Cutting Side Into Straps, Or Precut?

[Ryan Barto]

I have looked over the forum for quite a while to make sure that this wasn't already posted, sorry if I missed it. I recently purchased a few latigo leather straps and am probably going to go back for some more soon, but I'm wondering really how cost effective it would be to purchase a side and cut it myself. I'd need to buy a strap cutter, but even when not figuring cost of tools into the equation, I'm guessing that a full side is the best way to go, but if it only saves a few pennies to a full strap, I'm not sure the hassle would be worth it for a small hobbyist.

Hypothetically, lets say a side costs $175.

1" Straps are $9 for 72".

So $175 worth of precut straps would be less than 1440". That's 10sq ft.

Looks like the side is a pretty sweet deal to me, but I'm not sure how much of a side is "belly" leather, which I have read is too stretchy for straps. I know the belly could be used for other projects, but for this scenario, I'm just assuming it being waste.

What are you guys' take on this? For anyone who cuts their own from sides, how many straps and what total length would you average from a side?

Thanks,

Ryan

[BAD HIDE]

Well, you're right. It is more cost effective, but there's 2 things you have to consider. You're going to end up with a lot of straps, which depending on how busy you are might take you a long time to use up. And you're gonna have odds and ends material that isn't suitable for straps.

Me, I don't mind it. I've bought a few pre-cut before, but it was only on that rare occasion when I didn't have money for a whole hide but needed a strap or two to finish a project. Now that I've got a good selection of hides, and I set aside hides specifically for straps and belts, pre-cut just doesn't cut it.

Edited December 17, 2010 by BAD HIDE

[ferret]

Another thing to consider is the time taken to cut the straps. Not so important if you are just leatherworking as a hobby , but if you are selling stuff the extra cost of pre cut straps may be less than your hourly rate

[tat2]

Ryan you do need to think about the type of volume you have for strap work and see if its cheaper to invest in a strap cutter. I live in Canada and the price here for strap are stooopidly silly, when asking about the price we are told its shipping to Canada which makes the cost higher. 12-15 per strap. When I bought a 12 inch strap cutter I ordered my leather from Weaver who for 8 per hide cut the leather into 12 inch widths. It worked out to about 7-8 per strap when I cut it, even cheaper depending on the style of leather I used. I found it very worth it AND you can keep the hide as is until an order comes in. Cut in any width and away you go. Once people in the area knew I had a strap cutter I started to cut their straps for them. Great machine and I felt in more control of my belt making and putting more profit into my pocket.

Another option is buy a straight edge tandy wooden hand strap cutter. line up a straight edge on the leather and cut slowly along the edge of a long table. It takes longer but is very much a cost effective way to cut your straps. The Tandy model works better than any other I tried as it has a long edge to line up the leather with.

just my thoughts

[TwinOaks]

I'd say it has to depend on what you want to do with the straps. If you're making utility straps, that's one thing, but if you might end up using some of the straps for belt blanks, it's another story. I've been making a few heavy duty belts and cutting down stirrup straps for them. The stirrup straps don't have a uniform thickness, and hides are likely to have some variation too. If you need a specific thickness, it might be better to buy pre-cut straps. Otherwise, you not only have to cut them, you have to split them too. Of course, if you can get a pretty uniform thickness hide, the whole argument goes out the window.

[jinrui73]

I bought a single bend for $52, I can get 12 good 44" belt blanks and some scrap for small projects and practice out of it, that comes out to just over $5 per complete belt (econo buckle, line 16 snaps, and a keeper). I sell them for $30 each (cause my skill level is still pretty low), it takes me anywhere from 2 to as much as 7 hours so far depending on what I'm carving. So IMO it's a good investment. It just depends on how much you think your time is worth.

-jerry

[rawhide1]

Ryan

For what it's worth I always buy sides. Because it's way cheaper and I can cut what ever I want out of it. Wether it be a belt blank or a set of reins. I cut all my strap goods by hand with a old osborne drawgauge. You can pick a good one up off of ebay for between 50 to 100 bucks and sometimes cheaper. I would get one that has the hardwood handles and stay away from the all metal ones. As far as time I can cut a side up for 5/8" reins in a matter of minutes. And a fella can find all kinds of uses for the left over belly and such. Right or wrong that's how I go about doing it.

Good Luck, Mike

[Chief31794]

I make a lot of instrument straps, Guitar, Banjo, Dobro, Mandolin, etc. I cut my straps from sides, and it works well for me. With the right draw gauge it is pretty simple to cut straps once you cut a straight edge on the side. My straps are made from 3-4 ounce leather, so I normally buy belt blanks becuase I don't make nearly as many belts as I do straps and the belts are normally thicker.

Ken