Beautiful and functional apron

So here’s my awesome new apron that my wife made for me. It’s a cross-backed apron with locking clips at the waist for holding it snuggly against my body. Custom fit, and it feels so nice to wear even with a bunch of stuff hanging off it.

I can bend, twist, squat, sit and spin in circles without the slightest bit of discomfort despite having a number of commonly used tools on me.

Click through and mouse over the images to see what I’m using in it!

Contents

Apron

  1. Red Chisel Point Permanent Marker - I use this for marking waste and metal bits.

  2. Pentel GraphGear 1000 0.5mm - My main writing pencil

  3. Zebra 0.5mm mechanical pencil (First generation) - Backup writing pencil. I don’t always want to mess around with lead

  4. Uni-Ball KuroToga 0.5mm - My marking pencil. The Uni-Ball Diamond Infused Lead is the real deal. You can mark on very rough wood without breaking your lead.

  5. Olfa Ak-1 Hobby knife - I use this for various cutting activities. See my review on that link under “Robert Randolph”.

  6. Veritas Dual Marking Guage - Second/Third use, tenon and rabbet marking guage.

  7. Veritas Non-graduated Micro-adjust marking guage - First-use marking guage

  8. Empire Level Combination Square - Knock-around combo square I use for most things. Reliable, square and an excellent product for the price.

  9. McQueen’s Mutton Tallow - Lubricant and anti-rust agent that I’m constantly using on my tools. Way better than oil! More slippery and lasts longer per application.

  10. Aogami Ambidextrous Marking Knife - Primary marking knife.

  11. 13 oz Harbor Freight Ball Peen Hammer - I love this hammer set. I use the peening end for burnishing dowel ends, and it’s been a workhorse since I started building my shop.

Also note that the center pocket is not fully sewn. It has 3 tacks at the bottom so that dust and chips can easily fall through, but larger items stay in place.

Knife Holder

I made a walnut sheath for the Aogami Ambidextrous Marking Knife. The Apron has a flap over one of the vertical belt-level tool holders, and the top of the flat is sewn so only the knife can be pulled out, and not the sheath.

The sheath barely slips in through the flap and vertical holder. The sheath has a wide channeled opening to guide the knife in without causing any damage to the nearby fabric.

It’s an elegant, functional and simple way to have a knife always at hand without any risk.