Clean Cuts

[swrmacmullin]

Hey guys, lately ive been doing some heavier leather cutting, and haven't been able to get any nice clean cuts. Im fairly new to leather working, and i dont have a lot of heavy leather experience, mostly i have done simple projects to pass the time (guncases, bullet holders, etc.) and all have been done with a very thin leather.

I find that wen cutting heavy leather, my edges are either uneven, slanted or just plain ugly. I find that the bad cuts are more prominent in pieces that have a lot of sharp corners, etc.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much in advance!

Edited April 10, 2012 by swrmacmullin

[Sylvia]

I have a splint on my thumb so typing is a bit difficult so please forgive the blunt nature of my sentences.

Make sure your knife is sharp.

Make sure your knife is vertical when you cut

Make sure you cuts release as you end the stroke.

Make sure you don't connect points. Just leave a millimeter or 2 between the ends.

Practice a lot on scrap.

[Dwight]

You don't say how heavy the "thick" leather is you are cutting, . . . but Sylvia gave you some good starters, . . . also STAND UP when you are cutting. I see a lot of people (in my leatherworking classes I teach) who try to cut projects out while sitting. It works about as well as standing on your head and eating, . . . it can be done, but it sure is messy.

Personally, I don't use much of anything other than a razor knife, . . . and I have a very special strop that I use to keep my blades clean, . . . and SHARP.

I have three knives I keep sharp and when I am working on a project, I'll usually strop all three before I start cutting. A sharp knive is an absolute MUST HAVE for doing leather working, . . . and please believe me when I say that a dull knife will get you cut.

Beyond the cutting, though, most of the "good looking edge" will come from the sanding, beveling, and burnishing, . . . the cutting just facilitates that work. A really good little sander is another MUST HAVE if you want to turn out quality products without a bunch of hard hand labor. I use both a 30 inch by 1 inch belt sander and a Dremel tool for my sanding, . . . they both work great, and have their own personal strengths.

I guess I don't have any other suggestions, . . . except maybe don't try cutting leather with a splint on your thumb

May God bless,

Dwight

[Cyberthrasher]

Personally, I don't really care for the results I get with a razor knife. It's more like I just don't have the best control with it. But, I do have a really nice paper-maker's knife that I've adjusted the angle on to better suit leather. But, one thing I used to struggle with is when I was trying to cut a straight line my leather would move from the pressure of trying to put the knife all the way through ( 8 - 9 oz leather). Now I've learned that it saves me a lot of time if I make a quick and light cut about half the thickness and then go back over it again real quick to cut the rest. This pretty much always gets me a nice straight and even line. As long as your first cut is straight, that's exactly what you will get out of the second one because it uses that first cut as a guide.

[JRedding]

I know a lot of people don't use them these days but using and mastering a good round knife will bring the best results with the least amount of work.

[swrmacmullin]

Thanks so much for the advice guys! sorry for lack of details...

Been cutting about 12 oz leather (im assuming, its thicker that my 9oz)

I use a razor blade and cut halfway through and over it again like Cyberthrasher mentioned, thought i still get bad cuts on corners.

I just realized now how important a sander was to this hobby, do any of you know of a cheap alternative? Or of a particular sander that does the job well?

As for finishing edges, what do you guys typically do? I have been trimming any miscalculated overlap, and rubbing the edge down with a piece of canvas. Seems to do an okay job, but not quite the standard i would like to meet,

Sylvia, you mentioned that i should leave a millimeter or two around edges, i find that even cutting all the way over corners, i get a frayed appearance on leather.

Thanks so much again guys! I think i will post some of my work in the Critique section later on this evening to better exemplify what i am trying to explain.

[Sylvia]

I've been coveting this for a while now.

http://www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-x-36-inch-belt-6-inch-disc-sander-97181.html

be sure to search online for the 20% discount code.

I apologize... I didn't realize you were talking about cutting pieces out. I thought you were speaking of carving. I would use a metal straight edge, stand as Dwight says, and make sure I cut deep and smoothly. As for corners and jagged edges... That tells me your blade isn't sharp enough. When I get that kind of stuff, I use a pair of razor sharp dress shears and snip those ragged bits away before I sand. (and go sharpen the knife)

The scissors I have are Fiskars Razor Edged dress shears. I've had them for years so I don't know how much it will cost to get a pair.

,

[bruce johnson]

I am with Jim. A round knife will do a nice job on thicker leather and should do it in one pass. You can cut straight down on your corners with a round knife and should not have any fraying. Fraying makes me think a dull edge or tearing an incomplete cut.

[swrmacmullin]

Well i don't think its that my knife is dull- i am constantly switching the blades, and i also use a pondo board. But maybe some scissors would mean the difference

[Sylvia]

It depends a lot on the leather too, I think If it's "iffy" cheap leather that can be an issue.

[Cyberthrasher]

Yeah, I think corners are a whole different story. I haven't been able to afford a round knife yet, so maybe at that point my technique will change drastically.

For me, the best sander is a piece of sand paper in my hand, but again, that's because I'm pretty cheap for the time being until I start getting some cash flow.

[Jimbob]

I second some of these replies....get a good round or head knife and learn how to use it!! Not hard if you try...been doing my cuts up to 15oz for many years with a shoe makers blade...works great!

Then I made a commitment that if I call myself a leather worker I will use a traditional knife to cut....a round knife!! And guess what, I love it and it is the only knife I use for 90% of my work!!

Keep it extremly sharp, learn how to sharpen any knife in ur shop.....then use it like a pinstriper would do...( I dabble a bit in pinstriping..) look ahead of the actual cut...feel where u cut and get used to the "slide" when cutting ...so you wont over cut or put to much pressure on the tip....practice, practice and then some more...!

A good blade has good steel, u will know the difference when sharpen and when u cut....good knives dont come cheap, but your grandkids will fight over them...haha...

A good used older brandname head knife can be found at leather shop sales, ebay and sometimes at estate sales.

Lets go cut some leather....

Aloha

[NoName]

I cut out my pieces 1/4 inch or so oversized. I case the leather (not soggy, just cased throughout). I then trace the exact shape and cut it out. A polished Hyde knife goes through cased leather like butter.

[niftycurly]

I'm partial to a rotary cutter and a good straight edge myself. Stand up and cut confidently = nice clean cuts.

[Chief31794]

X2 on the round knife and also on dampening the leather, I haven't tried it with the leather competely cased but dampened it tends cut smoother. Use the tip of the round knife for going around curves and a little more blade when going straight. One thing I do and I'm not sure others would agree but here goes. If I have lots of tight curves and a little more intricate cuts I precut them with a swivel knife, that provides a nice guide to follow with the round knife and for lack of a better term chamfers the edge and gives it a more finished look even before sanding and burnishing. Just my way of doing it, may not be the recommended way.

Ken

[reddevil76]

Haven't used a round knife before myself. I use a cheap utility knife (with neon green plastic body *gasp*) But I only work with 6-7 oz max.

1. I use the smallest size knife, those used for craft paper. The small size tip is easier to go round corners.

2. I break off dull blade tips often. They are too cheap to bother with stropping.

3. I stand up, and try to keep my knife straight up. I also give it 2-3 passes if thick.

4. The thing I keep in mind most is, when my project has a round corner, I do not cut a rectangle, then round the corners. I cut the straight lines with the aid of a metal ruler, stop before the corner, then go a little more and when reaching the corner, I turn the leather while keeping my knife straight up and almost stationary. I found it impossible to get a nice corner when manipulating the knife as the wrist is a limitation. I manipulate the leather through the knife. With this, I found round corners a breeze. Especially with a cutting mat below.

5. I don't think I am alone in doing this. 0.34 of the video

Edit: I'm not saying a round knife is not the answer as I haven't tried it myself. But since you already have a utility knife, and you've got the leather, it's easy to just try this out and see if it improves your cuts while you decide on a better cutting tool.

Edited June 12, 2012 by reddevil76