Looking for Leatherworkers’ Insights on Cutting Dies

[Leo1995]

Hi everyone,

I’m a cutting die supplier specializing in custom dies for leatherwork, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on using cutting dies in your projects. I want to understand what leatherworkers truly need and how I can improve my designs.

• Do you prefer pre-made dies, or do you usually get custom ones?
• What are the most important factors you consider in a good die? (Material, durability, compatibility with machines, etc.)
• Do you find dies with stitching holes useful, or do you prefer marking and punching them yourself?
• What die-cutting machine do you use most often? Clicker presses, roller machines like Sizzix, or something else?

To get direct feedback, I’m considering sending out free keychain cutting dies to a few interested leatherworkers. You’d only need to cover $3 for shipping. Would this be something you’d be interested in? I’d appreciate any insights you have!

Looking forward to your thoughts and experiences.

 

Edited March 12 by Leo1995

[Dwight]

Leo . . . my dies are simple . . . pre-made . . .  and I have not yet come to a need for a custom die

Very simple . . .  as far as my most important factor(s) . . . 1st:  it has to cut . . . no bulling around . . . just cut the thing and 2nd:  it has to be substantial enough that it won't get messed up if ol clumsy hands me drops it or something.  Other than that . . . I'm good

Have never needed stitching holes . . . one has a rivet hole  . . .  the other does not . . .  it is no big deal to me to pop the rivet hole in the second one

I use a hydraulic jack press . . . 

May God bless,

Dwight

[Leo1995]

Hi Dwight,

I appreciate your insights! Keeping things simple and effective is definitely the way to go.

About stitching holes—I’ve noticed that they can be really convenient for beginners or for quick projects, but for those who prefer a more refined look, like the saddle stitching style seen in high-end leatherwork (think Hermès-style), pre-made stitching holes might not be precise enough. Hand-punched holes tend to give a cleaner and more controlled stitch pattern.

By the way, I’m sending out some free keychain cutting dies to get feedback from different leatherworkers. if you're interested, I’d be happy to send one your way!

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!

14 minutes ago, Dwight said:

Leo . . . my dies are simple . . . pre-made . . .  and I have not yet come to a need for a custom die

Very simple . . .  as far as my most important factor(s) . . . 1st:  it has to cut . . . no bulling around . . . just cut the thing and 2nd:  it has to be substantial enough that it won't get messed up if ol clumsy hands me drops it or something.  Other than that . . . I'm good

Have never needed stitching holes . . . one has a rivet hole  . . .  the other does not . . .  it is no big deal to me to pop the rivet hole in the second one

I use a hydraulic jack press . . . 

May God bless,

Dwight

[NatesLeatherGds]

7 hours ago, Leo1995 said:

I’m a cutting die supplier specializing in custom dies for leatherwork, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on using cutting dies in your projects. I want to understand what leatherworkers truly need and how I can improve my designs.

I use both - I had some custom dies made for a project I did - these were well made by Texas Custom. I also have some standard circle and square coaster dies. So it may be (at least for me) a mix of both custom and standard. 

As for having stitching holes - the idea is awesome - but would have to test. (If you have one - I will test it ) I have never used one with these. I use an arbor press and have used a modified button press. (Hobby - funds do not exist for me for a clicker.) 

Important factors to me are strength, sharpness and inner punch out hole. Probably in that order (again to my thinking).

Dies for production items frankly are extremely useful to me. 

And yes...I will gladly take a keychain die and pay the 3$ - thank you  

Good luck.

 

[nstarleather]

Almost all of my dies are custom.  In general I get either .75" high but when I go really big for my double headed clicker I do 1.25"

 

I currently have two suppliers one who makes wood filled steel rule dies which are generally less expensive and another who will do either all metal welded or fully forged. 

In the past my wood filled supplier was cheaper but now steel welded has only been slightly more expensive for simple dies. 

I don't hand stitch so we don't need holes usually but when we do they tend to add a lot to the cost. 

Depending on what I'm "asking the die to do" as in how much stress it's going to be under (thick material, narrow area, complex bends, etc) I've found some wood filled dies don't hold up well at all. 

I don't make a whole lot of dies for own products, these days 90% are for when I have a wholesale account asking for a product.

[Leo1995]

3 hours ago, NatesLeatherGds said:

I use both - I had some custom dies made for a project I did - these were well made by Texas Custom. I also have some standard circle and square coaster dies. So it may be (at least for me) a mix of both custom and standard. 

As for having stitching holes - the idea is awesome - but would have to test. (If you have one - I will test it ) I have never used one with these. I use an arbor press and have used a modified button press. (Hobby - funds do not exist for me for a clicker.) 

Important factors to me are strength, sharpness and inner punch out hole. Probably in that order (again to my thinking).

Dies for production items frankly are extremely useful to me. 

And yes...I will gladly take a keychain die and pay the 3$ - thank you  

Good luck.

 

Thank you for your detailed response! 😊

Our dies are designed to meet various cutting needs, whether custom or standard.

Regarding stitching holes, testing their performance on different machines is definitely important. I currently have dies with stitching holes available, and since you're willing to test them, that's great! I'll include one with your trial die so you can test it

As for die quality, our dies focus on strength, sharpness, and inner punching, which I also consider the most important factors.

I’ve already sent you the link for the trial—your experience will be very valuable to me, and I look forward to your test results!

Thank you for your support, and I look forward to your feedback! Wishing you smooth crafting! 🚀

[Leo1995]

3 hours ago, nstarleather said:

Almost all of my dies are custom.  In general I get either .75" high but when I go really big for my double headed clicker I do 1.25"

 

I currently have two suppliers one who makes wood filled steel rule dies which are generally less expensive and another who will do either all metal welded or fully forged. 

In the past my wood filled supplier was cheaper but now steel welded has only been slightly more expensive for simple dies. 

I don't hand stitch so we don't need holes usually but when we do they tend to add a lot to the cost. 

Depending on what I'm "asking the die to do" as in how much stress it's going to be under (thick material, narrow area, complex bends, etc) I've found some wood filled dies don't hold up well at all. 

I don't make a whole lot of dies for own products, these days 90% are for when I have a wholesale account asking for a product.

Thank you for your message!

When customizing intricate curves and narrow areas, you might find that acrylic-based dies are a great option. Compared to wooden bases, acrylic offers higher hardness, making it more suitable for complex and curved designs. For high-precision patterns, acrylic dies provide better stability and cutting accuracy.

Of course, besides wooden bases, acrylic bases, and fully welded metal dies, there is also a CNC-engraved solid steel die option. This type of die is particularly ideal for designs requiring extremely high precision and complexity. It is commonly used in medical devices or precision component cutting. The advantage of this method is its exceptional accuracy, but the downside is its higher cost, and it is not suitable for cutting very thick materials.

If your project involves intricate and highly precise designs, you might consider CNC-engraved dies. While they are more expensive, they offer excellent precision and adaptability.

If you have any other questions or need more information, feel free to reach out! I’d be happy to help.

[bruce johnson]

I am coming at this from two angles for feedback.

As a user - we have a mix of off the rack and custom dies. Most all are steel rule dies with a few wooden backed dies. Height from 3/4 from Kaspar to 1-1/4 from most other makers. no real preference there other than some of the presses need adjusting for height. We have an air/hydraulic jack press with plates top and bottom - no adjustment and the workhorse. We have a 4 ton Weaver hand press - needs adjusting for die height changes but works good. I just got a WUTA large size hand press. My wife likes the small footprint on her bench and easy to use for even some complicated smaller dies like purse or saddle charms. She has a running horse die with a lot of cutting edge length and it goes right through. 

I also deal in tools and get quite a few dies in used. I don't care for the stitching holes - bent and broken tines are common. On some of the ones with slot or round punches the punches can be chipped. Some screw out or press out easily and some don't. Screw in tubes are better for me to replace. I do like the punches and slots in them, but ease of replacement is a consideration

[NatesLeatherGds]

1 hour ago, Leo1995 said:

Thank you for your support, and I look forward to your feedback! Wishing you smooth crafting! 🚀

Great. Looking forward to what you send me for testing and feedback! Glad you're here.

[fredk]

12 hours ago, Leo1995 said:

• Do you prefer pre-made dies, or do you usually get custom ones?

I can only buy pre-made. I'd like to get custom-made ones but there isn't anywhere I can get them made. But I don't sell enough to warrant the cost of custom-made dies

12 hours ago, Leo1995 said:

• What are the most important factors you consider in a good die? 

Good steel that retains its sharpness over several cuts

12 hours ago, Leo1995 said:

• Do you find dies with stitching holes useful, or do you prefer marking and punching them yourself?

Most definitely, very useful; but sewing slits not big holes

Like these in this;

12 hours ago, Leo1995 said:

• What die-cutting machine do you use most often? Clicker presses, roller machines like Sizzix, or something else?

I use a Tandy Pro-press for everything, including for cutting dies, and occasionally a mallet & a piece of wood

[Leo1995]

17 hours ago, bruce johnson said:

I am coming at this from two angles for feedback.

As a user - we have a mix of off the rack and custom dies. Most all are steel rule dies with a few wooden backed dies. Height from 3/4 from Kaspar to 1-1/4 from most other makers. no real preference there other than some of the presses need adjusting for height. We have an air/hydraulic jack press with plates top and bottom - no adjustment and the workhorse. We have a 4 ton Weaver hand press - needs adjusting for die height changes but works good. I just got a WUTA large size hand press. My wife likes the small footprint on her bench and easy to use for even some complicated smaller dies like purse or saddle charms. She has a running horse die with a lot of cutting edge length and it goes right through. 

I also deal in tools and get quite a few dies in used. I don't care for the stitching holes - bent and broken tines are common. On some of the ones with slot or round punches the punches can be chipped. Some screw out or press out easily and some don't. Screw in tubes are better for me to replace. I do like the punches and slots in them, but ease of replacement is a consideration

Indeed, many people prefer steel dies due to their high durability, making them suitable for mass production in factories. However, their precision is relatively lower. For handcrafted leather goods, wooden and acrylic dies are often more suitable as they offer greater flexibility, making them ideal for complex and customized designs.

What tools do you mainly offer? Do your products include leather knives, hole punch tools, and leather carving tools? Also, do you sell cutting dies? If so, we might be able to explore ways to optimize the existing die designs.

As you mentioned, stitching holes often become misaligned or fall off, which is indeed a common issue. This is especially true for round punch holes, as glue alone struggles to create a strong bond between the wood and the steel blade.

[Leo1995]

16 hours ago, fredk said:

I can only buy pre-made. I'd like to get custom-made ones but there isn't anywhere I can get them made. But I don't sell enough to warrant the cost of custom-made dies

Good steel that retains its sharpness over several cuts

Most definitely, very useful; but sewing slits not big holes

Like these in this;

I use a Tandy Pro-press for everything, including for cutting dies, and occasionally a mallet & a piece of wood

I'm glad you have the idea of custom cutting dies. If you need it, maybe I can help you. I have been making cutting dies for almost 10 years.