Why Use A Round Knife?

[barehandcustoms]

Most of the professional leather makers I know have a round head knife that they are just head over heels for but I have always used a Roberts Big Fatso Carpet Knife. I love the angled down razor blade and large handle for grip. I just throw a new razor blade in every so often and it glides right through leather like butter. I have come close to buying a round head knife several times just because thats what everyone else is using but I don't understand the benefits that justify the price.

What are the benefits of using a round blade over a regular razor utility knife?

Are the benefits of a nice round knife worth the extra cost and time spent keeping it sharp?

[Hi Im Joe]

I use a head knife for making scallop cuts as well as cutting tight curves. You can basically use just the tip of the knife to maneuver around tight spots.

For straight cuts I use a normal non adjustable stanley knife and it works great.

[Bob Blea]

There are a couple of reasons I would say the round knife is better than the razor blade. First off I feel I have more control pushing the knife away from me, and I feel safer that no part of my body is in the path of the knife. I'm not familiar with your particular type of knife but with a standard utility knife you're always pulling towards yourself. I also feel I have more control when making small scalloped cuts or curves like Joe says above. A round knife also allows you to make a roll cut, where you roll the round part of the blade forward to make a cut which is sometimes really helpful when cutting short straight lines. Also, the round knife can be turned on it's side and used for skiving leather, which you just can't do with a razor blade.

Finally if you have a good steel in your blade you don't have to do much maintenance on it. I have a Leather Wrangler round knife and I rarely need to do much more that strop it occasionally, so maintaining the edge isn't much of a problem.

[papaw]

I like the round knife for the ease of cutting thicker leather and long lines just works better for me as I can stay right up against my edge guild with a thicker heaver blade than a thin blade wobble off a little its happen to my times before with razor knife. Also love the sharpness that I can get it too skiving and use of the differ edges /or parts of the blade.

Edited June 20, 2014 by papaw

[JoeSnuffie]

I prefer mine because I can skive very easily with it and it's perfect for cutting out smaller thin pieces with straight lines, like wallet pieces. I mark the cut lines on the flesh side then place rock the round knife from one end to the other. This produces a straight cut without the dragging you sometimes get when dragging a blade.

[billybopp]

I think about getting a round knife now and then, and know that I'd love some of the things to be done with it. At least for a time. Then I remember how much I like my fingers they way they are. I'm just too accident prone to trust myself with one! LOL!

Bill

[JoeSnuffie]

When I first made my knife I sliced the tips of my fingers a lot as I got used to it. I'm happy to report that there hasn't been any blood spilled in over a week.

[Macca]

I like to roll the knife while pushing through the leather, means no dragging/distorting the leather (especially on soft leather), properly sharpened it cuts so easily compared to a stanley knife, very little effort required.

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

I'd close the shop if someone took my round knives. I do keep a razor skife on the bench, but for cutting and most skiving I use the round knives. I have one that's my favorite and use it 95% of the time. Making cuts with a razor blade just don't work for me; can't make a nice, smooth, straight cut. I think the main issue that people have who have trouble using a round knife, is that they think it is sharp and it really isn't. It needs to be scary sharp. Should be able to shave hair off your arm with it, and not big gorilla hairy arms--it should be able to shave girl arms! It is fun to use a round knife that is that sharp, and it requires care to keep it that way. I've cut myself with razor type blades and my little "clicker" knife or pattern knife with the removable blade, many more times than I've ever cut myself with a round knife, and they don't get used nearly as much as the round knives.

[billybopp]

Does anybody have experience with using a kevlar glove in leatherwork? They've made inroads into kitchens in the last couple of years, and supposedly they work well to prevent slicing cuts. They are probably useless for pokey sharp things, but might work well for slicey sharp thing.

Bill