Any Ideas For A Cutting Board

[leathervan]

a cutting board may be one of those things that a person doesn't have to go out and buy. Maybe something laying around might fit the same purpose.

[electrathon]

You could look in the kitchen by the sink, just wash it well. IKEA has them for just over a dollar.

[bruce johnson]

It depends on a few things. If you are cutting bigger projects, then a small board can be a hassle. Making part of a cut, moving the board, cutting again, etc can result in a choppier cut than a bigger board under you. LDPE boards tend to grab knives more and makes a bit more effort as well as mark up faster and those grooves can catch a blade edge too. I like HDPE better for cutting. If you are going to use one to punch on, the HDPE can be brittle though and crack or break. LDPE is a better choice there.

[Dwight]

I'm not sure I understood exactly what you wanted, . . . here is another recent conversation about cutting surfaces:

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=56005&hl=coupon#entry359269

May God bless,

Dwight

[Tannin]

I use those green "self healing" cutting mats - available in a range of sizes & prices from ebay, Amazon, etc. I started with a small A4 sized one, which was good enough to get started. Then later I got a very large one (A2) to cover much of my workbench top - it cost £5 last year (2014) and it allowed me to protect my new bench top at the same time :D. I really like them, esp. the big one.

I also have a white polythene kitchen cutting board but prefer the green mats. For punching though, I normally use the end of a log - i.e. a solid surface that won't damage the cutting edge of the punch.

I don't have a good surface for skiving and would welcome suggestions. I believe something very hard & very smooth is required.

Edited October 8, 2015 by Tannin

[mlapaglia]

Glass, is best in my opinion for skiving.

[electrathon]

For skiving I too agree with glass.

[Tannin]

Glass, excellent. I was thinking I need a "litho block" (whatever & wherever that it is!) or a polished marble slab/thick tile. I have a sheet of tempered (i.e. strong) glass off an old HiFi cabinet that I used for my "scary sharp" sharpening system a few years back that I could try - although I gather tempered glass is generally not as flat as regular glass because of the tempering process.

BTW if you try the "scary sharp" system, don't do what I did: I used spray-on "relocatable" adhesive dry (as suggested somewhere) which worked great at first but I let it set for a long time & it was near impossible to remove the wet & dry paper when it cames time to change it (I still haven't managed to scrape it off ) Some suggestions from fans of the system - professional woodworkers - suggested: either just taping the ends (seems less than ideal to me, not flat & not secure), using water to hold it in place (only works sometimes) or using special self-adhesive wet&dry paper. Probably simplest just to remove the wet& dry paper before the relocatable adhesive dries though!

Re. punching surfaces, I came across a book that describes using a lead block, which can be melted & reformed periodically.

Edited October 10, 2015 by Tannin

[dikman]

Tannin, I read the same thing about using a lump of lead - one of these days I'll get around to making one. I bought an A4 green cutting board from a discount shop, but felt it was a bit small so bought another one and glued them side-by-side onto a flat board. They're not true "self-healing", being so cheap, but should be adequate for my needs.

I also have a hardwood log for punching on. I tried one of those poly kitchen cutting boards, but find that the log is better as it has more mass. (I ran a belt sander over the end first, to give me a flat, smooth surface).

I also have a piece of glass, should I need a flat surface for using wet and dry paper. The glass is from one of those modern-style scales that you stand on, so is pretty tough! The scales died, so I stripped off all the bits to give me a nice smooth, rounded piece of tough glass (I don't like throwing things out unless they absolutely can't be re-cycled somehow).

[Tannin]

... The glass is from one of those modern-style scales that you stand on, so is pretty tough! The scales died, so I stripped off all the bits to give me a nice smooth, rounded piece of tough glass (I don't like throwing things out unless they absolutely can't be re-cycled somehow).

Excellent! We have one of those glass weighing scales now It's just a matter of time... :D

We also have an HP printer-scanner which doesn't work, perhaps because of the refilled-cartridges I bought off ebay, which just didn't work. I'm reluctant to throw it out, as maybe there is nothing wrong with it beyond needing better cartridges (but they cost £19 & printer-scanner only cost £32 with low volume cartridge!) and anyway it could still be used for scanning, but I also recall reading that the glass used in scanners is quite good/useful as it has to be flat for the optics to work properly. So I may re-use that at some point.

Edited October 10, 2015 by Tannin

[penguineer]

I think the glass from a scanner or photocopier isnlikely to be very thin. Not much of a problem unless you have to move it occasionally.

Find a shoplifters supply place - preferably one with secondhand fittings(cheaper). Glass shop shelves are available in a wide range of sizes, bevelled(not sharp) edges and thick enough to deal with a bit of rough handling.

Cheers!

[dikman]

"Shoplifters"?

[penguineer]

"Shoplifters"?

Damn you, autocorrect!!!

Shopfitters suppliers - unless you're using a tablet......

Cheers!

(I guess any shop could be a shoplifters supplier.....)

[dirtclod]

I use side window from a pickup. Got it junkyard.

[George3]

Walmart kitchen Dept. White poly food safe cutting board, inexpensive and I've been cutting and pounding and punching on it 7 days a week for over a year, I buy a new one for the kitchen and use the old one for the leather shop, now I have two, the old and the new (used) they are about 16x20 " offhand I'd say they are about 15 bucks or less ...

I might have run it through the wood shop planer once to resurface!

Unionlevelleather.com

[TigerPal]

I use an old plastic office chair pad, over the carpet in my hobby room. Works fairly well, since I don't have room for a separate cutting table.

[zuludog]

For a cutting mat get the usual green things. They're not very expensive so get the biggest you can manage. I was once chatting to a retired cobbler, who said that 'them green mats' are as good as anything he'd ever used

Yes, you need a hard shiny surface for skiving. I use the glass oven door from an old cooker - free. Lay it on a piece of damp cloth to stop it sliding around. Even if the glass is dirty it will usually clean up well

Keep your eyes & ears open, or ask at a scrapyard or kitchen fitters for some of the old stuff they've removed. You'll probably need a phillips screwdriver or a couple of Allen keys to take it off the hinges

As mentioned, you can also use the glass for laying down wet & dry paper as part of your sharpening regime

Edited October 11, 2015 by zuludog

[Red Cent]

There is something out there that works beautifully. A horse stall mat. I am lucky to have two 4' X 8" tables in my shop. I use one for the leather to be laid out and the other to cut and glue and all the other stuff.

As a side note, I made a roller for a roll of paper from Lowes. This mounted under the table at the end where the mat is positioned. If I dye or glue, I pull the roll paper out as needed. Afterwards I slice the used piece from the roll.

The horse mat is 4' X 6'. And mine is 1" thick. Tractor Supply or other like stores carry them. They carry different sizes and thickness. For those who have a small space, they can be easily be cut for size and store the rest. When cutting light or heavy leather, the knife will not penetrate all the way through. I use utility and carpet knives and have been cutting in the same area for over a year.

I believe this was recommended by Chuck Burrows on Cas City.

If you have the space, you can throw a whole side on the mat and go to work.

[keplerts]

Is there a lot of knife drag when using it on the stall mat? If I try to cut on my poundo board I get a lot of knife drag. Also, are the stall mats smooth or ribbed?

[Hawk Scarbrough]

Glass, excellent. I was thinking I need a "litho block" (whatever & wherever that it is!) or a polished marble slab/thick tile. I have a sheet of tempered (i.e. strong) glass off an old HiFi cabinet that I used for my "scary sharp" sharpening system a few years back that I could try - although I gather tempered glass is generally not as flat as regular glass because of the tempering process.

BTW if you try the "scary sharp" system, don't do what I did: I used spray-on "relocatable" adhesive dry (as suggested somewhere) which worked great at first but I let it set for a long time & it was near impossible to remove the wet & dry paper when it cames time to change it (I still haven't managed to scrape it off ) Some suggestions from fans of the system - professional woodworkers - suggested: either just taping the ends (seems less than ideal to me, not flat & not secure), using water to hold it in place (only works sometimes) or using special self-adhesive wet&dry paper. Probably simplest just to remove the wet& dry paper before the relocatable adhesive dries though!

Re. punching surfaces, I came across a book that describes using a lead block, which can be melted & reformed periodically.

Try acetone...seems to work on most adhesives I have seen, including labels on wine bottles. If you think that is easy, it ain't