Getting into leathercrafting means learning a lot about new, cool tools. Sometimes, different tools are used for the same job, depending on preference, skill, and budget. Whatever the project, knowing what tools are used for and which ones you’ll want to work with is helpful.
In this post, we’ll review the basic leather craft tools list. Beyond this, there are many variations and even customizations to tools that can best suit your preference. By building a well-rounded toolkit, you’re equipped to tackle diverse projects and develop and refine your leathercraft skills with each creation.
Anvil
These are heavy, metal bases used as a very solid surface for hammering and working material on. Its flat surface allows leatherworkers to perform tasks like setting rivets, snaps, and grommets with precision and control without damaging the leather or work surface. Anvils are durable and designed to withstand frequent use, ensuring longevity in the workshop.
Awl
Tool with a sharp metal point used for marking or piercing leather. They can be used to impress a small mark, such as where belt holes will go, or even dragged across leather to leave a mark, such as when tracing pattern templates.
Some leather awls come fixed with a single point, while others allow interchanging points. Points include rounded and diamond-shaped, where the diamond shape cuts the leather so that it is easier to stitch through and leaves a hole in the leather that can sit flatter once punched.
See some awls in action and more detail here:
Chisels/Pricking Irons
These are used to mark/make holes in leather that can then be used for stitching or even stylistically for making patterns in leather. Generally, leather pricking irons are for making holes.
Creaser
A tool that puts a crease in the edge of the leather, often for aesthetic reasons, though it can also be used for functional reasons when folding/shaping leather goods. A leather creaser can also provide a guide for stitching or folding and help give leather projects a polished, professional look.
Creaser/Folder
These devices, usually made of bone, can be used to help separate leather pieces (for example, if a wallet is sewn tightly, using a creaser can help open some of the pockets to make them flexible). Since leather creasers are often polished bone, they are gentle on the leather and leave fewer marks.
Cutting Boards/Mats
These are leather work surfaces that protect both a desk or tabletop (from being cut/marked by knife blades) and the blades used to cut on them. If blades are used on a hard surface, it can dull them quickly, which makes cutting more difficult and could leave rough cutting edges on the leather. These cutting boards/mats provide a softer surface for the blade to rest on, which helps preserve the blade edge.
Edge Slickers/Burnishers
Used to burnish leather edges. They help remove some of the fuzziness on edges, producing a smooth, rounded edge that looks great, feels better, and holds up well during use. Leather burnishers and slickers can be various tools, including hand devices used manually, specialized attachments for drills/rotary tools, or specialized machines.
Edge Belveler
These are used for shaving off the square edges of leather. By rounding the edges of items like belts or wallets, leather edge bevelers ensure the pieces feel comfortable in the hand and look visually appealing, achieving a refined and professional finish.
Gouge
Leather gouges are tools used to remove leather, creating precise grooves for stitch lines or folding lines. Their fixed or adjustable depths allow for flexibility and accuracy in various leatherworking projects and ensure consistent and clean results.
Hand-Press
A tool used to apply a large amount of force, usually by pulling a lever. These work great for stamping out leather cuts using pre-made metal dies, riveting, and embossing. The force they apply makes these tasks much easier to do.
Knives
These are used for cutting the leather, from making large pieces of leather into smaller pieces to detailed shaping and carving. Visually, every leather project requires a leather knife or cutting tool. These can be simple utility knives, modeling knives (such as X-acto), or specialized leather cutting knives that come in many shapes and sizes.
Leather Deglazer
Used to remove leather finishes, waxes, and greases to prepare it for dyeing. This provides a cleaner state of the leather for the days to absorb into.
Learn more about leather deglazers and how they work in this video:
Leather Dies
These are formed metal shapes with cutting edges, used to press into leather and cut out a specific shape. For example, once a leather crafter designs a new wallet, they might have dies made of each piece so they can quickly press/cut the shapes instead of doing each one by hand.
Leather Dye
Leather dye is a coloring agent specifically formulated for use on leather materials. It penetrates the leather fibers to provide a deep, lasting color that enhances the appearance and can help protect the surface.
Leather dye comes in various types, such as alcohol-based, water-based, and oil-based, each offering different benefits in terms of application, finish, and durability. It is commonly used to change the color of leather items, restore faded or worn leather, or add decorative effects to leathercraft projects.
Leather Thickness Gauge
Leather comes in different weights and thicknesses. What leather to choose depends on the project in mind; for example, a belt project would use thicker leather than a small wallet project. Leather thickness gauges are tools to quickly measure the thickness of leather.
Some are fixed (made out of wood, plastic, etc.) with thicknesses pre-sized to slide the leather into and measure that way. Others are similar to calipers that can be both analog or digital and produce a reading of the thickness once it is closed upon the leather.
Leather Wax
Leather wax is used to help finish leather pieces. Many different waxes, such as carnauba, can be buffed out to a shine. Beeswax can be used when burnishing and finishing edges to give them a smooth and protected edge. There are many waxes available for finishing needs.
Mallets/Hammers/Mauls
Leather mallets, hammers, and mauls are used for hitting stamps and punches, basically, they are the tools used for hitting things. 🙂 Mallets have big round hitting surfaces, hammers have smaller hitting surfaces, and mauls have rounded hitting surfaces.
Mauls are effective for punching and tooling tasks, while mallets serve for both tooling and punching and hammers work well in shaping leather, particularly in shoe making and saddlery. The hitting surfaces of leather tools can be found in nylon or other soft materials; it will still generate force while also protecting the tools they are hitting.
Needles
Leather needles are slender metal tools designed to guide thread through leather when sewing it together. They feature a sharp point that pierces through tough leather without causing damage, along with a larger eye to accommodate thicker threads commonly used in leatherwork. Leather sewing needles come in various sizes and types, each suited to different leather thicknesses and sewing techniques, ensuring precision and durability in the finished product.
Punches
Used to make holes in leather. These come in a tremendous array of shapes and sizes. Leather punches can be used to make holes for stitching, holes for riveting, holes for decoration, trim the edges of belts, cut leather corners, and really anything to do with cutting or holes. There are specialized sets based on the function they will perform, and come in a wide range of qualities and sharpnesses.
Rivets/Setters
Rivets are small metal fasteners primarily used for connecting pieces of leather, though they can also serve decorative purposes. Setters are leather hardware tools, designed to join rivet pieces securely, ensuring a tight and durable connection. Known for their strength, rivets are excellent for securely fastening leather pieces together.
Rotary Cutters/Scissors
Building on the basic functions of a knives, rotary cutters, and scissors are additional tools used to cut leather. Leather rotary cutters have circular blades that rotate as they cut and offer precision and efficiency in trimming leather pieces. They are especially favored for their ability to make smooth, clean cuts through various thicknesses of leather, enhancing the precision and quality of leatherwork projects.
Rulers/Squares
Leather rulers and squares are tools used for precise measuring and cutting. With their durable, clear markings, rulers ensure accurate measurements and stitching lines on leather. Squares provide straight cuts and squared corners by guiding cutting tools along their right-angle edges. Leather measuring tools help ensure accuracy and consistency, making them essential components of any leatherworker’s toolkit.
Sewing Machine
An electric-powered machine is a leather sewing tool that enables much faster material sewing (over hand sewing). For leather work, industrial/commercial machines are preferred, as they have the build quality and power to successfully stitch leather material, which is generally thicker than most fabrics.
Skiver
These tools are used to remove leather. For example, on a belt, one end usually folds over to hold the buckle—this would result in the leather being twice as thick there since it’s folded. This can be bulky, so tools such as leather skivers are used to remove some thickness from the leather, for example, 1/2 of the thickness, so that when folded over, it would be equal to the original thickness.
Spacing/Overstitch/Pricking Wheel
The tools feature sharp points on a wheel, ideal for marking stitch placements or punching holes in leather. Because of their wheel design with preset spacings, they can create a continuous line of evenly spaced marks effortlessly. Their rounded shape makes them easy to maneuver and apply pressure with.
Stamps
These are leather stamping tools for putting impressions/designs into leather. There are nearly infinite types, shapes, and sizes of stamps available, with new ones being made all of the time. For example, if someone wanted to put a triangle design into leather, they could buy a triangle stamp, place it on the leather, hit it with a maul, and the stamp would leave the impression of a triangle in the leather. Stamps can be used for decoration, function, branding, or most anything you can think of.
Stitching Horse/Pony
A device that clamps and holds pieces of leather in place to make it easier to hand-sew. Since it holds things firmly, it frees up the hands of the leather crafter to focus on stitching. This leather holding tool is particularly useful for securing larger or thicker pieces of leather during intricate sewing tasks.
Stone Slabs
These are used under punches or cutting boards to help absorb some of the force when hitting a punch with a mallet or hammer. Instead of that force bouncing back from a softer surface (and affecting the precision of the punch), the stone slabs are so dense that they help absorb much of that force. Marble can be used, though granite has better strength and density.
Strap Cutters
These are leather-specific tools that allow one to cut straight pieces of leather from a larger piece of hide, for example, cutting a belt blank that might be 1.5” wide and 50” long, keeping it perfectly straight.
Stitching Groover
Cuts a small groove towards the edge of leather where stitches can be sewn. Since the stitches sit in a groove, they don’t stick out above the leather, providing a higher-quality look and feel while protecting the stitches from excessive wear, since they are protected, sitting within a groove.
Strop
A leather strop is a tool used for sharpening knife blades. It consists of a piece of leather, typically high-quality and flexible, which may be mounted onto a board or solid surface for stability. By drawing the knife blade along the strop with consistent pressure and angle, the edge of the blade can be finely honed and polished. This process helps to maintain and refine the cutting edge, ensuring it remains sharp and precise for various cutting tasks.
Measuring Tape
Measuring tapes are flexible tools used for accurate measurements. They’re made of durable materials like reinforced fabric or metal, with markings in metric and imperial units. The tape extends from a compact housing, allowing it to measure lengths, widths, and heights by wrapping around objects or extending along surfaces. This versatility makes measuring tapes essential in construction, sewing, crafting, and everyday tasks needing precise measurements.
Thread
Leather thread is a strong, fibrous material commonly made from nylon in leathercraft. It’s essential for sewing leather pieces together due to its durability and ability to withstand the stress and tension applied during stitching.
Wing Divider/Compass
Wing dividers or compasses offer the ability to mark precise arcs and circles. These leather marking tools are adjustable, allowing craftsmen to set specific sizes for their projects. By using a circular motion, they ensure accurate markings on leather pieces, ensuring clean and professional results in cutting and design.
Conclusion
Whether you’re just starting out or honing your skills, these fundamental tools lay the foundation for quality leather work. Beyond these basics, numerous variations and customizations are available, allowing you to tailor your tools to suit specific projects and personal preferences.
For a deeper dive into the diverse range of leatherworking tools and their applications, be sure to explore our comprehensive guide to leather tools, where you can discover insights into specialized instruments for every leatherworking enthusiast.