9. Cutting leather
Many advanced craftsman use what is called a Craft Knife to cut their leather, and it can be used as a leather thinner, a skive or skife, as well. The craft knives are not very expensive and are a worthy investment, though a lot of leatherwork can be accomplished with some kitchen knives repurposed into leather tools, and even heavy scissors are a mainstay of the leather shop. Many people prefer scissors in fact, though there are limits to what they will perform.
One of my favorite innovations or perhaps tricks is a better word is use of a chop knife. I just use my mallet to strike a blade so that it chops in a straight line across a piece of leather with hardly any effort at all. Old bread knives modified into long craft type knives usually lend themselves well to this operation, and just about any knife can be adopted as a chop knife. Keep safety in mind and especially keep your fingers clear. Striking the knife could cause it to pinch your findgers against the cutting surface if you are not ready for it.
Below are some cutting tools for leather of various types. Some Commercial and some home made. The long kitchen knives are good for chopping long straight edges in heavy leather.
Many advanced craftsman use what is called a Craft Knife to cut their leather, and it can be used as a leather thinner, a skive or skife, as well. The craft knives are not very expensive and are a worthy investment, though a lot of leatherwork can be accomplished with some kitchen knives repurposed into leather tools, and even heavy scissors are a mainstay of the leather shop. Many people prefer scissors in fact, though there are limits to what they will perform.
One of my favorite innovations or perhaps tricks is a better word is use of a chop knife. I just use my mallet to strike a blade so that it chops in a straight line across a piece of leather with hardly any effort at all. Old bread knives modified into long craft type knives usually lend themselves well to this operation, and just about any knife can be adopted as a chop knife. Keep safety in mind and especially keep your fingers clear. Striking the knife could cause it to pinch your findgers against the cutting surface if you are not ready for it.
Below are some cutting tools for leather of various types. Some Commercial and some home made. The long kitchen knives are good for chopping long straight edges in heavy leather.
No comments:
Post a Comment