Which Knifes Do You Use

[cappadk]

Which knifes do you use for cutting leather, im looking for some inspiration

Recently i started to think of using something like a Dozier knife, preferrably a fixed blade, but im not yet sure.

And by the way, does the thickness of the blade matter, im thinking that a thinner blade would be better to cut off leather, but im not sure.

[bruce johnson]

I've got a Dozier I like quite a bit. Best new knife I ever bought. I have heard it is hard to get one out of him now. I use it interchangably with a Harrington, couple Roses, Gomph, older CS Osbornes, and whatever else needs trying out.

Blade thickness is a real area of personal preference, what you are cutting, how well you can sharpen a knife, and then strop it to keep it right.

[cappadk]

Yea as i understand it from his website, theres a 18 month wait from order to finish. But ive seen some of his knifes on other onlinesellers, so hopefully they

still have it in stock.

Ok, guess im gonna try out which thickness i prefer. Based on recommendation from several blade-forums, i ordered a couple of SRM knives, to

see how they work and to see which blade lenght and thickness suits me the best.

[HideShop]

I have used and own quite a few different head knifes including Doziers but for my money I would take "Knips" knives over any of them. I have 2 now and use nothing else. Terry makes quite a few different styles of knive so I'm sure he can make whatever you are looking for. I know that Bob Parks, Bob Klenda and Jesse Smith use his knives and have nothing but good to say about them. Terry is on the forum as Knipper and has posted photos and doesn't take over a year to make one

Just my two cents, Hope it helps

Richard

[HideShop]

Sorry! should have included his website for you, knipknives.com .

[MADMAX22]

One thing I would add is that you really need to find a knife that is designed for cutting leather vice just a folding or fixed style knife that is made for general utility cutting. Atleast from the look of the SRM knives they are very cheap and probably not very good at all which translate to a very bad experience when working with leather.

My favorite knives that I have so far are a couple of gomph knives that I have gotten from Bruce and a Dan Carlos and a Rose knife that I have picked up on the way. All of which hold nice edges and cut very well.

[cappadk]

hideshop: Thanks for the recommendation, i didnt know of his work. Very beatyful knifes but a little over my budget though.

madmax22: The srm knifes are mainly for me to get an understanding of which type of knife/blade i would prefer and what thickness. Most likely i wont be using it for

critical work. But allthough they are very cheap they are highly praised on other forums, such as bladeforum and britishblades.

[Art]

I understand the fascination with knives, and I have quite a few. If someone was to hold me up and tell me I could keep a hundred bucks worth, I would keep the following.

Good box cutter with quality blades, About $10.

Scalpel with #10 and #11 Blades about $20.

Clicker Knife (Blue Handle), About $16.

Good Skiving knife like Bob Beard's or one from Shoe findings supplier. $20-$55.

Note that none of this is worth a darn for very long unless you develop the ability to sharpen, and really, I mean cut you when you look at it sharpen.

And, how long have you been leatherworking and you haven't made a strop yet?

Art

[cappadk]

Im not exactly sure what you mean with me making a strop - do you mean for sharpening the knife? Then no - i dont even have a knife yet

Im pretty new to both leather and knifes and ive become very interested or fascinated by knifes and i can easily see myself using one for cutting leather. I have a

"fancy" box cutter which gets dull very quickly, which is why im trying to find another tool for cutting.

I like your "setup" of knives, pretty much what i would prefer too.

[Art]

A strop is a piece of 2-3oz veg tanned leather glued to a board. You put some rouge (usually green) on it and stroke the blade on it to hone the cutting edge. You can do this with any blade, even the utility knife, but for utility knives, the Irwin Bi-Metal blades are the best I have found, about $20 a hundred, make sure you get the bi-metal.

Knives are a personal preference for leatherworking, I know folks who do great work with just a utility knife, and I am talking big name makers here. So get a utility knife and make yourself a strop. Learn how to sharpen every knife in the house, but especially your knife of choice. Until you learn to sharpen and use the knife, just stick with the clicker and utility knives.

Art

Im not exactly sure what you mean with me making a strop - do you mean for sharpening the knife? Then no - i dont even have a knife yet

Im pretty new to both leather and knifes and ive become very interested or fascinated by knifes and i can easily see myself using one for cutting leather. I have a

"fancy" box cutter which gets dull very quickly, which is why im trying to find another tool for cutting.

I like your "setup" of knives, pretty much what i would prefer too.

[MADMAX22]

It ends up being what works for you and also personal preference but one thing I can say is thinner is better to a point. To thin of a edge and it will round over for regular steel blades but overall it is better to have pretty thin blades to help get thru the leather. I personally never had too much luck with the box cutter type knives. Ill use my little exacto knives for very intricate cuts and what not but I have to be so careful due to my ability to catch an edge and make a bad cut. Hence why I dont really use them more then I have too.

I agree with Art whole heartedly that you really need to keep that polished fine edge on your blades regardless of what you use. I use to have such a hard time with head knives first because of the quality and secondly because of my inability to sharpen properly. I got some better knives and also learned how to put an edge on and keep it on with the strops or your method of choice. However to each there own and matter of what you feel comfy with.

[cappadk]

Art: i will check out Irwin Bi-metal, i wasnt sure whether you meant that type of a strop. But yes, i will be making one this weekend. Im doing a lot of research now on sharpening,

and decided on getting a couple of diamond stones. Many recommend DMT stones, but they are a bit pricy, any of you guys know of a cheaper solution?

Madmaxx: I think your right about the thinner the better, well at least for me. The reason im not very fond of the utility knife, is that the head is so small that i can barely

see it when im cutting.

[Art]

I have been using DMT stones for years (about 25), and find them excellent. I purchased a Lansky recently, and was not impressed with it. It works, but just doesn't feel right, it is a fine grade that works a lot more like a course, it now lives in the kitchen.

Good stones are not cheap \, but one of the tri-hone setups will work for a start.

Art

Art: i will check out Irwin Bi-metal, i wasnt sure whether you meant that type of a strop. But yes, i will be making one this weekend. Im doing a lot of research now on sharpening,

and decided on getting a couple of diamond stones. Many recommend DMT stones, but they are a bit pricy, any of you guys know of a cheaper solution?

Madmaxx: I think your right about the thinner the better, well at least for me. The reason im not very fond of the utility knife, is that the head is so small that i can barely

see it when im cutting.

[cappadk]

Ok, im going with a dmt stone now. Thanks for the help and info all.

[Chef niloc]

I have been using one made by Paul Zalesak of leather wranglers and like it alot. I got a email from Bill Burke today saying that my new knife is ready!! Been waiting a Long long time for that email...dam when will that post mane come