Best strap cutter?

[JLSleather]

I got that same wooden little strap thing.  Worked great for a long time on leather from 4 oz to about 10 oz.  Anybody noticing they have found yet another thing to make cheaper?  I got new blades , right out the package, won't cut anything. More than one package.  I thought at first maybe I had bent the thing, and that's why a new blade wouldn't cut (but not the case, and even if it was a small shim would fix that).

They're basically just an inexpensive "safety" version of a draw guage - inexpensive and blade recessed was always the selling points, and they WORK.  Fella with a piece of wood and a coping saw could make one simply enough - nothing 'fancy' about it.

[Matt S]

8 hours ago, JLSleather said:

I got that same wooden little strap thing.  Worked great for a long time on leather from 4 oz to about 10 oz.  Anybody noticing they have found yet another thing to make cheaper?  I got new blades , right out the package, won't cut anything. More than one package.  I thought at first maybe I had bent the thing, and that's why a new blade wouldn't cut (but not the case, and even if it was a small shim would fix that).

They're basically just an inexpensive "safety" version of a draw guage - inexpensive and blade recessed was always the selling points, and they WORK.  Fella with a piece of wood and a coping saw could make one simply enough - nothing 'fancy' about it.

I use the Schick injector blades. Same price as the tiny <1" long purpose-made blades but sharper, thinner, stay sharper longer, and are longer themselves so you can move it down exposing a fresh bit of blade more times.

But talking of cheap I bought one of the cheaper wooden strap cutters maybe 8 years ago, fingering that they're much of a muchness. It worked fine until last year when the short grain next to the blade split out and I couldn't tension the blade. Fair dos I thought, it wasn't expensive and I bought the same one again (price now nearly doubled). Couldn't get that bugger to cut straight. Wasted enough leather to buy 10 strap cutters.The little slit where the blade went was off-square just enough to notice if you're looking for it. Bought one of the "genuine strap cutter company" ones (double the price again) and it's brilliant. Yeah it's 3 pieces of wood and a slack handful of screws but the devil's in the details.

[MikeRock]

tear a 1/2" wide strip of duct tape and wrap it around the top of your draw gage blade......  blood proofing.....  Don't ask ;(((

[Northmount]

22 hours ago, MikeRock said:

tear a 1/2" wide strip of duct tape and wrap it around the top of your draw gage blade......  blood proofing.....  Don't ask ;(((

Or grind the end to round instead of pointed.  Continue down the sharp side a little so that no sharp spot is pointing up when you reach across the bench and catch your wrist!  If you buy a draw gauge from member Bruce Johnson, he will supply it with the blade already trimmed like this.

Tom

[ABR]

I know that the last post on this thread is a little over a year old but I wanted to add this.  I have found a way to strop the strap cutter blades and the Schick razor blades that works extremely well.  Home Depot has small spring clamps with black plastic on the jaws.  They are only about 2 1/2 inches long.  Place the blade in the clamp with the sharp edge away from the clamp and use the clamp as a handle and strop the blade to get the edge that you want.  The strap cutter and the safety skife work a lot better after the blades have been stropped.  The blades will last a lot longer if they are stropped often too.  

[OLESKIVER]

sooo, none of you thought of or tried the table top lace cutter from Tandy or weaver leather? originally it was a strap cutter, but here recently they have added a piece to have it make fringe and lace. it uses the same blades as a utility knife with a bar that goes on top of your leather to keep it down. personally I am fixing to buy me a new C.S. Osborne draw gauge. love quality. this might give you another option. I have one and have used it to make quite a few belts, and the blades are cheap.

 

Edited July 23, 2020 by OLESKIVER

[williaty]

16 hours ago, OLESKIVER said:

sooo, none of you thought of or tried the table top lace cutter from Tandy or weaver leather? originally it was a strap cutter, but here recently they have added a piece to have it make fringe and lace. it uses the same blades as a utility knife with a bar that goes on top of your leather to keep it down. personally I am fixing to buy me a new C.S. Osborne draw gauge. love quality. this might give you another option. I have one and have used it to make quite a few belts, and the blades are cheap.

 

Are you talking about the  3112-00  cutter? I have one. It's terrible. The idea is fantastic but in practice it doesn't work with a damn.