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.

[BDAZ]

I use a rotary cutter, which I strop regularly, for suede.

Cya!

Bob

[Tejas]

I use three tools:

For straight cuts -- an Olfa 45 mm rotary cutter on a self-healing 24" x 36" Olfa rotary pad

For curves -- Kai 7250 scissors

For some fine detail -- Olfa utility knife with various exchangeable blade styles

[Red Cent]

I have found that the cutting surface is important. I cut most all my leather on poly board with a utility knife. Much "slicker" than the self healing pads (which I have). I don't have the jerky movements since very little of the point buries in the board. 'Course sharp is the word.

I have a Tandy head knife that was given to me. I cannot get it sharp. Guess I need to spend the bucks to get some good steel.

[Tejas]

Still very much a novice, and in addition to the cutting surface being important, an edge guide for straight cuts seems important. Among several tools, Omnigrid edge guides that apparently are designed mostly for quitters are my favorite.

[Matt S]

George Barnesly single point knife. Cost about £13 + tax and needed sharpening but miles better than a utility knife. New utility knife blades may seem sharp but put them to a strop and you'll understand a new meaning of 'sharp'. The main problem is they just aren't a convenient shape for cutting comfortably, intricately or safely in my experience.

[Troy I]

Utility knife. .I tried a round knife, but could never get the hang of it..they have a learning curve that I could not overcome.

[Alexis Sofield]

I use three tools:

For straight cuts -- an Olfa 45 mm rotary cutter on a self-healing 24" x 36" Olfa rotary pad

For curves -- Kai 7250 scissors

For some fine detail -- Olfa utility knife with various exchangeable blade styles

Will this rotary cutter cut 12-14oz?

[Tejas]

Will this rotary cutter cut 12-14oz?

I don't think so. I have to press real hard on much thinner leather.

I also have an Allstar model AS-100K powered rotary cutter that might. I've cut other materials that thick, but not leather. I use the Olfa cutter with a straight edge and can get straight, vertical cuts. The powered cutter has a foot that runs about 3/8" under the material, and getting real straight cut would be difficult, at least for me.

[Alexis Sofield]

I don't think so. I have to press real hard on much thinner leather.

I also have an Allstar model AS-100K powered rotary cutter that might. I've cut other materials that thick, but not leather. I use the Olfa cutter with a straight edge and can get straight, vertical cuts. The powered cutter has a foot that runs about 3/8" under the material, and getting real straight cut would be difficult, at least for me.

Ok. thanks for fast reply. I saw another user mentioned that he was able to cut that thick with rotary cutter. Maybe a coupe of passes? Oh well. Thanks again

[BDAZ]

An aside..there are various "upgraded" blades for utility knives including blades made in England and Japan. These tend to produce sharper edges which last longer.

Cya!

Bob

[raysouth]

Normally, a razor knife or better known as utility knife. Also use some exacto specialty blades when I need to get into finer areas of what I am doing. Not been able to master the round knife so gave it up and comfortable with the blades I now use. Have very large to small serrated scissors and use them to cut roughouts or pieces from sides as needed.

I suppose I would use anything that is sharp and does the job and easy to hold in my tired hands. lol.

Try them all and you will find something comfortable that does what you need.

God Bless.

Ray

[zuludog]

I have posted something similar to this a few months ago, but to prevent you (and me!) searching for it, here it is again.

By coincidence, soon after I became interested in leatherwork I met a retired, traditional cobbler in a pub. Here is a summary of a few pints worth of conversation

Round or head knives are traditional, but unless you're a professional or a keen amateur they are tricky to use and need constant practice. Most beginners and amateurs would be OK with a craft knife (alright, he said 'Stanley knife'). You will need two of them.

Choose the best and most comfortable, and pick through your collection of blades for 2 or 3 that fit well without any wobbling.

The blades are meant to be disposable, but they seem to get better when they have been sharpened a few times - and keep them sharp.

Use this knife & blades for cutting leather only

Use the second knife for opening parcels, cutting string, sharpening pencils and so on. Its purpose is to ensure that the first knife is used exclusively for cutting leather.

He also said that 'them new green boards' (ie cutting mats) were as good as anything he'd used

[Tramps Leatherworking]

Ok. thanks for fast reply. I saw another user mentioned that he was able to cut that thick with rotary cutter. Maybe a coupe of passes? Oh well. Thanks again

I have a Fiskars 60mm rotary knife and it will cut leather 10 to 14 oz with multiple passes...

The majority of my cutting is done with an Osborne head knife.