I don't want to damage my chisels

[Handstitched]

9 hours ago, Spyros said:

$2 plastic bread cutting board

Pretty much the same here. I use a  plastic kitchen chopping board  for cutting belt tips etc.. Its a fairly  decent one only  about $20.  Some chopping boards have a hard plastic, no good for cutting  tools, let alone kitchen knives.. The one I have is a soft-ish  plastic. About 6 months old, so far so good and kind to my tools.  

HS

[billybopp]

I use a cutting board for punching holes, and have for many years.  Just a couple of quick notes - Some cutting boards are really hard, so probably should be avoided.  The one I prefer is a bit softer, inexpensive and works great.  

Side note, if you're using a hole punch on these it'll sometimes leave the leather plug behind in the board.   I used to keep my cutting board for leatherwork just outside the kitchen.  Had a new roommate move in who threw it out one day while I was at work.  I went to use it and it wasn't there and asked ... He said "I threw it out - there were a bunch of these gross worms growing in it".

- Bill

[fredk]

Just to settle the 'argument' about HDPE. There are various grades of it

I have some small pieces, UK made, which are extremely hard and I have some Ikea kitchen cutting boards which are much softer. With the first I'll not put a punch to but I cut on them with a box-cutter/Stanley knife. Just a few cuts and the knife blade is blunt. With the Ikea boards I do occasionally use them with round hole punches and they don't blunt and leave a circular cut in the board

[zuludog]

What to back/support your leatherwork when using stitching chisels?

I used to use a typical plastic/HDPE kitchen chopping board, about  8 or 10mm thick .... then one day I couldn't find it..... and still haven't, it must have been thrown out in one of my infrequent but ruthless tidy outs

So as a quick & temporary measure I used an old magazine - and it worked perfectly!

It is firm & resilient enough to support the leather but soft & yielding enough not to blunt or damage the chisels .... and it is effectively free. As it gets damaged just move it around so you always have a new/good surface to work on.

That was 2 or 3 years ago, and I've been using them ever since, and intend continuing to do so 

[dikman]

That's a good idea, I might give it a try as a way to "recycle" magazines before throwing them out. 

[Resurgam3191]

For a long time i used cork flooring samples from Home depot. Free and no ill effects. Now i just use a cheap HDPE cutting board

[LeatherLegion]

I just tried a hokey puck the other day . It is firm enough to give me a clean cut on the back of the lather but soft enough not to damage my stitching irons . 

 

[NDphung]

1 hour ago, LeatherLegion said:

I just tried a hokey puck the other day . It is firm enough to give me a clean cut on the back of the lather but soft enough not to damage my stitching irons . 

 

Now that is a real Canadian.  . I really like that material the only downside is the small surface.

[LeatherLegion]

I like the nylon cutting boards but the marks left by the stitching irons tend to have raised edges. When you  slide veg-tan on top of them they will leave marks . The puck still has a smooth surface after used .

[MtlBiker]

15 hours ago, LeatherLegion said:

I just tried a hokey puck the other day . It is firm enough to give me a clean cut on the back of the lather but soft enough not to damage my stitching irons . 

 

Sorry, but I just can't resist teasing you a little bit...

Some Canadian, eh?  Can't even spell HOCKEY!