New leather cutting jig

[JamesR]

This is my new jig for cutting and squaring off pieces. It was made of plywood and aluminum extrusions. The cutting end was part of a mat cutting device. I removed the grey blade holder and mounted it on block of polyethylene material. The block was routed to fit tightly in the aluminum extrusion so it slides smoothly with no side play. The extrusion can be tightened down to hold the piece in place while cutting. The fixed top piece is at 90 degrees to the piece that holds down the leather which gives me square corners. The mat cutting blades are quite sharp and give clean cuts. There is a groove beneath the blade so it clears the plywood surface with no drag.

[chrisash]

Great idea

[kgg]

Nice simple functional design.

kgg

[Hopup]

Great idea and will have to make one

[mike02130]

Hmm, I just use a framing square and knife.

 

[tsunkasapa]

4 hours ago, mike02130 said:

Hmm, I just use a framing square and knife.

 

^^^What he said^^^

[Grumpymann]

2 hours ago, tsunkasapa said:

^^^What he said^^^

Framing square.....?

Fancy .....

Edited December 21, 2020 by Grumpymann

[maxdaddy]

That's a great idea and I can see where it would speed up straps as well as wider cuts. I would think that the wood channel in the base could be a problem with thinner leather. Like the leather would be pressed into the channel instead of lying on a flat surface.

I have a paper cutter around here that works similarly and it's quicker than breaking out a square every time I need to cut paper.

[JamesR]

maxdaddy,

Yeah, when the leather is thin (under 5oz) it can be a problem. I just put a second piece of scrap under it.

[fredk]

me - roofers framing square for large pieces, woodworkers framing square for smaller. Rotary knife for thin leather, eg anything under 1.4mm or approx 3.5 oz