Need Advice On Buying A New Knife.

[zaynexpetty]

I have been having some trouble cutting round corners and circles out of leather. Right know I have a utility knife, which works good for cutting straight lines for the most part, and an x acto style knife, which I have been using for cutting corners. The x acto is too flimsy and tends to bend when I am cutting corners, making the cut at an angle, most of the time. I would like a knife that is that same style, but with a sturdier blade that wont bend.

Anyone have any suggestions?

I almost bought this knife, but decided I better ask for some advice before doing so:

http://usaknifemaker.com/industrial-knife-set-especially-designed-for-leather.html#.U785SajPmO0

Thanks,

Zayne

[papaw]

If you like the Xacto you may want to look at the #3 knife handle it has a heavier blade.

[J Hayes]

Really hard to beat a good round/head knife. I was cutting 8/9 veg with a utility hook blade with limited success, lots of sanding. Picked ud a Osborne new manufacture (not recommended unless you have time to shape and sharpen it) anyway I can cut tight corners both inside and outside. It has become that I cut pretty much right on with ease and drastically reduced sanding time on my holsters. Bruce Johnson usually has a few ready to work, and of course there are custom makes as well

[jfdavis58]

I have a couple curved blades-both are PITA. Stropping is a wrist ache and sharpening, well how many have a curved hone of any kind??? Well, as a matter of fact, I do. The cost is, well a factor.

What are you cutting? That will be the first question a custom maker will ask. Second will be "how much are you cutting?"

I've had four letter arraignments with a number of knives. Then I guess you could say I went all in and bought from a custom maker. Now I have three, all sharper than anything I've ever had, all delightful to use, all easy to maintain. http://www.leatherwranglers.com

[StrigaMort]

Before I got back into leather I did a lot of wood carving. I have several custom carvers. They have ergonomic handles and, naturally, very sharp blades of various design. I'm considering repurposing them to see how they act as leather cutting blades. A big part of me balks at the thought but they are just sitting there and were expensive. Some would make terrible knives,you can tell just by looking at them, but some may be excellent for the job.

I'll report back with my findings,but if you're interested, they are hand made from Deepwoods Ventures.

[Trox]

Hi Zayne,

I have the knife on your link and I do not like it, the blade is to thin/flex to much. When a knife flexes you will cut wrong (most of us anyway, I heard somebody likes it)

I mostly uses my round knifes cutting leather. However, when I cut around cardboard patterns I use clicker knife/pattern knife. Either my Blanchard L`indispensable (brass) or a modified Stubai wood carver knife. I bought this knife in a wood worker shop because it looked promising (right proportions). Nevertheless, it had a microbevel edge like you often find on modern pocket knifes and was useless on leather (for anything else too). I grinded of this microbevel and made a long bevel all over the blade wide (on both sides), polished it and it turned out to be great. Its stiff enough and sharp enough to be a great little clicking/ leather pattern knife. You can also use it in your draw gauge. Many of us makes our own knifes from High speed (HS or HSS and not Bi metal) hack saw and colt saw blades. You can grind them to be very hot without loosing the steels tempering, they makes very good blades.

Tor

[StrigaMort]

I was just looking at that brass handled knife last night. Looks nice.

I did a little test cutting with a couple of the carvers I mentioned before. The pic got oriented weird but the top knife in the pic did quite well around corners. The long straight bladed knife cut as well as a box cutter but a box cutter is far less expensive.

[zaynexpetty]

If you like the Xacto you may want to look at the #3 knife handle it has a heavier blade.

I'll have to check that out, thanks.

[zaynexpetty]

Hi Zayne,

I have the knife on your link and I do not like it, the blade is to thin/flex to much. When a knife flexes you will cut wrong (most of us anyway, I heard somebody likes it)

I mostly uses my round knifes cutting leather. However, when I cut around cardboard patterns I use clicker knife/pattern knife. Either my Blanchard L`indispensable (brass) or a modified Stubai wood carver knife. I bought this knife in a wood worker shop because it looked promising (right proportions). Nevertheless, it had a microbevel edge like you often find on modern pocket knifes and was useless on leather (for anything else too). I grinded of this microbevel and made a long bevel all over the blade wide (on both sides), polished it and it turned out to be great. Its stiff enough and sharp enough to be a great little clicking/ leather pattern knife. You can also use it in your draw gauge. Many of us makes our own knifes from High speed (HS or HSS and not Bi metal) hack saw and colt saw blades. You can grind them to be very hot without loosing the steels tempering, they makes very good blades.

Tor

Those look like they would work nice. I am realize that I might have to get some knives and do some modifying myself. Thank you for the input!

Before I got back into leather I did a lot of wood carving. I have several custom carvers. They have ergonomic handles and, naturally, very sharp blades of various design. I'm considering repurposing them to see how they act as leather cutting blades. A big part of me balks at the thought but they are just sitting there and were expensive. Some would make terrible knives,you can tell just by looking at them, but some may be excellent for the job.

I'll report back with my findings,but if you're interested, they are hand made from Deepwoods Ventures.

Yes, please do let me know how that turns out. I have thought about going that route as well as I have some wood carving knives.

Really hard to beat a good round/head knife. I was cutting 8/9 veg with a utility hook blade with limited success, lots of sanding. Picked ud a Osborne new manufacture (not recommended unless you have time to shape and sharpen it) anyway I can cut tight corners both inside and outside. It has become that I cut pretty much right on with ease and drastically reduced sanding time on my holsters. Bruce Johnson usually has a few ready to work, and of course there are custom makes as well

I really need to get a nice head knife. I keep seeing them used in most of the videos I watch. Thanks for the input.

[Trox]

Hi StrigaMort,

The Blanchard brass pattern knife is a very good knife with a stiff changeable blades, its has a long edge on the left side of the blade to cut against the pattern. Many prefer to make them straight on the left side and have the bevel on the right side only. However, it works well out of the box after some polishing of course. Its now also available in the USA http://www.fineleatherworking.com/leather-tools/indispensable-knife

Hi Zayne

Well, its important to have a good hard cutting board too, I use a HD polyethylene board same as the clicking machine board (but a bit softer). You could try the same as they use in a butchers shop too. To soft a board and the knife will cut to deep in to it and you will make mistakes. Your knife blade might brake off too. The utility knifes flexes to much and you will not be able to cut out a piece without stopping (stopping is a mistake made).

You must first make your self an leather stropping board to polish up your knifes, then you will get them even sharper than the utility blades (you can strop them too). You can also buy them, buy your self an aggressive polishing paste to apply on the board (its a must have). I never have to sharpen up any of my knife more than once, I just polishing them on the board before use. (Read up in the pinned topics about it).

Then get your self a good round knife, cut the handle to fit in your hand. Then you have a knife that will do all the cuts you ever need (without cutting around cardboard patterns that is). You can skive with it, do long rolling straight cuts and cut true sharp corners on the raised tips.

Buy a good round knife.

You have the choice of an very expensive new custom made knife or an 100 years old used knife. Anything else will not be good enough. My advice will be a good 4 to 5 " CS Osborn with a Newark stamp on it, rosewood and brass handle (thats the cheapest option too right now). You might find a good one on EBay, but then you should really know what you should look out for. My advice is ; contact Bruce Johnson (the moderator here) http://brucejohnsonleather.com/content/index.php/leather_tools_for_sale/knives-and-other-handled-cutting-tools/ and by one of his good old refurbished knifes. You will get them ready to cut, with some advices on the fly too.

Any of these nice oldies will out preform most of the other knifes available today. I have about 20 different round knifes in my collection right now, and some of the best of them are these old CS Osborne Newark stamped ones. (CS. Osborne & Co Newark stamped knifes are minimum 100 years old hand made knifes)

Bruce's knifes are very well sharpen/polished and will cut straight from the box. Buying from Ebay you have to sharpen up/clean it up your self and that is a skills it takes time to master.

Al Stholmans book of Leathercraft tools is a very good investment too (inexpensive paperback with nice illustrations), it shows how to use and maintain all the leather tools available. Then you will learn from the master the right way.

Just my two cents

Good luck

Tor