Knipschield Leather Tools is a site offering cutting tools for all kinds of leather. I hope to offer real quality in every tool I make, so your leather cutting becomes enjoyable instead of a frustrating chore.
I started making cutting tools for the leather trade as the result of a happy accident. Donn Frederick, a friend and local saddle maker, had me make him a head knife nearly 35 years ago. I hadn’t considered making another one until fifteen years ago, when Donn had John Willemsma come up from Oklahoma to teach a class on saddle making. John’s head knife was out of reach so he asked to borrow Donn’s knife, the one that I made. After a full day’s worth of cutting, he asked Donn where he got the knife, as it was still as sharp as when he started. Donn brought John and the rest of the class to my home, and John proceeded to tell me in no uncertain terms that I needed to start making head knives, as he felt I really had something special. John and the entire class all ordered some that day!
Not too long after that, I met Bob Klenda, also at Donn’s, and after discussing leather knives, Bob ordered a special shaped head knife from me. He has since stated that out of all his tools, that knife stands out as his favorite!
So, I got to work and started making head /round cutting tools, experimenting, and trying different techniques until I was confident in the consistency and quality of my work. Thank you Donn, John and Bob for showing me the right road; the journey is just starting!
My leather cutting tools are made from 154CM, a high carbon stainless steel, containing 1% or more carbon in the alloy. The blades are heat treated to a hardness of around RC-61. This steel is designed to perform well and hold up at that hardness without chipping or rolling the edge. Being stainless, these tools will never dull due to rusting along the edge. Blades are full tang construction that runs the entire length of the handle; the blade will never ‘twist out’ or loosen from the handle.
I use a phenolic laminated birch wood, dyed to resemble cocobolo for the handles with a brass bolster, which I’ve always felt is an attractive combination. The handles and bolsters add a satisfying ‘heft’ to the tool which aids in control.
I have worked hard to develop the right edge geometry for these leather cutting tools. All the head /round models have a tapered, convex, or ‘apple seed’ edge to them. The straight or trim tools are either flat or hollow ground but with a slight convex grind at the edge. All of my experimenting has proved to me that leather yields best to a convex edge.
One can maintain a very sharp edge on these cutting tools for a long time if stropped or buffed with Brownell’s 555 black buffing compound (never use the red or brown colored compounds as these are not intended for steel!). The time saved from having to hone frequently will be significant over the life of these tools.
Everything I know about leather has come from my customers and my own testing and experimentation with cutting leather. Though I’m not a leather worker myself, my customers are able to answer any questions I might have about what is needed in a leather cutting tool to make the job easy and efficient.
Should you decide to purchase one of my leather cutting tools, my guarantee is quite liberal. Use the tool for a week and if you do not think it’s worth the price, or are unsatisfied for any reason, simply return it to me in GOOD condition, and I will refund your money. Cutting tools that have been misused or abused are not covered under warranty. I can tell the difference between abuse and a defect in the tool. If properly maintained and sharpened, there is no reason why they shouldn’t last for many years.
Thank you for considering my products!
Terry Knipschield