Band Saw

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre]

Somewhere along the way, a few weeks ago, I read about using a bandsaw to cut patterns. I found a used benchtop size, put a 15 tooth per inch blade on it, and cut a holster. It did a good job, a lot easier than using a knife or scissors. The only problem, and it's really not much of one, is that it left the cut edges kind of ragged and hairy. Easy enough to fix, but I was wondering if anybody else is using a band saw, and if so, is this a common problem? If not, how is your saw set up? Speed, tension, etc.

                                          TIA

[bedbugbilly]

I personally have never tried it.  As a former cabinet/millwork shop owner though, I'd suggest that you get the finest toothed metal cutting blade that you can find - it should give you a finer cut edge.  You also might try attaching the leather to a piece of something, such as 1/8" masonite or the like - probably rubber cement would hold it just fine.  Since the teeth are pointing down, it goes to figure that the masonite would be what takes the final pull of the teeth and the leather should fray less - I'm not sure if you are using a wood cutting blade but the metal cutting blade will be much finer toothed and have less "set" than the wood cutting blade - just a suggestion.  It sounds interesting and I can't see why it wouldn't work.  Hope you'll keep us posted on your experiences with it.   

[Slowhand Bob]

I tried it many years ago and was not to happy with the results. It seemed that the ruff edges required more of my time than the saw could save.  In many ways I think the head knife is hard to beat BUT even it had some dangerous traits when used by me (thet dawg bites!!) and needs constant attention to the sharpness of the blades.  I ended up back at square one, a utility knife similar to what I started with.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

 I own a band saw, but cut all my leather by hand, I use a very sharp utility knife, and strop several times while cutting out a pattern on my leather, in case you didn't know, using a sharp knife will seal the edges as you cut, it's the same with meat, using a band saw will cut your leather, but it's tearing more than cutting, a nice cut with a sharp knife also makes burnishing your edges much easier and they come out much nicer, the only time I might consider using my band saw, would be in cutting heavy saddle skirting that has been doubled and too hard to cut with a knife, and then use my oscillating or belt sander to try and smooth it all out, if you are going to use this as your method, remember you won't have the control you have with a knife, and you'll need to allow a little extra to be able to sand smooth and still stay within spec for your pattern. I have a bad strong hand, but I can still cut with a knife, if the day comes when I can't use a knife, then the power saws including the band saw and a coping saw will be used. but I hope that never happens.

       tEN wOLVES  

[WaddWatsonEllis]

Bedbug Billy,

Another of my addictions is being a woodbucher; and I use my bandsaw to make my patterns ...

First, I take the original pattern over to Fedex (i.e. Kinkos) and have them copy the pattern on their bluepint copying machine ... kind of a generic copier on steroids ...

Then I decoupage the copied pattern onto some 3/16 inch plywood.

It is then that I cut the pattern out of the copied/decoupaged plywood. I also drill the start and end of any loop/slot etc. so that I have a permanent reference ...

Finally, I sandwich the leather to be cut between the pattern and a piece of 1/4" Masonite and cut it with a round blade ...and here is a pattern that I have used ...

[Kid Terico]

I have a band saw with a very fine blade and dont like it all. I use a hand knife and a utility depending what weight i,m cutting. I guess I,ll quit when I have to use a band saw, just dont like it at all, but thats just me. KT

[Johnny McCrae]

TW & KT expressed my sentiments exactly. I have a band saw but only use it for very thick leather. Nothing beats a very sharp utility knife stropped.

[Cliff Fendley]

I've tried different things but not a band saw. I just keep going back to my good ole stanley utility knife. I buff and strop the blades to a mirror polish.

[Major 2]

I had a bandsaw    
I used it to cut saddle skirting and thick leather...

[Slowhand Bob]

I will make a recommendation but its not really for those who have not had a fair amount of experience, a cheep version of the clicker.  You cam make one for about the cost of a new mid grade Delta 14" band saw.  The heart of this is a 20 ton hydraulic press with a few modifications.  It will be slower than a commercial clicker but still much faster and neater than a band saw.  If your path has lead you to have production requirements a clicker is the way to go but if you are using it to avoid the learning process then you will regret taking short cuts later.

[bedbugbilly]

I probably should have clarified my answer better - I have used a bandsaw once to cut leather - heavy saddle skirting to make replacement soles for a pair of Civil War brogans.  I cut them oversize, glued and pegged the soles on and then sanded the edges down to the correct profile so ragged edges weren't an issue.  I've tried a lot of different ways to cut out holsters and other items and like many of you, I too have reverted back to the good old Stanley utility knife.  I used to use heavy leather shears/scissors but wasn't satisfied with the results.  I have a selection of different size round arch punches that I use to cut the inside curves, punching them first and then finishing the cutting with the utility knife.  I can get a more accurate and sharp edge in that manner (for me).  Any touch up work I do with my Dremel utilizing a small drum sander.  I recently bought a head knife and am slowly working that into my cutting procedures.  (Keeping my hands and fingers out of the way!).  As I make a variety of holsters, I'm slowly collecting/making templates for the outside curves to use as a guide for the utility knife as well as the head knife.  I keep a good set of "French Curves" in my drawer as well which come in very handy at times as a guide for drawing and cutting sweeping curves - you just have to be careful and patient when using them as a guide so they don't slip.  I sometimes use some double sided tape on the underside of them to attach some pieces of very fine grit sandpaper that will grip the leather while cutting to cut down on the possibility of them slipping.  I agree with what's been said that a cut edge is more "sealed" and it certainly cuts down on the profile clean up and makes burnishing easier.  Just my 2 cents . . . . 

[Sgt. C.J. Sabre]

I appreciate the info, guys. I've used your basic box cutter, Tandy Leather knife, both curved AND straight blade. HEAVY duty scissors, and about any thing else I could get my hands on. I can never get the cut to follow the lines, and I usually manage to slip and cut into the body of whatever I'm trying to make. I would probably lose a finger to a round knife!
With the bandsaw, the cut is neater, (as in closer to the pattern), and a lot less labor intensive. As for the ragged and hairy edges, an edger and the old sanding drum took care of them. The holster turned out well, and I didn't have to sand the edges nearly as much as I normally do.
Any other suggestions, keep them coming.

[Chuck 100 yd]

I cut all my leather with the band saw and a 1/8" scroll saw blade.
It does make for a fuzzy back edge on the leather but the edge bevel takes it off and the finished project is as good as or better than I could do with a knife.  

Oh by the way, My blade is only 1/8" wide and I can cut very tight corners with the edge always  square.
I can cut a holster out in about two minutes and stay within a few thousandths of the pattern line.

Also consider, My blade has 16 teeth per inch. Very fine metal cutting blades do not remove the waste away well due to the
Small gullets and will leave a rougher cut than blades made for wood/plastic etc.
This is a picture of a cut edge on 8-9 oz leather done on the bandsaw. nothing else has been done, no sanding etc.

You see the fuzzy back edge that is taken off easily with the edger. I have made a couple holsters that I did not even have to slick the edges . They were just fine as is.

[ChuckBurrows]

You can also buy knife edge blades for your bandsaw - I've used them for all kinds of "soft" items, both for my onw work and in manufacturing for others -
Simmons is one manufacturer - they make them as narrow as 3mm (just under 1/8")
http://www.simcut.com/

[Cliff Fendley]

Now that looks like the ticket for cutting or splitting large pieces out of a side or working with a manageable size piece of leather. Still when starting out with a large side I can't see maneuvering a large side in a band saw to cut out a holster or knife sheath so would make more sense to cut the patterns out close with a knife as not to waste material. I can see times when a band saw would be handy with that type blade though.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

 Knife blades are commonly used in  discount grocery stores where quantity means more to them than quality, I used the knife blades over my forty five years in the trade, they are primarily used for boneless cuts of meat that aren't too heavy in fat, even then I didn't like the way they cut, you have to move your piece of meat very fast to avoid burning, knife blades are also prone to travel, of course having the guide set down as far as you can stops some of this, but not all, your classier markets won't even allow the use of a knife blade, because of the inferior job they do, cutting leather with one of these would also shorten the life of the blade, but like Chuck points out he uses it for soft items, and that might be fine, and bending your material to conform to your saw wouldn't be as much an issue  as cutting larger patterns out, as Cliff points out, on an other note these knife blades are prone to snap, and can be flung out of the saw right in front of you, I've seen some nasty cuts caused by these knife blades, for me I stay as far away from them as I can, in other words I won't use them under any circumstances, this is just my opinion.


            tEN wOLVES  

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Thanks for the information, pards. I wasn't aware the knife blades were available for bandsaws. I can see the drawbacks and advantages. I think I'll still stay off my bandsaw for leather.

[bedbugbilly]

Chuck 100 yd - thanks for posting your experiences - when I originally posted about the metal cutting blades, I didn't consider the efficiency of the gullets to remove the waste - glad you remarked on that as it makes sense - you photo of the piece of leather looks like you end up with a decent "cut" - just goes to show that there's more than one way to skin a cat!    
The gentleman wo commented on his problems staying on the line when using a knife is one reason  I went to using heavy scissors to cut my holsters out.  However, I wasn't pleased with the results I was getting with the scissors (which may have been just me    ) so I went back to using the utility knife.  However, I found inside curves, especially smaller diameter ones, difficult to cut so I didn invest in some Osbory type arch punches.  I have a 1/2", 5/8", 3/4", 7/8", 1', 1/1'4" and a 2" punch.  I find though, that the 3/4", 7'8" and 1 1/'4" are the punches that I use most.  I just hunted around until I found some used ones that were very reasonable in price.  For straight cuts, I use the cork backed metal ruler that Tandy sells for a guide and on outside curves, I use "French Curves" (plastic) like were commonly used in drafting work years ago.  I always place the ruler and French Curves on the holster portion, not the scrap.  I very rarely "free hand" cut with a utility knife anymore.  That's what works best for me but everyone has their own methods that work best for them.  From the posts, it looks like a few get some very good results with the bandsaw.  If I'm going to make more than one holster of the same pattern and it has "slots" that need to be cut, I just run a copy of my pattern, cut it out and clip it to the cut out holster and punch my end holes for the slots through the paper pattern.

[rickk]

Big blade sized X-acto knife for cutting patterns. Razor knife for squaring up hides or rough cutting a piece out of a hide.

[Chuck 100 yd]

Everyone has their favorite way to do things. Whatever works for you is the thing to do. 

Without the band saw I would have a hard time cutting out any complicated or tight cornered item.

I photo copy the pattern, use contact cement in a spray can to glue it to plexi-glass sheet (over the factory protective film) and cut it out on the band saw. Peel off the pattern and film and file or sand the edges smooth.
The resulting template allows me to lay out on the leather and see any flaws that might be underneath and get the most from my piece of leather.

Have fun!!