Looking for Leatherworkers’ Insights on Cutting Dies

[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.