Make sure you can punch a reasonably shaped hole with the tool you get, which is typically one that is around 2mm in diameter or less.

Cutting mat as the name suggest is used for cutting leather. It protects your knife and work desk. Self-healing mats have a flat and smooth surface which are perfect for leathercraft and will last for a long time. When cutting leather, it allows the blade to slightly “cut” into the board to protect the knife and to provide a clean straight cut. Usually, there are measurement lines printed on the board which is can be used as a reference for cutting leather pieces. Another option is a poly board which is like your kitchen cutting board. It is harder than poundo boards but soft enough to protect your tools during cutting and punching. To label the exact position you intend to punch, using a ruler and pencil, calculate the lengths of established holes and match up your hole with them. And, once the movement sounds familiar, get a feeling of simply punching the holes in some scraps. You would be able to replicate it this way on the watch strap and drill a hole that is nicely placed, centered and sharp-looking. What is a punch tool used for? So, select the suitable leatherworking tools, according to their application, materials you process, your needs and preferences. I hope, this review helps you to make an informative tools choice. Neiko 02612A: The Most Powerful, Heavy-Duty Hole Puncher Tools Set Leather punches are used to push fasteners on a leather piece, such as nails and dowels, to make a gap or to form an indentation/impression of the tip. To build a pattern or even shape a picture, decorative punches can also be used. Comfortable handles, durable, powder coated body is desirable for everyday, professional or outdoor use, and the items, covered by a long-time warranty are preferable.The price of a thing should be reasonable; it should not be much higher than your budget, not too little that has low-quality items, so you should search the prices of your required items before buying them. Brand. Drive punch is a one piece tool which automatically clean punched leather out the side of the barrel so there’s never any clogging. IMHO this is a gem compared to rotary punches which always leaves some kind of leather clogging (probably due to the quality of the rotary punch or my skill). Available in different sizes. (RoscoeLeather.com) Hammers are similar to the hammers you use for hitting nails. Since it has a metal surface, metal hammers are not suitable for striking punch tools or other metal tools. You may potentially damage the tools when striking metal with metal. I typically use these to hammer down my stitchings, works great to tap down seams. I use a maul for other striking tasks. Quality tools improve each task by easily going through leather without tearing or deforming it. With specialized leather piercing tools, each hole created will be consistent, improving the final look of a product.

While I can see the benefit of this tool for on-the-go repairs, it is outclassed by tools found in every leather workshop. Not only will awls or chisels produce a nicer hole, but you can then saddle stitch them, making the final product more durable. Punch Pliers Maul is a striking tool with a round / cylinder shape wrapped with poly around the head. Comes in various sizes and weight. You can grip the maul differently depending on the task. Gripping part of the head may offer some extra dexterity for more precision strikes. The arm / hand movement from using the maul differs from a mallet / hammer, you tend to use more wrist movements as opposed to arm swinging movements. The smaller impact surface ensures a better strike compared to mallets. (RoscoeLeather.com) A leather sewing machine is a powered piece of mechanical equipment that joins materials together. Stitches are connections formed between materials by threads. Unlike hand sewing, which requires each stitch to be made one at a time, machine sewing allows for faster, automated stitching. X-Acto / Xacto / Precision Knife is a great all-rounder knife. The metal blades are sharp and replaceable. Personally, I use this for cutting finer detail. Items and tools that are long-lasting are better to choose than weak tools. So before choosing your leather tools, ensure their durability. Easy to use.All leather piercing tools will be made with steel. This material is hard enough to be pushed through leather and can be sharpened to maintain the edge. The steel used in knives is broken down by the amount of carbon used. High-carbon steel, commonly found in budget tools, is easily sharpened but has limited edge retention.

This is a handheld multi-sized puncher. You can change size by turning the “wheel”. IMHO a quality rotary punch is a great and convenient tool but a cheap rotary punch is a nightmare. I had a couple cheap rotary punches which ended up breaking and not really doing the job. I use drive punches now. Edge guide or stitch groover is a tool use to create markings or groove for stitching. It is used to create stitch lines near the edge of the leather. Stitch groover cuts out the leather to create a groove, this allows the stitching to sit in the groove. By applying lesser pressure, you can achieve similar markings as done by a wing divider. (without groove) (RoscoeLeather.com) Awls will be broken down by blade shapes, such as flat, diamond, or oval, while also changing blade width. Standard sizes for awl blade width are 2mm–4mm. Stitching chisels do not vary as much in their blade size but rather in their spacing. The larger the spacing, the more distance between each stitch. Common sizes for stitching chisel spacing are 2mm–5mm. Variations Poundo / Rubber board is a piece of rubber board which is suitable for punching and cutting leather. It protects your knife and work desk. Rubber surface helps protect knife edges and hole punches from dulling and chipping. Typically placed below your slabs as a damping surface to mute the sound and reduce impact directly to your work desk. When cutting leather, it allows the blade to slightly “cut” into the board to protect the knife and to provide a clean straight cut. The size of a leather piercing tool depends on its tool type. Any sort of punch or die tool will have many different sizes and shapes. While round punches will be commonly found in 0.5mm, and up to 100mm, die sizes depend on the shape being cut out, including organic shapes. Similarly, piercing tools such as awls and stitching chisels also have their own sizing.

Stitch wheeler is used for marking stitch hole locations on leather. It has a metal wheel with sharp points on it. Used together with an awl. Awls will be used to pierce the markings to create the stitch holes. Personally, I use Diamond chisels now. Before selecting a tool, make sure what sort of tool is suitable for your project and select it. Leather sewing tools There are numerous machine options to choose from. Important factors to consider when selecting your machine are how heavy the fabric that will be sewn is and how robust the machine is. A robust and well-maintained machine can last for a very long time. Probably the easiest and most obvious approach is the rotary punch. First, locate the correctly shaped punch tube to apply the rotary punch, rotate it into place, spot it balanced over the marking, and then grip the handle. If you think you’ll be punching holes sometimes, it’s fairly easy and can be worth investing in this device. Skiving knife as the name suggest is used for skiving leather. Skiving to shave off thin layers of leather material. Personally, I use this alot for cutting as well for corner cuts and general cutting. (RoscoeLeather.com)

Many tools can make a hole in a leather piece. Though, there are a few tools designed specifically for leather hole punching. A general name for all leather-punching tools is “an awl”. Though, most manufacturers use the term “leather punch”. Leather sewing tools have a wide variety of items that are used for stitching leather. They often include needles, sewing machines, thread, and leather-holding tools. There is a wide range of options available within these items to meet a variety of needs and styles. Leather sewing tools include stitching as well as joining leather. Both machine and hand tools are available. Types of leather sewing tools Leather sewing needles Leather stitching machines at a high level have a sewing surface, spools of thread, a power source, a needle, and a control pedal. The fabric to be stitched is guided under the needle, and when the control pedal is pressed, the needle moves up and down, putting stitches into the fabric. The fabric is moved through the machine, which stitches constantly in a linear fashion. The stitching of the machine is consistent, clean, and strong. For a consistent finish on the leather, these machines are great. Factor to considerThe smallest, 2 mm diameter may be indicated as 0”, but it’s not smaller than the nozzles the similar tools feature. The power drill is a product that you possibly already have on hand. You should properly drill a hole into the leather by using the 3/16″ bit. Make sure that you have a bit of spare wood or something close underneath while drilling the hole. It can continue into whichever surface is under it as the bit passes through the leather piece, which can destroy the surface, the drill bit, or both.