Strap cutter

[shug]

Hi all,I have owned a strap cutter for about 20 years with good service but has now sadly given up on life.i recently bought a cheap one which unfortunately proved to be false economy.i wonder if anyone can recommend a reasonable model in the UK please?thanking you in anticipation, mark

[kgg]

43 minutes ago, shug said:

Hi all,I have owned a strap cutter for about 20 years with good service but has now sadly given up on life.

You didn't mention if it was a motorized strap cutter or a mechanical one that you are looking for. ?????

kgg

[TomE]

For me the type of strap cutter I use depends on the thickness and width of the strap.  I use an inexpensive wooden strap cutter for thin leather (<7 oz) and narrow straps (3/8"-1").  The wooden strap cutter is also handy for cutting straps from small pieces of leather.  Abbey England sells one that is as good as any I've purchased in the USA.  I do sharpen and strop the blade, holding it with a surgical needle holder (heavy duty hemostat).

For 6-12 oz straps that are 1/2"- 1" wide I use a draw gauge.  @bruce johnson has some nice draw gauges that are ready to use, and a tutorial on his website about how to hold the draw gauge.  For heavy and wide straps (> 3/4") I use a plough gauge that I bought from Vergez Blanchard.  I did spend some time reworking the angle of the knife blade (~15 deg) and I put a small bevel on the back side of the knife to keep it from pinching the strap excessively against the gauge.  It is my go-to tool for cutting lots of straps from a side of 9-10 oz leather.

Edited Monday at 12:09 PM by TomE