Edge Bevelers

[Boriqua]

I just ordered the weaver mastertools #2 edger and will report back what I think. It is reported to have the shortest legs of the many I looked at and the price was in the middle of the pack. I hope it will arrive this week and I will give it a go and see what I think

[Boriqua]

Alright back with a report... So far .. the Weaver Mastertools Edger is AWESOME!

It came ready to go to work right from the package. Nice .. I still hit it with  a little rouge but mostly because I am insane. It is effortless to use on the 8.9 oz shoulder I have and I also used it on some softish 5/6. Worked great. It has very short legs so is perfect for inside turns. I have edged the inside of a curve that was about the diameter of a quarter and it was a dream with no legs diving into and ruining the leather. Just a nice smooth bevel all the way around. I was able to bevel inside of a 10.5mm diameter hole at the end of a belt slot. Took a little doing but no scaring.

The tool is very pretty and the handle is a bit wider than I have ever used but is actually very nice at about 37mm in Diameter where the Tandy is about 24mm. One of those things I didnt know I would want but now that I tried it it feels perfect. I think they say they use maple but whatever it is the tool feels light.

The size of it makes me think it will be heavier but it weighs in at 1 3/8 ounces. So hence my only concern ... It is without ferule and in a lighter weight wood, so time will tell regarding durability. If you need to bear down on it then its not sharp enough so that may never become an issue.

The steel is far thicker than I thought it might be. All the pictures made me think it was almost sheet steel thin but this is a good chunk of what looks like forged steel at 2.7mm thick. The legs are beveled in on the outsides so you can get close to your work and it gives it a broader range of leather thicknesses it can work through. My #3 tandy keen edge was virtually worthless on anything less than 8/9oz. Its nice to be able to use this on a wider range. I still will be ordering a Weaver #1 though when I put in my leather order.

The tip is nicely polished over round so little to dig into your leather work. I posted a bunch of pix so you can get a better sense of it. I am thrilled! Time will tell regarding the ferule'less design and how well the steel holds an edge. Unfortunately I am somewhat of a serial stropper and usually pass my tools on some rouge impregnated leather after each use a few times so my tools rarely get dull so it may be difficult for me to weigh in on edge retention. The tool looks like a one off hand made tool in the best possible sense. It was more than the osborne but less than say a Jeremiah. So far .. worth every penny.

 

[bikermutt07]

Nice review, thanks.

[Joon1911]

On September 10, 2016 at 0:15 AM, Steve75 said:

What type and brand edge bevelers are you guys using?  I am currently using Tandy Keen Edge Bevelers and have found they are not user friendly when beveling a corner or a tight radius.  Any insight given is appreciated.  

I use Barry King and Ron's Tools bevellers.  Both make excellent tools and work well for different situations.  I use the Barry King grooved edgers for most edging duties, anything with curvy edges.  I also have a couple sharp curve edger that are used inside slots and punched holes.  The Ron's edger is one of the Round Edge edgers and it gives me the best edge cut bar none along very straight and slightly curved edges, primarily because the Ron's edger has a really long base, it doesn't really like to go around tight turns to well.

As for the issue with beveling around a tight radius, in my experience that is more an issue of technique as opposed to the tool.  When I first started out, I used the Tandy bevellers and found they were sufficient to do the job just as well as the more expensive tools.  Don't be afraid to modify the tools to your liking, especially if they are inexpensive like the basic Tandy ones.

Definitely wet your edges prior to edging, it goes a long way.  I used a small sponge to wet the edge as opposed to a spray bottle.  I find I can control the application pretty well to limit the water to the edge being cut.

I strop the same way as bikermutt... my strop has several different cuts from the various edgers and I use the stropping compound on those edges to strop the bottoms of the edgers.  Hope this is helpful.

Here's a couple pics of the edgers:

Top one is the Ron's round edge edger, middle is Barry King grooved, and bottom is the BK sharp curve edger.  Next pic shows the bottoms in the same order.

[Joon1911]

On September 12, 2016 at 7:18 PM, billybopp said:

I've heard good things about the Jeremiah Watt interchangeable blade beveler.  Cheap at something like $45 a full set and usably sharp out of the box.   Haven't tried them for myself yet, but they're on my buy list.

Bill

I haven't tried them out personally but Nigel Armitage did a review of these on his Youtube channel and he thought they were a great value and worked well

 

[bikermutt07]

I think I see a set of these qc bevelers in my future. You could even make your own handles for them if you wanted.

[msdeluca]

I love my Goods Japan beveler... great price, great quality... 

I replaced my vintage Craftool and am now getting perfect results.  I bevel dry.  

[Boriqua]

Ok so after about 10 more projects I am in even more love with the Weaver mastertools edger!! I was able to use it so far down to 1.8mm leather which is nice if you only have money for one tool. I haven't tried thinner because I rarely use anything thinner. It skirts around outside and inside tight corners like a dream and for the first time in my life I am able to go completely around a holster with all its curves and turns and come out with one long string of leather from the edger. Part of it is the design of the tool helps you use it better. The slight S curve to the blade and the handle shape are admittedly making me better at using it and .... its just a really sharp awesome tool.

[Boriqua]

Alright now it has been about 3 more months and I am still in love with this edger. I am not kind to edgers meaning I dont specially case the leather or anything else. I edge the stuff dry, sometimes it has resolene already sprayed on and maybe some acrylic antique. I strop it about 20 times every couple of projects and its good to go. I havent sharpened it up since I bought it just strop. The short legs let me get into really tight curves and I really like the steel. Dont know if they already deleted my business account because I want one more and was hoping to get it at the reseller price but even at full price its a great tool.

[keplerts]

I agree.   I have their #2 master tools edger and like it as well.  I like all their master tool tools.  Good and always sharp out of the box and at a fair price.