chose to drill the holes and install the tee nuts without removing the foam, but this is the side the foam should have been glued onto. It still works. In my defense, I make most of my seats with metal bases, and you'll see some of them in later pics.
Pic3- I use several different types of leather, some new, some cut from old jackets or other sources. This alligator skin is near the top of the price range for leather, but there are much cheaper sources. This project uses a new suede welding apron purchased from Harbor Freight. They cost only about $9, and are almost a square yard of decent-quality suede. The garish yellow color fades with age, and softens to a nice buckskin color and feel.
Pic4- I start with side panels, rough-cutting them with scissors and gluing them to the foam with contact adhesive. I use the adhesive sparingly...it soaks through and stains the material if too much is used. The adhesive isn't needed to hold the seat together, only to aid in the construction of the seat. The stitching or lacing added later will keep the seat together.
Pic5- If the base is wooden, and the bottom of the seat won't be in plain view, I use staples to attach the side panels to the base. Other methods will be shown in later pics.