One of my players, a ranger, just picked up Craft (leather), so I'd like to get a good handle of the crafting mechanic. I understand all the steps (convert price to silver, multiply DC by result, etc.), but I still have a couple questions:
1.) How much time is taken out of a character's day by crafting? Suppose he wanted to do the by-day crafting instead of the by-week crafting (figure price in copper rather than silver). How many hours must he spend crafting for it to be considered a "day" of crafting? Eight hours? Sixteen hours? What else can a character do in a day and still get a "day" of crafting in? Could he spend the last hour or two of the day, after he's done adventuring and before he goes to sleep, working on the saddle for his new horse?
2.) The ranger wants to gather his own leather for crafting. I've ruled it would be a Survival check to skin an animal and a Profession (tanning) check to make the leather usable for crafting. (Should this be a Craft (leather) check instead?) Would the ranger be able to scavenge enough materials for crafting, thereby eliminating the "pay 1/3 the cost in raw materials" fee for crafting?
I doubt either of these answers are in the rules, so what are your opinions on the subjects?