What Do You Cut Leather With?

[aspanol]

Hi all! I am all new to leathercraft and haven't started anything at all. Just wondering what do you actually cut leather with? and also does veg-tan leather = Tooling leather?

Thinking of getting the basic equpiments like Awl,nylon thread,blunt needle,anything else? Thinking of making a small card case to start!

I live in a small country in singapore,ASIA. leathercrafting is like a lost art and i am looking to revive it! Would be happy to learn anything. Do let me know!

[dbusarow]

When you are first starting out a hardware store utility knife using replaceable blades will work.

Like this one

You will end up with some specialized knifes if you stay with leather work but the utility knife and an exacto knife will work for quite a while.

Dan

[TwinOaks]

Also, invest in (if you don't already have) a pair of good shears/scissors. I use shears to gut about 80% of my thinner leather, and a head knife for the thicker stuff.

[Ellen]

Utility knife, even after buying Al Stolman's brand of knife: doesn't require sharpening, just snap off the dull part

[hivemind]

I have two pairs of heavy-duty shears, the kind with the small serrations on the bottom blade. I also use several different utility knives. I have a head knife, it just hangs on my tool rack and gets rusty.

[Nutty Saddler]

I use a head knife for most of my work , I cut straps with a plough knife and have a splitting maching for thinning , I also have a good pair of scissors for panel hides . One thing that I have found is that the cheap tools aren't worth wasting money on - you get what you pay for and if you want to do good work you need good tools.Being from the UK I get most of my tools from a UK company called Joseph Dixon's - I do have some Osborne tools as well but not many .

[BDAZ]

Some of the best sushi I have ever eaten was on Orchard Road! I use a utility knife but I strop it regularly with both green and white Jewelers rouge. I break off the blade very rarely and it stays very sharp and costs very little. I also have a Stolhman knife but prefer the utility knife for straight cuts. You can also cut durian..

Cya!

Bob

Edited April 1, 2014 by BDAZ

[Chain]

I use a Stanley Knife with this kind of blade. I use the curved end.

[muzzleblast]

Most of the time I use a utility knife, but with the hooked "roofing" blades. For me, these work much better for most applications than straight blades. They easily follow the curves of a holster pattern as well as cut straight lines with ease. And, they are sharp and cheap.

[horseplay]

I use a utility knife and rotary cutter depending on the cut. I've considered buying a head knife but I am happy using what I have and would rather buy other tools.