Cutting surfaces?

[Dun]

When do you use the various cutting surfaces?

I usually just have a poly something cutting board, add a piece of scrap leather if I'm cutting something with the top(grain?) side facing down.

When are you supposed to use:   granite? marble? plate glass? that other stone that the name escapes me? end grain up wood? poly cutting boards? 

[bikermutt07]

You use granite, quartz, or glass when you make skiving cuts. Think, thinning down the edges to reduce bulk. Your outside edge rides on the "glass surface" to help establish and maintain the angle.

Marble is not probably used by anyone, it is too soft. The other items are mostly just for simply cutting leather and fall into a preference\available category.

I have a hard rubber belted mat I have been using as well as a craft store cutting mat. I am hoping to upgrade soon to some form of real cutting board material. My headknife is extremely sharp and digs into both of my present surfaces.

[fredk]

I made for myself an end grain block. I use it when I'm punching holes. The punch can go into the end grain, it doesn't take any bits out of it and the edge of the punch is not harmed

I use a block of granite - household heat proof counter top protectors - when I'm stamping by hand & hammer

For general cutting I use a bit of cheap hardboard as my cutting board; when its all covered in cutting scars its goes into wood recycling. A new piece only costs a couple of $$ at most. When I started I had a very expensive very large self-healing cutting mat. It didn't really self-heal and I thought it was a waste of money.

Edited June 9, 2017 by fredk

[alpha2]

I use a couple of self healing mats for most cutting that involves a cutting wheel. (Olfa, etc.) Really tight cuts can mess up those mats, but relatively straight cuts are fine. For severe cutting, I use a poly board. Hole punches etc. I use the Poly board with a piece of leather underneath.

[LumpenDoodle2]

What works best for me is, a sheet of cutting board material (forgotten it's proper name), which covers the whole of my main workbench.    I don't have much room, so this is my leather cutting, dying, and general stuff workbench (150cm x 70cm cutting area).

I started off using the green cutting boards, but they seemed to grip my knife blade, instead of letting it glide over the surface (especially important with a round/head knife).   Saying that, the mats work well with Stanley blades, and scalpels.

I have a 21+" square lump of granite for stamping, skiving, and flattening stitching with my trusty hammer.  Again, this gives me a nice big area to lay the piece I'm working on.    As to stamping out holes, and using pricking irons, etc, I have a 20+" log roll (or stump), directly next to, and level with my granite slab, on a table built using my own fair hands.  This gives me an extended flat work surface, so that belts aren't constantly dangling over the edge of the table.

Some folk use plastic as a soft surface, others use lumps of lead.   Poundo boards (a la Tandy?), wood, leather, you name it, someone will tell you it works best for them.   I'm a great believer in trying out other people's suggestions, then settle on what suits you best.

 

[bikermutt07]

And then there is this.....

http://www.thecuttingboardfactory.com

 

[zuludog]

By chance, soon after I became interested in leatherwork I met a retired traditional cobbler - in a pub, where else?

among the various bits of advice he gave me, he said that 'them green mats' were about the best cutting surface he'd ever used

this is what I use

For general cutting - the typical green craft cutting mat; for a knife I use either a sharpened Stanley knife or a Japanese style leather knife

For skiving - the glass oven door off an old cooker

For using beneath stitching chisels - an old polypropylene kitchen chopping board, about 15 mm thick

I don't do tooling or pounding

 

[epiphanist1248]

On 6/10/2017 at 1:50 PM, zuludog said:

By chance, soon after I became interested in leatherwork I met a retired traditional cobbler - in a pub, where else?

among the various bits of advice he gave me, he said that 'them green mats' were about the best cutting surface he'd ever used

"them green mats" are the self-healing cutting mats made by Olfa, I believe. I don't know about that brand, but I have a Fiskars mat and it's terrific. I think Hobby Lobby also sells mats under their own house brand. You can get a huge plastic cutting board like they use in restaurant kitchens at Sam's Club, probably Costco, or a restaurant supply store. 

I also use that for pounding things like punches and chisels, where the tool goes through the leather itself. I know, I know, I should probably get a piece off Poundo or something, but for now the mat works fine.

For pounding rivets and setting snaps and eyelets/grommets, I use a nice heavy piece of poured granite (I think it's actually a remnant from a kitchen counter) that I got for $10 way back when. Durable and it really makes a difference to have something that thick and solid under the thing you're whacking. I super-glued a piece of cardboard to the bottom of it so it doesn't scratch up my table and it's easier to move around.

Thankfully, most of these options aren't terribly expensive.

On 6/10/2017 at 5:29 AM, LumpenDoodle2 said:

Some folk use plastic as a soft surface, others use lumps of lead.   Poundo boards (a la Tandy?), wood, leather, you name it, someone will tell you it works best for them.   I'm a great believer in trying out other people's suggestions, then settle on what suits you best.

I agree with this so completely. ^^

In leather, as in life, there's a tool for every job. Have fun exploring!

[mikesc]

poured granite

?

[brmax]

I read many reviews on the smaller mats, say up to 48 inch before purchasing. I just want to be clear on this site, many of these Do smell for quite some time. They call it offgassing. I had purchased a big 48” green one wasnt olfa but a competitor, i called them on return procedure. 

I have been around a lot of construction, Ag, and heavy machinery in my days. Working on equipment in about every situation and can easily say the smell of this style of product will flat move your az out the building or you will move it. 

Sorry to be blunt! I wanted to be clear.  It was two years later i decided to look at the fiskars as it looked to be a white material and I thought possibly different, it was a bit. 

So at JoAnns with cuuuupin! I picked up a small 2’ x 3’ white/grayish mat.  I will say each and every one in the store had a smell. And to be honest the very one I brought home offgasssed for a couple weeks, but in no comparison to the other green one that had a black material in its sandwiched makeup assembly. 

I like it, the Fiskars. Now am finally getting around to building/finalizing a large surface to cut materials. I plan to incorporate a top surface mounted somehow to some 3/4 plywwod for a bit of solid support. 

What I wished I knew and maybe someone does know, is: what is the material the osborne black 3/8”x10”x10”mat is made of “ exactly “ ( in layman term ). This is normally used for the grommet and punch assembling with hammering these sharp  tools.  I have one from another supplier and it Kicks!  

It seems a hair bit softer than typical cutting boards, or King starboard for marine usage. So this is why I bored you all with the hot air.  Thank you and sorry for any downer on the mat stuff. 

Good day there

Floyd 

[ChasCS]

On November 22, 2017 at 10:55 AM, mikesc said:

?

A Manmade phony marble, of powder mixed with water, poured, hardened.

Sometimes poured into molds for vanity & countertops.

 

Chas

[bikermutt07]

3 hours ago, ChasCS said:

A Manmade phony marble, of powder mixed with water, poured, hardened.

Sometimes poured into molds for vanity & countertops.

 

Chas

This is known as cultured marble. It would make a good cutting surface. Solid surface (Corian) would also make a good cutting surface. These are both dense enough to keep your blade on top and probably won't dull them. 

Folks, if you need granite, quartz, cultured marble, or Corian go to a countertop shop. Scraps build up by the ton at these places. Anything smaller that 23x45 is pretty much useless to them. Find a piece you like and offer them 40 bucks for it (in that size range or smaller). If they don't accept that, they are more than likely a jerk. 

If you live in a smaller area they may be less likely to work with you. Drive into the big city. There is a lot more competition. These guys will be more willing to wheel and deal on scrap.

If they do accept it, consider them in the future for your counter needs or at least refer some people to them.

I work for a flooring store that does granite, formica, and Corian. We have scrap running out of our ears. We set stuff out on the road about once a year. I probably have a 100 SQ feet laying in my back yard.

My point is, these guys love to turn trash into cash. Go see them.

Edited December 21, 2017 by bikermutt07

[Grumpymann]

For cutting I use a piece of conveyor belt cast off. I called a place that makes them a few months ago and they said come on over and pick up some any time I wanted. Free is my best price to pay and the one I have has lasted me a few YEARS!

[Dun]

24 minutes ago, Grumpymann said:

For cutting I use a piece of conveyor belt cast off. I called a place that makes them a few months ago and they said come on over and pick up some any time I wanted. Free is my best price to pay and the one I have has lasted me a few YEARS!

Are these pieces big enough for sandal soles?

[Bonecross]

For me, nothing beats a self healing mat. The feeling as I draw the knife is superior. They do need to be replaced every so often though. I find deals on Amazon sometimes.

[Grumpymann]

8 hours ago, Dun said:

Are these pieces big enough for sandal soles?

Never thought of it but I'm sure they are.

[bikermutt07]

Fwiw, if anyone is in the arklatex area or passing through Shreveport, La. Hit me up. I have several pieces of granite in the backyard.

I had made a thread about this awhile ago, but no takers. 

Some of what I have is as big as 25x36. 

These are free to leather workers on this site.

Cheers.