Tool Question

[zuludog]

16 hours ago, LeatherMac1 said:

Newbie question......I’ve seen Japanese leather knives demonstrated where the knife is held at an angle so the beveled side of the knife edge runs along the ruler straight edge.  Do most leather workers find it easier to run the knife straight edge against the ruler straight edge instead?Recommendation for someone learning the craft?

thanks

A Japanese Leather Knife is usually held so the bevel is facing away from your palm, and the trailing edge of the asymmetric blade is facing away from you

That's because it's not so easy or comfortable to hold the knife perfectly vertically, there is a tendency to tilt your fist and the knife slightly away from the vertical. For a right handed person the thumb tends to move outwards to the right; and similarly a left handed person will tilt their thumb  outwards towards the left

Try holding, say, a pencil or a ruler or a screwdriver in your fist and extending your arm. You will find it's not very easy to hold it vertically; if you relax your hand slightly, the tool  will naturally assume this tilted attitude

This explains why there are left and right handed Japanese leather knives

So for a Japanese leather knife this will bring the bevel to the vertical. If you have the bevel facing inwards with the straight flat side facing outwards there is a tendency to undercut the leather when you make a cut

Have a look at this video, he explains it well -

'How to Use Japanese Leather Knife' by Leathertoolz. Watch other videos on cutting with a Japanese leather knife and you'll see they use it with the bevel facing away from the palm

I think you'll find it is easier to use a Japanese leather knife with the bevel away from your palm whether using a ruler or freehand; and if you do use a ruler this will usually mean having the bevel against the ruler. You're not deliberately holding the knife at an angle, it just comes naturally

For skiving you can use bevel up or bevel down, whichever suits you and the type of leather used. Have a look at videos for Chartermade, Vergez Blanchard, and similar skiving knives as well as Japanese leather knives 

Edited March 21, 2021 by zuludog

[chuck123wapati]

5 hours ago, zuludog said:

A Japanese Leather Knife is usually held so the bevel is facing away from your palm, and the trailing edge of the asymmetric blade is facing away from you

That's because it's not so easy or comfortable to hold the knife perfectly vertically, there is a tendency to tilt your fist and the knife slightly away from the vertical. For a right handed person the thumb tends to move outwards to the right; and similarly a left handed person will tilt their thumb  outwards towards the left

Try holding, say, a pencil or a ruler or a screwdriver in your fist and extending your arm. You will find it's not very easy to hold it vertically; if you relax your hand slightly, the tool  will naturally assume this tilted attitude

This explains why there are left and right handed Japanese leather knives

So for a Japanese leather knife this will bring the bevel to the vertical. If you have the bevel facing inwards with the straight flat side facing outwards there is a tendency to undercut the leather when you make a cut

Have a look at this video, he explains it well -

'How to Use Japanese Leather Knife' by Leathertoolz. Watch other videos on cutting with a Japanese leather knife and you'll see they use it with the bevel facing away from the palm

I think you'll find it is easier to use a Japanese leather knife with the bevel away from your palm whether using a ruler or freehand; and if you do use a ruler this will usually mean having the bevel against the ruler. You're not deliberately holding the knife at an angle, it just comes naturally

For skiving you can use bevel up or bevel down, whichever suits you and the type of leather used. Have a look at videos for Chartermade, Vergez Blanchard, and similar skiving knives as well as Japanese leather knives 

interesting indeed.