Walnut boot jack

[Scott Winners]

Almost done. All I have left to do is fasten down a strip of leather in the jaws or mouth opening at the end, and fasten down a piece of leather on the top to both cover the two nail holes and provide a little bit of grip when using the thing.

The idea is you slide the heel of a boot into the jaws of the jack, stand on the top of the jack with your other foot, and then take the first foot out of the boot. These are especially handy when you are sleeping in the dog house and don't dare ask the wife to help you take your boots off.

Basic rustic walnut, "plain" Watco Danish oil. This project is a handy thing to have since I only have one boot jack, plus I got to make a real curve with a coping saw and either a blind mortise or a stopped dado depending on your scorecard.

I will probably only build one more of these so I will have one at the house, one at the office and one in my truck total. I need to figure out how to fasten down the leather without buying an expensive tool. I am having good luck making strops by sanding the hair side of the leather piece and then gluing to plywood scraps with TiteBond II and clamping in a vise over night.

I did save the offcut that came out of the jaws cut. Do I really need a new staple gun or can I maybe predrill and use wee tiny escutcheon pins?

[Scott Winners]

Open to deign ideas for the next one. I have decided I don't like having a piece of leather as a grip area on the pretty wood top. I am thinking I might try a saw kerf pattern for the next one, in some other wood.

[robert wiggins]

I prefer glue with leather when possible and you may want to do some research on the subject of - sizing -. that is cutting the glue with a little water to - size - then at the correct moment apply a liberal coating of glue. This mostly avoids very much clamping with leather. Also consider fitting the offcut back into it's respective location to hold the leather in place while drying in that awkward clamping situation.

[Gordon Stump]

Nice wood!

[Mike Null]

I've had pretty good success with contact cement with leather.

[Prashun Patel]

"when you are sleeping in the dog house and don't dare ask the wife to help you take your boots of"

Got a good chuckle here.

[Scott Winners]

So what can I do better next time with this one? it is flat sawn white oak with 1/4 inch strips of red oak let into blind mortises for the grippy part, quarter inch strips on one inch centers.

I never was crazy about trying to grip the top of a boot jack with a sock on my foot when trying to remove the second boot because of that leather panel on the top - but I am no longer constrained by what I can buy in a store.

I used a block plane after glue up to contour the tops of the red oak strips and that came out kinda ok. The more troublesome part is the glue overflow. I didn't want to under glue, ended up working in there with a 1/2 inch chisel cutting excess glue out, then a couple days of free time with sand paper wrapped over the end of a stick. Jeez Louise.

Second coat of Danish oil on but damp for picture, Fort symphony Worth orchestra dot jpeg.