New To Strap Cutter. Question.

[mrtreat32]

Placed a order with ohio travel bag 2 weeks ago and decided to add a strap cutter to my cart since I want to start working on belts in the near future.

Just took it out tonight to put the blade in and try it out and had a idea that I havent really heard mentioned in the past although Im sure its been done.

After doing a test strip of 1" and looking at the ruler guide I realized the strap cutter goes up to about 5"wide. I was thinking since I work on mostly small leather goods that it might save me a lot of time and even edges if I used the strap cutter to cut long strips of sizes I often use. For example I have a few card wallets and other designs that use pockets a little over 4 inches and others that are 3.5". If I cut a long strip in that size I could later cut it vertical depending on what I need to make that particular design. I dont see why this wouldnt work for watch straps as well since you could cut a strip off whatever size you need and than punch or cut the end to whatever shape you are making. Obviously for curved objects this doesnt help at all but seems like it can save a lot of time for certain items.

Is there some reason Im missing out on why this wouldnt be a time saver for certain items.

BTW this strap cutter so far is one of those tools where I wasnt sure I wanted or needed one but now Im not sure I could do without! Glue pot is another!

thanks for any informative feedback guys!

[mlapaglia]

If you need a lot in the wider sizes and you are careful there is no reason not to use a strap cutter. Just remember that the wider the cut is the harder it is to control. Also the thinner it is the harder it is to control. A little practice and a good place to aly the leather while you cut and it should be fine.

BTW did you get the wood strap cutter of the metal draw gauge? The wood one works well for me but Id love to get the draw gauge.

Michael

Edited July 30, 2014 by mlapaglia

[chrstn53]

Having a good strap cutter or draw gauge will open you up to a lot of different projects. I find when making wide cuts on long sides it helps to have someone hold the top of the leather while you cut the strap. Make sure you always use sharp blades and the strap cutter will slice like butter. I think they normally run 10 to 15 cents a blade. Also depending on what type of strap cutter you purchased, it can be difficult at times to set the width correctly. Black river laser makes a gauge that is a time saver and sets the correct width every time. http://www.ebay.com/itm/STRAP-CUTTER-GAUGE-FOR-LEATHER-CRAFT-WORKERS-USE-WITH-TANDYS-TOOL-ALL-NEW-/131091046931

[ClaireAshton]

I agree with all above, a sharp blade being the most important - without that all the other precautions will be in vain.

While talking about strap cutters, the best tip I had for these (wooden tandy type) was to glue some card within the frame to keep the edge against the frame. Why this isn't designed in at the start is a mystery........

Claire

[mrtreat32]

If you need a lot in the wider sizes and you are careful there is no reason not to use a strap cutter. Just remember that the wider the cut is the harder it is to control. Also the thinner it is the harder it is to control. A little practice and a good place to aly the leather while you cut and it should be fine.

BTW did you get the wood strap cutter of the metal draw gauge? The wood one works well for me but Id love to get the draw gauge.

Michael

I got the wood one since I did some research and a lot of people seem to prefer it over more pricey ones.

I dont know if there are a lot of different versions of the wood one but this particular model is made in the USA.

Maybe Ill try a Dixon or Vergez draw guage in the near future if I get a lot of use out of this modei

Having a good strap cutter or draw gauge will open you up to a lot of different projects. I find when making wide cuts on long sides it helps to have someone hold the top of the leather while you cut the strap. Make sure you always use sharp blades and the strap cutter will slice like butter. I think they normally run 10 to 15 cents a blade. Also depending on what type of strap cutter you purchased, it can be difficult at times to set the width correctly. Black river laser makes a gauge that is a time saver and sets the correct width every time. http://www.ebay.com/itm/STRAP-CUTTER-GAUGE-FOR-LEATHER-CRAFT-WORKERS-USE-WITH-TANDYS-TOOL-ALL-NEW-/131091046931

The one I purchased has a guide/ruler facing the front so you can adjust it to the corresponding width. I figured they all had that on the front.

[mrtreat32]

I agree with all above, a sharp blade being the most important - without that all the other precautions will be in vain.

While talking about strap cutters, the best tip I had for these (wooden tandy type) was to glue some card within the frame to keep the edge against the frame. Why this isn't designed in at the start is a mystery........

Claire

Im not sure I understand where you glue the card to keep the leather against the frame better but the strap cutter I purchased came with a small booklet of modifications people make on them to fit certain tasks. It also mentions that some adjustments were left out so they could keep the price down and the customer could DIY.

[billybopp]

My working space is pretty limited, and I have to clear some space in the kitchen when cutting up hides. So, when I need to cut strips of any kind, I tend to make several more than I need, and often several sizes, as you mentioned, and then cut them to length when needed. It's not so hard to find storage for a few strips of leather and not so easy to clear out the kitchen floor when needed!

Sharp blades are essential. Blades have more cutting area than the thickness of most leather being cut, so you can re-position the blade a few times and get more out of them ( particularly helpful when you've forgotten to buy spares ). SLC has a good video on use of the strap cutter, and suggest that you can use an injector type razor blade as a replacement for purpose made strap cutter blades, but I have not yet tried that myself.

As chrstn53 suggests, the black river laser setup gauge is a really nice simple tool for getting the cutter set up correctly every time. The rule on the cutting arm seems to be accurate on mine, but I don't completely trust it.

Hope that helps.

Bill

[mlapaglia]

I got the wood one since I did some research and a lot of people seem to prefer it over more pricey ones.

I dont know if there are a lot of different versions of the wood one but this particular model is made in the USA.

Maybe Ill try a Dixon or Vergez draw guage in the near future if I get a lot of use out of this modei

The one I purchased has a guide/ruler facing the front so you can adjust it to the corresponding width. I figured they all had that on the front.

They all come with a ruler on them but not all the wooden ones are accurate. Also the Black river gauge lets you set it exactly the same each time as it works like a blade stop to set the width. Its worth the cost just for the ability to repeat the width.

[TomG]

The only issue I had with the Black River gauge is that I found you have to subtract about 1/64" from the width to fit many belt buckles and so the tongue will go through. The BL gauge sets to exact sizes.

[DavidL]

The only issue I had with the Black River gauge is that I found you have to subtract about 1/64" from the width to fit many belt buckles and so the tongue will go through. The BL gauge sets to exact sizes.

Which company is BL?

[Gump]

I have the wooden strap cutter from a Cali. company and it works great. I have a metal draw gauge and if you don't have a thick, stiff blade, the blade will lay over a ruin your cut, but with a blade thick enough to be rigid, it is to thick to cut properly through anything over 6 oz. I have tried several different types and thicknesses of blades, but in my opinion the wooden strap cutter is far superior to the metal draw gauge. Just my experience but I have ruined a lot of leather trying to use the draw gauge, and never a piece with the old reliable wooden one. Gump

[mrtreat32]

I have the wooden strap cutter from a Cali. company and it works great. I have a metal draw gauge and if you don't have a thick, stiff blade, the blade will lay over a ruin your cut, but with a blade thick enough to be rigid, it is to thick to cut properly through anything over 6 oz. I have tried several different types and thicknesses of blades, but in my opinion the wooden strap cutter is far superior to the metal draw gauge. Just my experience but I have ruined a lot of leather trying to use the draw gauge, and never a piece with the old reliable wooden one. Gump

I have heard this from a few people that they prefer the cheaper wooden one to a metal draw gauge.

[Colt W Knight]

I use this metal one from Tandy

It isn't real high quality, but with a sharp blade, it makes quick work of cutting straps. I like that it will take cheap utility knife blades.

I bought this wood top work bench to work leather. I like to make a straight edge cut first

Then I hang that fresh straight edge off the side of the table, and run my draw gauge down the edge to the cut the strap. The table supports the weight of the hide so I can hold the draw gauge in the one hand, and hold the strap I am cutting in the other.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Colt W Knight

[Gump]

Thats the metal draw gauge that I was talking about. The blade that came with it was as thick as an axe bit, and the gauge had to be filed to shape so the crossarm would stop rocking back and forth. Not one of my favorite tools. Gump.

[RavenAus]

The thing I found with the Tandy gauge is do NOT use the strap cutter blades! Use the super skiver blades. The little strap cutter blades are about as hard as tin and lose their edge in one cut, the skiver blades are much better at retaining an edge, you just have to watch they don't catch you since there's more blade exposed. On the plus side, more blade means more use before binning it

[keplerts]

Sooo... What is the BL Gauge?

[ClaireAshton]

Im not sure I understand where you glue the card to keep the leather against the frame better but the strap cutter I purchased came with a small booklet of modifications people make on them to fit certain tasks. It also mentions that some adjustments were left out so they could keep the price down and the customer could DIY.

Sorry for slow reply to this. What the card does is to angle the blade slightly outwards, ie tries to cut wider than it is set at. Now this would seem to be a problem until you realise what it does is push the 'guide' edge is forced against the body of the strap cutter. This keeps the strap at the fixed width. If you don't put the card in then there is a tendency for the leather to 'wander' away from the body making the cut length narrower than intended.

The card is more effective when cutting narrower strips than wider as the angle of the blade reduces the wider the strip cut. which will save you one of hands that you seem to need three of........

Claire

The other modification that I personally haven't got round to is to put guides on the body

[keplerts]

Here is a link with a good explanation and pictures.

http://www.johan-potgieter.com/ll/?p=102

[jfdavis58]

I have the wooden cutter-well used. In fact I was advised by a Tandy manager that the metal draw gauge was largely a waste of money-go figure. I find a couple of Irwin Quick clamps help when you need a third hand and using a good knife to cut a 'start' for the strap cutter often remedies the initial pucker. Another shout-out for the Black River guide-where the handout that comes in the package states they can be 'sanded' to remove sharp edges (or be custom resized). Thanks for the 'card' tip!

[billybopp]

I agree with all above, a sharp blade being the most important - without that all the other precautions will be in vain.

While talking about strap cutters, the best tip I had for these (wooden tandy type) was to glue some card within the frame to keep the edge against the frame. Why this isn't designed in at the start is a mystery........

Claire

I modified my strap cutter this way yesterday, and LOVE IT. I cut a piece of cardboard bag liner about 1/4" wide and glue it in. Today, I was able to cut a good number of 4" wide straps from 3/4oz leather with far less effort than ever before. In the past, I've had problems with the cutter wandering off-course. No more!

Thanks for the suggestion! It really helped.

Bill