Punching holes

[JamesR]

Hello,

What is the best backing surface for punching holes, poly board or a poundo board.

Do you use a scrap piece of leather below the piece or is it OK to let the punch penetrate the board?

Thanks

Jim

[Luke Hatley]

The best surface for me has been.....END GRAIN OF WOOD.

[Hilly]

I've always used a scrap piece of thick leather (skirting) on my bench.

Luke, do you really use end grain? Do you find your punches dulling?

[Luke Hatley]

THE POUNDO RUBBER FROM TANDY AND THE RED ITEM FROM WEAVER HAS AN ADVERSE EFFECT ON MY PUNCHES. AN OLE SADDLE MAKER TOLD ME TO USE A TREE STUMP. SO I OPTED FOR THE END GRAIN WOOD. IT WORKS FOR ME.......

[bruce johnson]

I like the end grain on the bench too. I cut wafers about 1" thick off the ends of a 4" post. Most of my holes I drill with a maxi or minipunch chucked into a drill press and turned on. I use a scrap of LDPE for that. It works really slick and no drag or egging out the holes trying to crank a punch back out. I use poundo on my anvils when I punching inside a pocket.

[Mongo]

The poly board has worked very well for me.

[tonyc1]

I've always used a lead block about 2 inches thick. I remelt it every couple of months in an old aluminium frying pan or when it gets too chewed up. It doesn't move and absorbs the strike real well. When one side is chewed up I just turn it over and use the other side. The lead doesn't dull the punches either.

Tony.

[WyomingSlick]

I like and use the poly cutting board the the leather supply companies sell. It is lightweight and easy to grab and set quickly on your work area. It is multi-purpose since it is used as a cutting board also. It is tough enough to stand up to many years of use, yet it will not harm your knives or punches. I bought one a dozen years ago and am still using that same one with no maintainance or special care.

Edited January 9, 2010 by WyomingSlick

[JamesR]

Thanks to all for the help.

Jim

[DaCodaBuchan]

Would a white plastic cutting board from wal-mart work as well as Tandy's? They look the same to me.

[barra]

I too use a lead block. I find, being a soft metal that it saves the punches the best for me. I re smelt once in a blue moon and when it gets chopped up I panel beat it smooth with a solid ball pein hammer, sort of a hit and drag motion not unlike the final peining of a copper rivet.

Having said that, after 30 years, Bruce has seriously converted me to the small round punch in the drill press method with an el cheapo kitchen cutting board underneath. Of course this only works for round punches.

Barra

[MikeCahill]

Hello,

What is the best backing surface for punching holes, poly board or a poundo board.

Do you use a scrap piece of leather below the piece or is it OK to let the punch penetrate the board?

Thanks

Jim

end grain of a hardwood (beech) log, every now and then I run an electric planer over it a couple of times, I think it should take about 80 years before I need to get a new log

Cheers

Mike

[leatherman1457]

I use the 12" X 12" black poundo board, rubber cemented to a12" X 12" butcher block end grain board 4" thick, set on my small slip proof rubber mat on my 24" X 24" X 1 1/2" piece of marble. that is a solid way to punch leather. I have punched out several thousand feet of strap gymp with my punchs on a set up as I described.

[UKRay]

I'm a big chunky lead block man - My punches stay really sharp and it helps to absorb some of the noise when I'm working in the middle of the night! LOL

[RobDude30]

Would a white plastic cutting board from wal-mart work as well as Tandy's? They look the same to me.

I have one of the WalMart cutting boards that you mention and it has already cracked in several places. It does work, but likely won't last very long.

[kevinhopkins]

I like an end grain too.... it's easier on the cutting edges, and doesn't give you the grief of a poundo board.

Kevin