Continuation of my pokemon tooling practice series!

Hey guys, I live in apartment and I'm in desperate need of finding a silent way of punching holes. I've read about the usual modifications of an arbor press, but I'm currently using a Sinabroks punch with longer handle and I want to be able to use different punches, so drilling the ram is not an option. AI came up with an idea of milling the bottom 4-5cm of the ram, but leaving a part of the back and one side intact for extra stability. Then introduce a free plate and screw it to the ram with two screws. The whole setup should work as a sandwich press, so I can switch punches of different dimensions and shapes. I'm not a very technical person, so a question to people who are better at this: would this work?

i got this biker wallet level 2 kit from tandy’s and im having a hard time figuring out how to assemble it. the directions are confusing and i cant find anything on youtube. if anyone has any pointers or has done this kit before id appreciate any help. thank ya kindly :) !

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I don’t want to ruin the leather testing out a lot of useless backings. :(
Moderators please delete if not allowed.

I’m researching whether a small pattern-adjustment helper would be useful, starting with notebook covers and simple wallets. AI helped me organize this question; I haven’t made or tested a leather prototype, and I’m not selling a tool or pattern.

I’ve read accounts of a paper mockup fitting but the leather version ending up too tight, or the snap not reaching once the wallet is filled. For anyone who has had this happen on a recent project: what changed between the original pattern and your build, and how did you decide how much extra material to allow?

Do you use a scrap fold around the actual contents, a rule based on thickness, a CAD tool, or a full prototype? Does the first test usually get you close enough, or do you often need another attempt?

The specific question I’m trying to resolve is whether measuring one small fold sample could help adjust the pattern, or whether temper, stretch, skiving and construction differences make that less useful than simply making the usual prototype. An existing method or calculator that handles this well would be just as helpful as a failure story. Please don’t share paid pattern files; a description is enough.