monicaileana

Hi Gigi, Hi Gigi, sorry for my late reply. I am actually in Australia so probably a bit too far to ship but thanks for the info!

Ah thanks so much for both your replies. I was cutting soles today and was getting very frustrated with the quality that was coming out - granted, I was probably going too quickly and the blade was definitely turning when I would move the leather so I will definitely tune the saw tomorrow. Will have a search for the band knife or leather type cutting thing (the hardware store where I bought the machine were a bit short on knowledge so will have a look around to see what I can find). Would either of you have any information about finishing the edges with saddle soap & glycerin? I've been doing this but again it comes out a bit odd - I know I should probably be using cobbler's wax and heating it but I was sure there must be some other way...

Hello all, Firstly, I would like to say what an invaluable resource this forum is! Now, onto the topic. I have been hand carving soles out of sole bend by hand for the better part of the year. I was using Stanley knife, wetting the leather and then rasping, glassing and soaping the edges to make it look smoother. However, it was never as professional as I wanted to look with faint marks of where the knife had cut still visible. Today, I finally bought a bandsaw to cut through this leather and hopefully have that super vertical finish. I tried a few and it certainly looks better (just some slight marks from where I held the leather a bit too long). I am going to rasp & glass the edges to see if I can get rid of those. So I guess what I'm looking for is any tips or tricks people have to get that really professional looking sole edge, how to use the bandsaw properly (I imagine it takes practice to get a really steady hand) and any other information people have to creating soles! Thanks,