Edge beveling

[Mungo]

When you bevel the edge of leather do you do it while it’s still cased or dry? I can never seem to do a good job and I’m thinking of buying a better edger to see if that’s the problem. When I got a good swivel knife (and blade) it made a huge difference in my carving. Then again, maybe I need a lot more practice.

[DieselTech]

13 minutes ago, Mungo said:

When you bevel the edge of leather do you do it while it’s still cased or dry? I can never seem to do a good job and I’m thinking of buying a better edger to see if that’s the problem. When I got a good swivel knife (and blade) it made a huge difference in my carving. Then again, maybe I need a lot more practice.

Bevel your edges when the leather is dry. 

Also buy a better edge beveler if you have the funds to do so. 

You can also sharpen your old edge beveler if you feel up to that sort of task. 

I recently bought Palosanto edge bevelers & they are a work of art & bevel the edges of leather with ease. They also come with a sharpener & a stropping board. 

[zuludog]

When I started doing leather work I got the cheap basic edge beveller that I see Tandy still sell for $9-99, and it works well enough, but I spent some time getting it really sharp

Then I got a set of Craftool Pro, with the black rubber handles, in Tandy UK's closing down sale  They do the job, but I need to be careful on using the correct angle or they tend to jam

When I retired I treated myself to a set of Palosanto bevellers as they're supposed to be the best. They do a good job, but so they should for the price. ...... are they worth the money? Hmmmm... maybe not.

Although I haven't used them I would think about a good mid priced item like Barry King; or a similar style to Palosanto such as Kemovan, George Barnsley, or Tandy's Round Edge Beveller SKU 86001 for $49-99 .

I find that I keep going back to the cheap basic beveller

Whatever you choose get a range of sizes to match the thickness of the leather, and keep them very sharp, there are several YT Videos about sharpening.

Also the type of leather affects how easy it is to edge bevel, with softer & thinner leather being more difficult than stiffer & thicker

There are videos about edge bevelling, or as you watch videos of items being made you'll see how other people do things 

Edited May 2 by zuludog

[SUP]

I have discovered that, as @zuludog says, more than how expensive a beveler is, it is the sharpness that matters. Even more important is getting the angle correctly. Most videos use firm, thick leather which even a newbie can bevel but when we get down to projects which might use leather of different thicknesses and tempers, it is a a different matter.

I keep scraps of everything that I make and try to bevel those well. If I cannot, I don't bother to bevel. Rather an unbeveled edge than a badly beveled one. 

 

[zuludog]

1 hour ago, SUP said:

I have discovered that, as @zuludog says, more than how expensive a beveler is, it is the sharpness that matters. Even more important is getting the angle correctly. Most videos use firm, thick leather which even a newbie can bevel but when we get down to projects which might use leather of different thicknesses and tempers, it is a a different matter.

I keep scraps of everything that I make and try to bevel those well. If I cannot, I don't bother to bevel. Rather an unbeveled edge than a badly beveled one. 

 

Yes, that's another thing I did, getting the correct angle of attack aka the angle of incidence, as they say in the aircraft industry

Get something like 2 or 3 mm veg tan leather, cut a straight edge then start bevelling --- at first lay the beveller down so it's quite flat and won't cut at all; then repeat again & again, raising the handle each time to make a steeper & steeper angle until it jams & judders, and can't be pushed any more

Somewhere in between you'll find the best angle. Cut back the leather 5 or 10mm to obtain a fresh cut edge as required

It is noticeable that each of the type of bevellers I used need a different angle 

[zuludog]

The key to good leatherwork is to have razor sharp tools, Once you get a sharp edge keeping it like that is relatively easy - little and often is the rule, and most of the time just a strop or occasionally very fine abrasive paper or a stone is all you need. For my bevellers I use a strop with green chromium dioxide compound and paper varying from 1200 to 5,000 grit

There are several videos on sharpening edge bevellers, with variations on a theme, but watch a few and you'll get the idea. This is a good and simple one 

 

[Mungo]

Thanks everyone 

[immiketoo]

Contrary to the above posts, I bevel while the leather is moist.  Not cased, but moist.  You’ll find you get a super smooth bevel provided your tool is sharp and you even get a burnishing effect because the fibers can compress under the pressure of the beveler.   Too wet and it will smoosh out of shape.  I use Barry King grooved bevelers FYI. 

[bruce johnson]

I’m with Mike also. Slightly damp is much easiest and smoothest if you have a sharp edger. Dull edgers tear, push, and chatter. As far as what type edger - I doubt that very many people have used as many different edgers than me. Each has an advantage - might be lower price, ability to hold an edge, cuts a flat or rounded profile, easily obtainable, pretty or matching handle, or what ever. My number one criteria is ease of sharpening. Doesn’t matter how sharp they come new, they need to be maintained. Sharpening might be on optional skill if you cut with a utility knife, but there are no disposable edgers I am aware of. I want the top and bottom of that cutting edge to be easily accessible to sharpen. 

[immiketoo]

2 hours ago, bruce johnson said:

I’m with Mike also. Slightly damp is much easiest and smoothest if you have a sharp edger. Dull edgers tear, push, and chatter. As far as what type edger - I doubt that very many people have used as many different edgers than me. Each has an advantage - might be lower price, ability to hold an edge, cuts a flat or rounded profile, easily obtainable, pretty or matching handle, or what ever. My number one criteria is ease of sharpening. Doesn’t matter how sharp they come new, they need to be maintained. Sharpening might be on optional skill if you cut with a utility knife, but there are no disposable edgers I am aware of. I want the top and bottom of that cutting edge to be easily accessible to sharpen. 

Bruce, sharpening all your tools isn’t an optional skill in leatherwork in my experience!  Took me a while to figure that out.  I never considered ease of sharpening concerning edgers but now that you’ve said it, I gravitate toward those that are easier to use/maintain.

[Mablung]

4 hours ago, bruce johnson said:

I’m with Mike also. Slightly damp is much easiest and smoothest if you have a sharp edger. Dull edgers tear, push, and chatter. As far as what type edger - I doubt that very many people have used as many different edgers than me. Each has an advantage - might be lower price, ability to hold an edge, cuts a flat or rounded profile, easily obtainable, pretty or matching handle, or what ever. My number one criteria is ease of sharpening. Doesn’t matter how sharp they come new, they need to be maintained. Sharpening might be on optional skill if you cut with a utility knife, but there are no disposable edgers I am aware of. I want the top and bottom of that cutting edge to be easily accessible to sharpen. 

What are your preferred bevelers, given your emphasis on ease of sharpening?

[bruce johnson]

My personal favorites are Gomph round back edgers. 

[jcuk]

With all my cutting tools i find its best to give them a quick strop before use and after use it saves a lot on time on sharpening, in fact i have never had to sharpen my edge shaves. I have some old Dixons and some copies of Dixons that i got when i first started out nearly 30 years ago never had to sharpen them. Not long ago i picked up a  Palosanto from someone who was giving up the craft it was a steal, but will say i would not pay the real price for one its no where near as good my Dixons or even the copies.

Hope this helps

JCUK