Newbie Needing Leather Suggestions

[jcuk]

Hi Glendon not tried this myself but seems to make sense.

http://www.johan-potgieter.com/ll/?tag=strap-cutter

Not sure about quality but cheapest i have seen new Plough Gauge

http://www.leprevo.co.uk/photos/plough-knife.htm

Does this help?

JCUK

[saddlerlew]

There is a huge difference between the Tandy wooden strap cutter, made in China, and the "Strap Cutter" made in the U,S,A. I love my U.S. made strap cutter and use it all the time. To me much easier than the draw gauge. Ohio Travel Bag sells the original "Strap Cutter" for about 18.00 wholesale. The junk from Tandy costs about the same. There is no comparison. For long straight cuts, I use a surface that won't guide my knife, like a piece of hardboard. Go to A lumber yard and get a 4' or 6' metal rule and some table clamps. Get a straight edge on your leather, measure the width you want, clamp it to the edge of your cutting table, and use a roller knife, and you can get really nice long straight cuts in 4 to 5 oz. chap leather, which is what I usually use for handles. You might want to cut it extra wide, and sew a piece of light rope or something in the center to give you a nice rolled handle. I trim the excess off the raw edge after I have sewn the welt in. Just takes a few tries and you'll be making handles like a pro.

[owenzachary]

Looks like the wood version wins here! I will go ahead and give it a try and see how I like it. Saddlerlew - My husband works for a home improvement store, so I may have him bring some of those home to try as well. Now I need to decide the type of leather I want to use. I need to keep it simple with that as I know very little and need it ready to cut.

I'll update when I've given it a try. Wish me luck! Cindy