How to Make a Leather Splitter
Make a leather splitter to save some cash and get started leather working.
The older I’ve gotten, the more I appreciate the importance of tools. One important thing to realize is that tools can be valuable assets. Assets are things that produce value, and liabilities are things that cost you. If you’ve got too many tools, spent too much money on them, or bought tools you don’t use, you’ve probably got liabilities. However, the right tools are assets that can help you create all the things you need to create, build, or fix.
One downside of tools, especially for beginners, is that tools can be expensive. This initial cost can be a major barrier to entry for some people. In some situations, you can overcome this obstacle by making your own tools. In some cases, these homemade tools can be the modest assets that can get you off the ground. One easy tool you can make to create traditional products is a leather splitter.
Making a leather splitter is one of those tools you may find essential to some projects. They are very helpful in a variety of leather projects, but equally important in rawhiding as well. Rawhide braiding projects in particular really turn out much nicer with the use of a splitter. This is because if the strings in your braid are different thicknesses, then the entire project will have an uneven appearance. Making good string is the most important first step in any braiding project. As the saying goes, “you have to be a master string maker before you can be a master braider.”
Most of the top-level braiders have tools made for the purpose. It’s one way they are able to make such good string. However, in his book Making Cowboy Horse Gear author Bruce Grant writes about a few different methods old-timers used to split string. While reading the book, I saw one idea that I really liked and knew I could build. That idea, though modified and (I think) improved, is the one I’ll outline in this article.
Materials
-1”x4”x6” Lumber
-Coping Saw
-Chisel
-Hammer
-Calipers
-Replaceable Razor Blade
-Pencil
-Pen
Step 1: Cutting
If your lumber is not cut to the desired dimension, do so as you begin. You can adjust any of the dimensions, as you’d like. However, I’d recommend not going much thinner than 1”.
Once the lumber is to the dimensions you want, the main cutting job uses your coping saw. Starting about 1/4” down the thickness of the wood, cut a slot several inches into the wood. It’s important to keep this cut as straight as possible. The straighter this cut is, the less work you will have to do later in the process. In order to keep the cut straight, you may consider drawing a line where you want your cut to go.
Step 2: Chiseling
After your cut is made, you need to use your chisel to remove excess wood where the channel will be. Start by chiseling straight down where you want the sides of your channel to be. It’s worth pointing out that you should only drive the chisel roughly the depth of the channel at that location, and that the channel gets progressively deeper as you move toward the edge. Also, the longer the channel is the easier it will be able to make fine adjustments when you are using it. Finally, remember that you can always take wood off, but you cannot add any more once it’s gone.
Once you have the channel of the leather/rawhide splitter roughly cut out, you can now begin to even out the channel. Working from the top, begin making chisel strokes down the length of the channel. Keep the surface as clean and smooth as possible. Every small deviation can change the thickness of your leather or rawhide strings.
Work until the working surface is relatively smooth.
Step 3: Evening
With the channel fairly well laid out, now is the time to get the leather splitter fine-tuned. To do this, insert your replaceable blade into the slot you cut with your coping saw. Move it further toward the board until it gets roughly to the first desired depth you’ll want. For example, I moved mine forward until the blade was roughly ¼” above the channel. To make sure the measurement was accurate, I used calipers to measure the distance.
Working delicately with your chisel, try and get the surface as even as possible directly under the blade. Once you are satisfied with the depth, run your pencil along the edge of the razor to make a temporary mark on the channel. These marks will serve as a guide when you are actually using the tool.
After your mark is made, move the blade forward until it reaches the next desired depth. Repeat the process until all of your desired depths are noted.
Step 4: Marking
The final step is to take your pen and mark the lines you earlier made in pencil. The reason I used pencil on the first step, and a pen on the second, is that I did not have a pen I was able to get close enough to the blade for an accurate measurement. The pen also makes it more permanent.
If you’ve followed these steps, you need only to use some clamps and attach the tool to a working surface. The thing I like about this design is that it securely locks the razor blade in place with the same clamps that attach it to the table.
When you are all complete, you should have a functional leather splitter that you can use to make good string. It may not be the fanciest splitter on the market, but it is one you can use to make gear until you are talented or rich enough to buy a better splitter. Who knows, you may end up using it for years. It is a simple tool that can be a real asset to your leatherwork shop.