What is your Favorite Cutting Tool ?

[Ace Lungger]

Howdy Pards,
I would like to ask you guys what knife do you find yourself useing the most! One thing about knifes is, unless you have to have a big Brand Name tool, you can get a Stanley Knife for $4.00. SB, had a couple old knifes that he no longer was ever going to use, so he sent them to me, it took a while but they realy cleaned up nice!! One of them is a knife like MW uses, I had never seen one like it, but it does a good job! I seem to have problems cutting in a circle or like the fancy billet ends, ect. So I am allways trying things to do a better job. I have a curved blade knife, but it doesn't seem to do much better than a stanley? I also have a carpet layers knife, and after working the blade on it, because it has a lot of give to it, I think it does just as good if not better than any thing else I use!
I hope everyone will jump in, and tell what they use and why!
Later
ACE

[Ned Buckshot]

I have always used a "HYDE" knife. Pretty much the same thing as a carpet layers knife but it uses the regular utility knife blades.

I'll never use anaything else, after all it's worked for me this Oh So Many Years.

The best improvement Iv'e found is the Bi Metal blade made by Irwin. It costs twice as much as a regular utility knife blade but lasts at least 3 times longer!

Ned

[Justino Caballo]

Howdy yall,

         Ace i am with you on the Stanley utlity knife. $1.97 at my local Walmart. cheap enough that i want to buy a new shiny one instead of a replacement blade. I also have a tiny knofe my grandfather made probably 60 years ago. he was a picture frame maker and there is no telling what he used it for. i think it is from a broken hack saw blade. i love it and use it for small precision cuts.

[Kid Terico]

Ace for billet ends use a strap end punch otherwise I use a good utility knife. KT

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Howdy Gents

     My most used knives are the ones at the top of this picture, for me with my bad hand it works the best, I don't have to arch my wrist to make a cut, I have two of them, and keep them sharp by stropping, if one gets a little dull I switch over to the other, when they both get dull, it's time to strop, the next most used knife is my trim knife, I keep it sharp by stropping it on a piece of dowel wrap in 3/4 ounce leather and glued, and jewelers rouge rubbed on it, my Xacto  knife is used to cut thin slits, then next my round knife, I use it a lot when I have thick pieces of leather I need to shape, it's great for cutting large pieces of leather, and skiving, I keep it sharp on a stone then a power polisher/buffer, and stropping. then the last is another utility knife I use to cut out patterns on paper.

                                   Regards

                             tEN wOLVES  

[Slowhand Bob]

My favorites:
1- A curved handled box opener, very close to an all purpose leather knife. (Tandy #3953-00)There are three up front always.
2- A Personna carpet layers knife with the very thin (.017) and sharp Personna blades, excellent when no heavy curves involved.
3- The X-Acto version of a concave bladed clicker knife, due to their sharper blades which perform the most intricate cuts.
4???- The cheep skivers from Tandy that use the single edge blades,even though most of my thinning is done on a sander now days.
5???- I really like the strap cutters from Tandy Craft Tools also and even use a draw guage on occasion.

One could just about buy this whole set for the cost of one high end Head Knife and even pay for them with the money saved on stitches!!!!!!  On those Personna carpet knife blade refills, be sure and get the ones without the clipped corners.  It costs a bit more sometimes but I am willing to pay for those quality blades that come sharp enough to shave with and be sure to either change them or sharpen them often.  I drop my used blades into a jar and when the need ever arises, I will do a sharpening party and invite everyone over!



 

[GunClick Rick]

Round pizza cutter Cause it's the only one i got

[JD Alan]

Like Ten Wolves, I use the knife Tandy sells, with the round yellow threaded end. I like the way it fits in my hand. I like the Stanley paper blades, because they seem to be sharper to me. I'm going to try those blades Ned mentioned, because I've seen them, and it's hard to find the Stanley blades for paper.

Chuck B mentions a clicker knife on his holster DVD. I had no idea what one was, so I googled it, and found a company in England that sells them. I use one with a curved blade, and it is incredibly sharp, very handy. I've tried sharpening the blades, but find it's not that expensive to get new ones, at least for the amount I use them.

     

[cowboy316]

howdoy pards
before i found thid amazing group of great pards all i ever used was was an excto kinife but as i looked and asked around i got the idea id try a round knife and if it wasnt for JD id never have one and the little trim knife he sent with it and IMO those to knives are far better than anything ive ever used
just my $.02 cents worth
Cowboy316

[Kid Terico]

Ace try a chain saw.Its easier on the hands. Let me know how it works.    Forgive me. I think I,m loseing it. KT

[Marshal Will Wingam]

I use these these 4 the most the top of 3 is a design I copied from the saddlemaker I learned from. The middle one is another I made that works good for skyvving and cutting curves. The bottom one is great for tight places. I bought that one. The round knife I made basically from the Osborn pattern when I had trouble finding a good Osborn.

[Dalton Masterson]

I have a Stanley fixed blade utility knife. It is the one that does not retract. I happened upon a great deal on the blades for those, like 1000 of them or so, so its a great knife for me.
If I am doing tight inside curve stuff, I swap in the carpet cutter blade with the little hooks, and draw the knife towards me for more control.
DM

[FEATHERS]

G'Day All,I trace my pattern to be cut out with my scribe,then I use my swivel knife to cut over the scribe lines & thanks to a friend of mine who is a doctor,he has given me an endless supply of surgical scalpels (not used) that slice even the tightest curves.Feathers

[JD Alan]

The bottom knife of the three Marshall Will uses, with the grey or blue handle is like what I found from a supplier in England. They call it a Clicker knife, used by shoe makers, so the website says. It's great for curves and tight places. Depending on the application, sometimes I draw it towards me, being Very careful to keep my fingers out of the way! It is razor sharp right out of the package.

Cowboy, you obviously have some sharpening skills, and I am very glad to know that those knives work for you. The "sharpening gene" is not in my gene pool, I have the "foot in mouth" gene instead       

[knucklehead]

been using a exacto knife and a stanley box cutter/utility knife for many years.
easy to sharpen just get a new blade


but i know have a round knife(head knife i think) that i am slowely learning how to sharpen and use.
if i can ever get it as sharp as it is supposed to be then it just may be the knife i use all the time.

fyi dont use a chainsaw, tried that on my leg last year and it didnt work too well.
kinda tore up the skin. lucky me it just bounced on top of my leg, got 16 stitches and still have my leg

[Ace Lungger]

Howdy Pards, 
I want to thank everyone for there comments! Sounds to me that the Stanley knife is the most widely used knife. KT, when I get threw cutting sometimes it looks like I did cut it with a chainsaw I havn't tried one of the angle head stanley knifes, but I am going to try one of those, they look like they might have a advantage over the Orginal! The second knife down that MW shows is very close to one of those I got from Bob, I got it real sharp and it realy works good for shiving! TW, thanks for the advice on the dowel rod to strop the trim knife/clicker knife, I had never thought to do that, and I think that is why mine doesn't cut well!
Knucklehead, you got to watch those chain saws, you probaly have run one for a long time (as I have,can't no more) and got to comfortable with it, and that is when it got you? I cut and sold wood for most of my life untill I got hurt, and have had close calls but luckely I never got hurt!
Thanks again with all the great cooments!
Later
ACE