Tips for cutting heavy leather

[Alex]

Cutting 8+ ounces--- Does anyone have suggestions? I've only used Gingher sheers. They're really good, but for heavier leather, not so great. I've heard that round knives are dangerous for the novice.

Alex

[bruce johnson]

Alex,

I use the rotary knives a lot. The yellow plastic handled ones with a 45 mm rotary cutting blade. I cut up to 16 oz skirting with them, using a 48" stright edge as a guide for long straight cuts. I can cut larger radius curves on thinner leather also. Blades come pretty sharp, and are disposable. I like them.

I have a hook blade knife, similar to a linoleum knife I use a fair amount too. I have more control with a pulling motion, than pushing. This is my first choice for tighter inside curves.

I ust the round knife the most. Yes, they can be dangerous for the novice. So is a chainsaw, but once I learned to use one, I wouldn't trim trees without one. If you learn good techniques, and there are some good instructions in the Stohlman tool book, you will be comfortable with it and like it. Quality and sharpness are key here.

I am going to border on heresy here. It has been pounded into our heads that we need to make all our cuts in one pass. Would be nice in a perfect world. I have been known to make a cut half way through with the rotary cutter and go back and finish with the round knife. I have done tight inside curves in 2-4 passes. Those tight curves are hard on your knife to bury the tip and then turn it.

Bruce Johnson

[Gregory B. Moody]

"border on heresy"--Bruce Johnson

I will join you there Bruce... on thick leather almost impossible to avoid having to go back and finish the cut somewhere...

However, if one has the ability to cut just before a project is to start then cutting while WET is the trick...

I have never seen my father use a round knife even though we always had one... Bruce's note about pulling a hook knife is right on the money... I always thought that they sharpened the wrong edge of round knives... if you sharpen the backside then you could pull it and have the control Bruce refers to on the hook knife.

The yellow plastic handled rotary cutters are great. Hold them with your wrist parallel to the table surface. Use the thinnest straight edge you can find because the depth of cut is limited... and it depends on which direction you hold the round cutter with relation to the straight edge... 3/8ths inch is about the max cut even though the cutter is much larger than that.....

We usually used a good Exacto knife for the first part of the cut.

Greg

[Johanna]

The advice about switching knives mid cut or whatever you need to do goes along with turning the work as much as possible, and don't try to force you or your tools to be contortionists. I use the larger rotary cutters and I've found good quality cutters and knives in fabric stores (look in the quilting section) as well as reasonably priced blades. Like Bruce mentioned, they are disposable. It gets dull, it gets tossed.

I learned how to use a round knife and head knife from an elderly man in Macon, an experienced saddlemaker. I never ever left one on the back table in the Tandy store because a new person could very well cut off a finger, and blood stains are hard to get out of leather. When you begin to practice, while you are still learning and until you feel comfortable, don't forget the golden rule- cut away from yourself! I watched a guy roll the blade over the meat between his thumb and index finger, and it required a few stitches. That accident was avoidable if he had placed his hands correctly.

To preserve all of your knives, make sure you never cut directly on the bench or marble. Always use scrap leather or a Poundo board underneath. Make sure all your punching tools, chisels and blades always have leather or a Poundo board to bite into, or they may be ruined, or require heavy duty repair.

Johanna