Cutting curves in leather is definitely something you will encounter in your leatherwork projects. There are dozens of different types of cutting knives, rotary wheels, curved/round knives and other tools that you can use and each of them has their own unique use. There are also different methods/ techniques that you can use to round your corners so I have compiled this post as a helpful resource to guide you through the various options.
Cutting a curved corner in leather is simple if you have a circular steel template to trace your curve from. Place your steel circular template with the circle of the correct radius on top of your leather. Position the steel template correctly and align the curve to your leather edges. Press down firmly on the template and leather with one hand. Use your knife to trace around the curve of the steel template to cut out your corner.
To learn more about cutting curves in leather read on for a guide that can hopefully help improve your leather work. If you are new to leatherwork, practice on a spare piece of leather before you attempt the real cut. As you progress and improve you will become more confident. Practice makes perfect so keep going until you are confident with your curve cutting ability. This post will give you a broad outline of the different methods used to help you cut professional curves in no time at all!!
What Leather are you using?
Thinner upholstery leather is much easier to cut than thicker vegetable tanned leather. Your first step is to determine what type of leather you are working with as this will influence the cutting tools you use.
Usually you will work from a template which you trace around in order to cut out your leather pieces. A very handy tool for tracing or marking around your template pieces is a scratch awl. If you would like more info on this tool please see my post on scratch awls.
If you don’t know what a template is please checkout my post on making a leather template. It’s important not to rush when cutting leather or when working with any sharp tool. Take your time and work methodically and precisely.
What tools do you need for cutting curves?
You will need the follwoing tools: a cutting mat, a sharp cutting knife,(can’t be sharp enough) a cardboard template or pattern to trace your leather from, a metal ruler to act as a guide when cutting your leather. A scratch awl is optional tool.
There are a wide variety of different cutting knives you can use when cutting rounded corners. A normal exacto knife or cutting knife will be good enough as long as the blade is sharp. Some knives like a round knife or head knife may require a lot more practice before you become comfortable using them. I don’t recommend using a rotary cutter wheel when cutting curves as its more suited for cutting straight lines.
What types of knives can i use for cutting in leather?
Basically any knife that has a sharp blade will cut leather, depending on the thickness. An exacto knife or craft knife is probably the most common cutting tool. They are cheap, light and easy to use and most of them come with replaceable blades.
What size curve are you cutting?
Rounded corners are easier to cut if they are not too small. A corner that can be traced from a button or washer will be easy to cut out, but anything smaller than this can be a bit more tricky if you don’t have a shape to trace from. A round tin can on the other hand has a larger radius and will be really easy to cut out.
Best methods when cutting curves.
Judging from my own experience as well as reading various other posts everyone has there own preferred technique and method for cutting rounded corners. Try out a few of the methods below to see what you feel the most comfortable with.
Method 1 Using Everyday objects as a template to cut round corners.
Most people use everyday household items when looking for round objects to trace curves from. Round coffee jars, buttons, metal washers or coins will do the trick as long as it matches the size of the curve you wish to cut.
Firstly, place the coin or washer on your leather surface. Make sure to position it exactly where you need to make the cut so that the curve ends will line up perfectly with the straight edges once the cut is made.
You can use a scratch awl if you first want to mark the leather, this gives you path/ incision to follow with your knife. Work slowly and carefully and make sure to keep your hands out of the way when cutting. Cut softly at first and then gradually go over the first cut, pressing harder each time until the curve is completely cut out. Find the best technique that you are comfortable with and practice on some spare leather. That was quite simple actually?
Tracing out your curve can be done with a scratch awl or a wing divider. The wing divider is helpful when you have to cut bigger curves that won’t work with a coffee jar or washer.
Method 2 Metal circle template or stencils.
There are a wide variety of circle templates available to purchase online. They come in a variety of sizes/ diameters and you can use them to cut an outer as well as an inner radius for your corners or circles. The stainless steel ones
are very good as they are firm, strong and will last for years without getting damaged. Choose a set that has sizes and engraved markings/ measurements etched into the steel. This will help ou line up your corners as accurately as possible.
There are also transparent acrylic circle stencils available online. These are also great tools, although i think the steel is more durable and will probably last longer. The transparency of the acrylic stencil does allow you to line up your corners accurately before cutting. This might be a slight advantage that some people prefer over the steel. They are also easy to use and fairly cheap.
Method 3 Rounded corner punches, corner stamps.
These are special round shaped tools that can be bought on Amazon or from a variety of leather suppliers. They are made from steel and are durable and very handy tools and come in sets of 6 or 12.
They are easy to use, but you will need a rubber mallet when making your curve. Place your round corner punch in the desired location over your leather where you would like to cut your corner.
Make sure you position the corner punch correctly and make sure you hold it vertically at 90 degrees to your leather surface as this will give you a clean smooth cut. Firmly Strike the back of the corner punch with your mallet. Lift up the corner punch. You should have a nice clean cut round corner. Make sure to work on a nice firm even cutting surface
when using the round corner punch. These tools can vary in price from $12 and up to $50.
Method 4 Cutting curves with a scissors.
I would not recommend using this method, especially if you are using thicker leather such as vegetable tanned leather. This will make it very difficult for you get a straight cut or curve as the leather is too bulky and will move each time you try to cut it. You can try this technique with thinner chrome tanned leathers with a very sharp scissors but in my opinion this is a very difficult technique to get neat and accurate.
Method 5 Metal cutting dies.
If you are going to be cutting out lots of the same repetitive shapes IE. you are making 50 curved shapes that are exactly the same then this is the best tool to use to get a uniform carbon copy of the original.
The die is made out of metal and placed over the area that you require the curve, shape or corner to be cut out. Use your mallet to cut out the shape. You can have these dies specially manufactured if you have a very unique shape that you require. This can be an expensive exercise but it will save you time if you are making many of the same item. Sets are available from Amazon and come in a wide variety of shapes.
Method 6 Freehand curves.
I would not recommend this method for a beginner as you need a lot of practice before you master this technique. Please do not try this on your first attempt. Really this involves you tracing around your template with your scratch awl. Then using your metal ruler as a guide as you cut many straight lines at various angles in order to get a nice smooth curve.
Another way to do this is 2 cut out your corner at 90 degrees. Once you have that now begin to make various many diagonal cuts at various angles so that your 90 degree corner gradually becomes more
curved. This is a difficult methods to follow and it does take a bit of time. You just need to go slowly and patiently.
Method 7 is using a round knife.
As mentioned previously, the round knife takes quite a bit of skill to master, but once you master it they make cutting curves a cinch. They really are terrific tools as they allow you to cut out different shapes and curves. Just remember to keep them as sharp as possible as that’s when they perform the best.
I am going to do a post on this tool very soon as it’s very versatile and has many uses. There are some good videos on the net on how to use the round knife and its worth checking them out in order to better understand it benefits.
Conclusion
I hope you found the above information useful and managed to learn something new. The leather circle templates and punch kits are really inexpensive and worth buying if you are serious about leathercraft.
If you are content with using household objects in order to make your corners then that’s fine too. Whatever gives you the desired results. Feel free to check out some of my other posts on leathercraft if you would like to learn a bit more! Enjoy!!!