DIY Leather Paring Tool: Learn How to Make Your Own Book-Binding Tool

[Edd1]

Hello all,

I'm hoping some of you would be kind enough to offer a bit of guidance on making a simple leatherworking tool. It's a tool used by book-binders for shaving pieces of leather down in thickness. Basically it is just a standard razor blade, clamped down at an angle. Underneath the blade is a roller-bar, which can be adjusted up and down to allow less or more of the leather to be shaved off as it is manually passed through under the blade.

I've attached a couple of pictures of the tool. It is no longer being made. There is an alternative design but it is very expensive and I'd love to have a go at making my own.

I'm sure it must be obvious for most of you how to recreate such a simple tool. I don't have any mechanical experience at all so any advice on how to recreate the up-down mechanism using standard components would be most appreciated!

Many thanks,

Edd

 

[jedishrfu]

Seems like it works a lot like a block plane. perhaps you could mount one in a vise and attach a roller to the plane or vise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_plane

I found this tool that while it doesn't look like your picture will probably do the same:

http://jeffpeachey.com/tag/how-to-pare-leather/

 

[Edd1]

Yeh the block plane mechanism that advances the blade could definitely be useful. I'll have to find my old stanley and have a look at it. Thanks for the tip!

I've read through the jeff peachey website and tried most of the suggested techniques, which are all very useful. The advantage to having some kind of paring device though, is that you can hold the leather with both hands as you pull it through, so you can achieve cleaner results more quickly.

I'm going to order some threaded rod, a mounted bearing, thumbscrew, and some other bits and pieces and see what i can come up with.

 

[jedishrfu]

You probably can find some stuff to work with at Home depot or Lowe's if you live in the US. They have a large selection of nuts and bolts and threaded rods as well a tubes to make a roller from.