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Cutting A Circle

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This may seem like a silly question... but how the heck do I cut a clean circle?!?! Tried guides, freehand... Is there some kind of tool that I can use, like a compass that holds a blade?

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How big?

Generally, take a pipe, sharpen the end on a grinder, wet the leather, pound on the pipe till you have a hole.

Aaron

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When I cut circles of kangaroo that are for lace (generally 2-3 ft in diameter) I use a large set of wing dividers. They are cheap ones from Harbor Freight but are pretty sharp so they scribe a nice line. Since the kangaroo is fairly thin, I then use a set of Gingher scissors to cut the circle out (carefully). Im thinking about getting a gasket cutter and trying them out on kangaroo. Hopefully it will speed things up because the scissor approach takes a good piece of time. I think the determining factor is what you are trying to cut and how large a circle it is.

Hope this helps,

CW

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how big and for what purpose? when i cut roo for lace i cut the hide into one big circle. i use a big wing divider and scissors...not that careful cuz the outer lace isnt good anyway. if the circle has to be really good clean i might try a circle guide that they use for routing you could put a blade tip thru the hole and cut that way

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Hi

When I started doing leather work I started out making coasters and

(Before I got my clicker die press) I used a really neat gizmo that cut leather in perfect circles...

much better than I could ever do by hand. I got it at misterart.com

post-15330-053626000 1283766674_thumb.jp LION Ev-R-Round Perfiect Circle cutter

Hope this helps

Edited by LNLeather

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If you can have a hole in the middle of your circle, just drive a nail through the middle into your bench, and put a knife through your outside diameter and " spin 'er 'round",. Of course, the nail has to be straight, your knife has to be straight and you have to keep the leather flat.

Kevin

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Thanks for the ideas! The circle I need, I found out last night, is exactly the same diameter as a spindle of Tejas lace! I'm using it for the bottom of a leather mug that I'm making as a Christmas gift for a friend.

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If you can have a hole in the middle of your circle, just drive a nail through the middle into your bench, and put a knife through your outside diameter and " spin 'er 'round",. Of course, the nail has to be straight, your knife has to be straight and you have to keep the leather flat.

Kevin

I tried this yesterday and it worked awesome. It's such a simple solution. And it just saved me a whole lot of money that I was going to spend on round punches.

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Hi

When I started doing leather work I started out making coasters and

(Before I got my clicker die press) I used a really neat gizmo that cut leather in perfect circles...

much better than I could ever do by hand. I got it at misterart.com

post-15330-053626000 1283766674_thumb.jp LION Ev-R-Round Perfiect Circle cutter

Hope this helps

Thanks Cheryl.thankyou.gif I really like that website. They have a lot of neat gadgets I haven't seen before!clapping.gif

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Thanks Cheryl.thankyou.gif I really like that website. They have a lot of neat gadgets I haven't seen before!clapping.gif

You are welcome! Yeah, I agree about the things I haven't seen before. I was also looking at their Leather Crafting items,

in the Crafting section, mister art leather craft and there might even be some "Tandy" items that cost less there, that is if you are not a member of Tandy...

I looked at your gallery and you're very talented. I am so new to this, I am just happy to be able to share a little of what I have learned.

I just love this place (leatherworker.net) :thumbsup:

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how about a string and a thumb tack to mark out the circle, and then cut it with you shears? that way you can make any diameter you want, and are not limited to the tool/wing divider size? just a thought....

eric

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How big?

Generally, take a pipe, sharpen the end on a grinder, wet the leather, pound on the pipe till you have a hole.

Aaron

Oh, heck - now why haven't I thought of that before! So simple and inexpensive it ought to be illegal....

I'll be keeping my eyes open for some "coaster-sized" pipe.

Thanks, Aaron.

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FYI - While searching for something else I came upon this old thread for ----> Circle Cutting

that also has different ideas for cutting circles...

In this very old thread started back in 11/08, is a link to some other Circle Cutters

that may also be of help. lion-office.com

There are a dozen or so different designs including the one I used to use...

post-15330-073451400 1287231423_thumb.jp LION Ev-R-Round Perfiect Circle cutter - which was an inexpensive solution to

my less than perfect hand cut circles. :rolleyes:

There are a lot of really good ideas and also a couple of other links in that old post for other cutters...

Latest Gadget

and

Olfa Rotary Circle Cutter - # CMP-3

Hope this helps

Edited by LNLeather

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Thanks Cheryl

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This may seem like a silly question... but how the heck do I cut a clean circle?!?! Tried guides, freehand... Is there some kind of tool that I can use, like a compass that holds a blade?

Draw your circle with a compass and then use a round knife to cut the circle. Cut a series of straight or slightly curved arcs until you get all the way around. Don't try to make a freehand cut on a circle unless you really know how to sharpen your round knife and and have some knife skills. Cutting a series of straight slivers is a very easy way to cut a circle. Hope this helps.......

Bobby

Edited by hidepounder

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When I cut circles of kangaroo that are for lace (generally 2-3 ft in diameter) I use a large set of wing dividers. They are cheap ones from Harbor Freight but are pretty sharp so they scribe a nice line. Since the kangaroo is fairly thin, I then use a set of Gingher scissors to cut the circle out (carefully). Im thinking about getting a gasket cutter and trying them out on kangaroo. Hopefully it will speed things up because the scissor approach takes a good piece of time. I think the determining factor is what you are trying to cut and how large a circle it is.

Hope this helps,

CW

I know this is an old post but, I was lurking and found this. The gasket cutters is a great idea and I bought a set.................. up to 2". when I received them I found they were sharp enough to cut gasket material (paper)

but not sharp enough to cut clean through leather. Anybody know how are who sharpens these.:begging:

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Hi

When I started doing leather work I started out making coasters and

(Before I got my clicker die press) I used a really neat gizmo that cut leather in perfect circles...

much better than I could ever do by hand. I got it at misterart.com

attachicon.giflion Ev-R-Round Perfiect Circle cutter.jpg LION Ev-R-Round Perfiect Circle cutter

Hope this helps

Does this cutter cut a circle without making a center hole?

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Yes, there are actually 2 ways to do it with this tool.

One is with a hole and one without... It's been a while since I used mine but

there is a piece that goes on to hold the cutter in place and it is like a small

round plate instead of the one with the pin. What I did was glue a thin piece

of leather to to the metal plate so there was no indentation the size of the plate either.

Hope this helps

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Yes, there are actually 2 ways to do it with this tool.

One is with a hole and one without... It's been a while since I used mine but

there is a piece that goes on to hold the cutter in place and it is like a small

round plate instead of the one with the pin. What I did was glue a thin piece

of leather to to the metal plate so there was no indentation the size of the plate either.

Hope this helps

Ohhh, okay. I think I will try that out. On that website, they offer an "extender arm" or something for that circle cutter. Would I need that for cutting a 4 1/2 inch diameter circle?

Thanks!

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Nope - You will not need the extender arm for that.

The LION EV-R-Round Circle Cutter will

cut circles from 3/4 in. up to 6 3/4 in.

btw - looks like Mr Art has the best price for that cutter :thumbsup:

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