After experimenting with many different ways of cutting perfect corners for my leather projects, I have come across several methods that will consistently generate perfect corners.
Corner punches create clean round corners equivalent to the radius of the tool. Manually cutting a series of lines perpendicular to a round template’s edge, accurately produces round corners of any size. However sanding may be required to smooth edges. Sanding is also eliminated when scroll and band saws are used to create round corners.
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Round corner punches create interior corners in leather
One of the easiest ways to cut perfectly round corners on the inside of a piece of leather is to use a hole punch.
Mark the leather where you want to make the internal round corner. Place a round corner punch in the area that you want to make the corner.
Then use a small hammer to drive the hole punch through the leather. Punch a hole in each corner then connect the corners with straight cuts.
Templates are often used to cut round corners on leather
One of the most versatile tools for cutting perfectly round corners around the edge of a project are Round Corner Cutter templates.
For cutting round corners it is often suggested that all you need is something round to use as a pattern. I have seen people use coins, thread holders, and even tin cans. All of these can still be used as a template.
They’re simply placed on the leather and an awl is used to trace the carved pattern on the leather. Then this pattern can be cut out.
You can still use these items as templates but it requires that you keep a bunch of circular objects around your work area.
A better option is to get a Round Corner Cutter template. This stencil template is made of a lightweight metal ,but it is a bunch of circles connected together in one piece.
This is great because you have all of your stencils kept in one place, and you don’t have to worry about looking for a tin can when you want to cut a big arc or looking for a dime when you want to cut a small corner.
With the round cutter template, all of your round arcs are in one place.
The stencil can be purchased online for less than $20. This has been far one of my favorite tools and it can be found hanging off the edge of my work table.
The only issue with the round Corner cutter templates is that sometimes the metal on them is a little jagged.
It can scratch your hand up a little bit if you’re not careful. But there’s a simple solution to this problem.
Once you receive the round Corner Cutter Template in the mail simply sand it down with some course wet-dry sandpaper. you want to do this to prevent scratching up your hands and also prevent scratching up your leather.
Acrylic Templates
Another option that can be used to reduce the amount of round objects that you need to keep around for cutting around corners is the use of acrylic templates.
There are so many Hardware shops that are willing to cut a bunch of concentric circles out of acrylic.
Because the circles are concentric they can be stacked inside of each other which will reduce the amount of space they take up.
In another post titled cutting thick leather I suggested using a bandsaw to cut a very thick ladder.
It was also suggested that the bandsaw has many other purposes such as cutting out acrylic templates. This is the perfect scenario for using a bandsaw in multiple ways for leathercraft projects.
The band saw can be used to cut thick leather and it can be used to cut out acrylic templates.
Round corner can be created by cutting multiple straight lines
When using the template method of cutting round corners you will have to decide on whether you want to trace the line around your template or simply hold a template in place and make your Cuts base off of the template.
I think it’s much easier to hold a template in place and make your cuts around it why you continue to hold the template.
The best way to cut out a perfect round corner is to make a bunch of small cuts around the template.
The way that you do this is to hold the template in place. Make small perpendicular cuts while moving round the curve. Smaller cuts produce smoother curves.
I love this method because it only takes a couple tries to get it just right and even if the curb isn’t cut out perfectly you can use a piece of sandpaper to lightly sand down the curve to get that perfectly smooth.
Corner Punches consistently cut smooth corners.
Well if you don’t want to mess around with trying to cut a rounded template the easiest way to cut a perfectly round corner is a simple use of a corner punch.
Corner punches can be purchased in a variety of sizes and angles, and you can simply place the corner punch at the edge of the leather. Strike the end with a mallet or hammer to produce the cut.
This method is the best if you want to create a perfectly round corner quickly and with very little effort.
These tools also provide the smoothest round corners out of all of the methods listed in this post. The only downside to this is that these tools are not cheap.
And I am talking about decent quality tools. The cheapest tool that I found was about $40 for one corner punch.
Now if you’re good with metalworking you can create your own Corner punches. Earlier in the post, we talked about using hole punches for creating perfectly round corners on the inside I mean the other piece.
These hole punches are pretty cheap. I found a hole punch with a set of six different attachments for less than 15 bucks at a local craft shop.
These tools can be modified into a corner punch.
Using a grinder or Dremel with cut off wheels, remove half or three-quarters of the punch.
For larger sizes, use a hole saw that you grind the teeth off of, then grind the edge to sharpen it. Remember to keep the steel cool by frequently dipping in water. Keep your fingers near the area you’re grinding, if it’s not too hot for your fingers, it’s not hot enough to ruin the steel.
Power saws are able to cut smooth corners on thick leather
A while back I wrote a post that described the different tools that can be used to cut really thick leather. well if you happen to have either one of these tools they can also be used in very intricate details including round corners.
In my opinion, the scroll saw is the best power tool of the two for cutting round corners.
It is very easy to maneuver the leather on a scroll saw. The inner blade of the scroll saw can be removed and replaced so that you can cut hold on the interior of a piece of leather. Additionally, a scroll saw can be purchased for less than $150.
Now I wouldn’t go out and purchase a scroll saw just to cut perfectly round corners, but if you have the tool in your shop it has just become a little bit more valuable.
Now you can use it not only for woodworking, and cutting thick leather, you can also be used to cut internal and external round corners.
The band saw was the other tool that was also mentioned in the post on how to cut thick leather.
It too can be used to cut perfectly round corners, but the downside is that it doesn’t have the ability to cut curves on the interior of a leather. You would actually have to cut through the circle in order to create a curve. I may be wrong on this, but this is just what I have observed and heard from others.
Overall you have many options for cutting perfectly round corners.
If you have a little bit more money and you want to go the route cutting perfectly round corners with very little effort than the corner punch tool may be the perfect tool for you.
If you are very good with your blade and you feel competent sharpening and maintaining your blade you may want to opt into using a template.
But if you have power tools such as scroll and band saws that you are comfortable using, then those would probably be the best tools to complete the job.
