When you care enough to send the very best...

I've attended a few classes at the Tandy store in Rapid City that Clay Miller (aka Bert)manages. Bert sometimes nags at us when someone pulls out a "black" tool at a class, saying we should only be using Tandy tools when we are at a Tandy store. Now I've got nothing against using Tandy's tools. I have LOTS of them, and I use them all the time. But, I like the few "black" tools I have too.

When I was taking Kathy's box making class at the store, Bert's wife Debbie told us she was planning to have a surprise party for Bert's upcoming birthday. So, I started putting an idea together incorporating the leather boxes we learned to make and those "black tools". For those of you that don't know, the black tools are (IMO)the finest custom made leather tools available, made by Robert Beard at Pro Series Tools. I decided to make up a leather box with the Pro Series Tools logo on the cover. What could possibly make a better gift for your leather carving friend than a custom made box full of custom made tools? Nothing that I can think of but... (there's always a "but" isn't there?) Well, Bert's a good friend, but Bob's tools are REALLY expensive and there is about a one year waiting list to get them. So here's what I came up with.





I wish I would have got decent pictures when Bert opened up the box but all I had with me was my phone camera and they didn't turn out well at all. Even without any black tools in the box, he seemed to enjoy the gift. Happy Birthday Bert!!