help-cutting thick leather

[tonyc1]

I can't imagine cutting leather in a serious fashion with anything but a round or head knife. Most items I cut out need to be skived on one end and I already have the knife in my hand to do that job with, I don't need to pick up another tool to skive anything with. I can straighten a side of leather after marking a line and sticking to the line and get a straight cut every time. You must have a sharp knife though, to do the job correctly, that is all.

Tony.

Edited April 23, 2009 by tonyc1

[hivemind]

I have an Osborne head knife that just sits in my tool box. I cut probably 80% of my leather with leather shears, and the other 20% with a utility knife.

Maybe I'm just never doing anything that requires a head knife, but for me, the shears are the way to go.

[hidepounder]

I have an Osborne head knife that just sits in my tool box. I cut probably 80% of my leather with leather shears, and the other 20% with a utility knife.

Maybe I'm just never doing anything that requires a head knife, but for me, the shears are the way to go.

hivemind,

There is absolutely nothing wrong with cutting with shears. David prefers to use them also. For me, shears take too long, especially in heavier leathers and they are hard on my hands. Additionally, I use the head knife for other operations as well. When I'm cutting really thin stuff, I sometimes use one of those rolling cutters, but 99% of the time I grab head knife. I think it is all just a matter of personal preference.

Bob

[badger]

Perhaps Bashing was too strong a term to use.

My main objection is to the implication that a Round knife is the 'correct' way to cut leather and anything else is wrong. You'll find that the straight edged clicking knife has been around at least as long as the round knife.

Probably longer. since Cobblers have been around longer than saddlers. You can't catch a horse in bare feet!

I am offering no resistance to using a Round knife, I have two which I use daily. I have no fear of using them or sharpening them.

I simply don't like the idea that a Round knife is 'right' and other cutting tools are 'wrong'. I'm simply advocating freedom of choice,

Cheers,

Badger

[David]

I knew I was going to catch a lot grief for my post, I hope this helps to clarify my position.... If you use a round knife and like it .... more power to you. I respect your preference and the work you produce with it. The round knife is a specialty tool for leather workers and like the swivel knife, it takes considerable practice to use it well. I am not bashing round knives or anyone who uses them.

If you look at the original post, a member was having trouble with cutting leather.... I simply gave him the alternative that I use. For me, I do not use a round knife because I've developed quick and tried and true means of working without one. Like many members here, I have decades spent in the pursuit of other hobbies and crafts (wood working, turning, building black powder guns scrimshaw on powder horns, scratch building models etc, etc.) that provided me the experience of alternative means of cutting. Also, I'm an old guy and the strength in my hands and wrists isn't what it used to be. So for all those reasons I simply use my own methods of cutting and I find them quite satisfactory.

Respectfully,

David Theobald

[sheathmaker]

Badger,

I don't think anyone is bashing...I didn't read it that way...maybe some difficulty in understanding the resistance to learning to use a great tool...but not bashing! There is a reason that round/head knives have been produced exclusively for leatherworkers for the past 200 years. Most professionals use round/head knives for a variety of reasons...cutting shapes out of leather is just one of them. They are an excellent tool for cutting bevels on edges and are simply unsurpassed when it comes to lap skiving, especially on irregular shapes. Their design makes them incredibly easy to use to cut a staight line without the assistance of a straight edge, and you get to do all of this cutting away from your body, not toward it!!!!! It's really an all around knife!

I agree with you....a person should use what works best for them and I trully believe that! But if I'm asked, I am going to recomend learning to use a round/head knife because for me, it is the fastest, easiest and most efficient cutting instrament I own. Why recommend something you feel is inferior, right? I'll bet I have collected fifty different knives over the years, in nearly as many shapes and sizes, searching for that one knife that I can grab off the bench with confidence and a sense of gratification, knowing it is the best tool for the job! For me it's a head knife. It's one of the most important tools I own. I wish it hadn't taken me so many years to learn to use it, but it did, and now I tell anyone who asks, what a wonderful tool it is and why. There is a definite learning curve and I think people who have mastered that skill are enthusiastic about it and want everyone else to know what a joy that knife is to use use!

Anyway, that's my 2 cents...I'm not bashing...I'm just excited to share something that was difficult to learn!

Bob

Plus 1 for me, Bob. I agree with your post word for word. I have used the round knife for so long for 99% of ALL my cutting that I can hardly remember not using it, but having said that, I also agree that for others "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Use whatever you find to be the best for you....................but if you haven't been all the way around the learning curve with the round knife you just could be missing out on what I think is the easiest way.

Paul

[rbrooks]

For what it`s worth , I use a Stanley Utility Knife for cutting almost everything. I`m a saddle maker and have been using it for over thirty years. I can use head knives and round knives equally well, but like all tools its how you use them. With utility knives remember to keep them straight up and down , most important pull the blade through the leather by pulling

with your whole body. Do not try and pull just with your arm. I have a cutting table, 4 x 8, that I do all my cutting with. Just lay-out your leather and start your cut and lean back from your leather and pull the knife as you lean back. This gives you enough force to cut through almost any leather.

Just recently I found a serrated blade that Stanley has put out,and it seems to cut easier than the old blades. Learn how to use each knife that you have and don`t listen to anyone who says theres only one way to do things. We would still be in the stone age with that kind of logic.

Keep `em sharp!

[MedusaOblongata]

I was thinking of using a dremel and sanding drum to finish the edge but it just seamed to burn.

If your Dremel's burning your leather, then your bits are dull, or filled. Sharp, clean bits will grind or cut leather, but won't burn it.

I've used expensive scissors and rotary cutters, and they work pretty well, but what I usually use is the Benchmade that's in my pocket. A sharp enough knife will cut through anything easily and smoothly, and will give you the control you need. As said above, boxcutters and exacto knives, when brand new, are way too dull.

If you don't want to bother with knife sharpening (though you'll have to eventually), go with a scalpel like this: http://www.indigo.com/tools/gphtools/3-sca...n=22340 Replace the blades as necessary. Cuts leather very smoothly, and the handle is designed for precise control (after all, look at what they were designed for).

Edited May 19, 2009 by MedusaOblongata

[Bree]

I have tried a lot of different tools for cutting leather. I like using a powered rotary cutter but they don't do well with really thick leather. I usually end up using a round knife. It helps to have a slow speed wet sharpener like a Tormek to keep them razor sharp. The design of the blade makes it one of the best tools there is for breezing through saddle skirt or similar thick stuff.

That said, the round knife can be a very dangerous tool if used improperly. If it easily slices through saddle skirt, it just as easily will slice through human flesh. You push this knife. It is so very tempting to get that non-cutting hand or arm out in front of that knife. Don't do it! A single slip or mistake can have drastic consequences.

For that reason I often use an Osborne straight knife pulled toward me and do multiple cuts that are less deep and then clean the edge on my sander. It isn't as simple or precise as the round knife but it is often a good deal safer for me.

The band knife alternative is attractive but the blades are hard to obtain and they require mucho mucho care to avoid cutting yourself during routine operations such as installation or just folding the blade. Kevlar gloves are highly recommended when working with these blades.

Another option is to use a knife blade on a scroll saw. These are much smaller blades and can be much safer to use than a bandknife since you can position an effective guard over the cutting edge. Problem is that you have to make them yourself since I know of no company that manufactures them. There are fabric-cutting power knives that function similar to a scroll saw with that up-down motion but I have never used one.

[hidepounder]

There are fabric-cutting power knives that function similar to a scroll saw with that up-down motion but I have never used one.

I didn't even know such a tool was available.......I love this place!!!!!!!

[Bree]

I didn't even know such a tool was available.......I love this place!!!!!!!

Here is an example of what I am talking about:

http://shop.raphaelsewing.com/index.php?ma...2667399f9079940

Basically a portable scrollsaw/jigsaw with a knife blade sharp as a razor.

[hidepounder]

Here is an example of what I am talking about:

http://shop.raphaelsewing.com/index.php?ma...2667399f9079940

Basically a portable scrollsaw/jigsaw with a knife blade sharp as a razor.

That looks way more dangerous than a round knife!!!!!!! Think I'll leave well enough alone!

[Bree]

I hear ya which is why I don't have one! The electric rotary cutters are not as hairy as that thing... but the small ones stall in the real thick leather.