Free hand cutting

[riku1914]

I'm gonna make this quick and to the point, how do you taper your strands when free hand cutting? eyeball it? mark it and taper

to that point with each pull? something else?

Thanks in advance

[whiskyman]

eyeball it

[jeanfifi]

For 12 plait overlay: here's my method:

eyeball too, but surely not when i first make whips lol

here we go:
-always cut wider
-about 9 mm before stretching and paring, not regarding stretchy areas where cutting couldbe twice the wanted width.
1/3 to half the lentgh is about 9mm, tapering slowly (about one ft and a half)down to 6-7 mm from 1/3 to halfway, and about
6-7mm from halfway to the end without taper

-stretching strands.

-real taper occurs when skiving, from the start to halfway point, going from about 7mm wide
to 5-6mm mm wide, and maintaining 5-6 mm wide from halway to the end.

-I just consider one back step being about one foot skiving/paring AND tapering, during skiving.



hope it sounds clear enough....



remember each whipmaker makes it different. it's just my method.
jp

[Marhala]

I'd add a couple of suggestions to what Jean has already written (which is my method too):

- Cut wide enough in order to get the strand just a bit wider than you planned in a particular area, after stretching.

- I resize my strands by straightening tight corners or parts that didn't stretch but remained wide. You can do this either on the plaiting hook, or on a cutting board. They are usually 1mm wider than planned.

- When paring, as Jean wrote, is when you get your strands all nice and tidy. That way I get them the width I had already decided.

- When the sections are a bit long, you should stretch them (carefully, to prevent ripping them off from the hide), to test for stretch.

- The outer strands may be cut wider to be resized when stretched, but the last ones almost always require to be cut to size, since you have no stretch in that area.

- ALWAYS use very sharp blades. The idea when using the thumbnail, or a gauge, is that you move these around the hide to cut the strands. You do not pull the hide, neither you keep the gauge or thumbnail fixed. This can't be done if the blades aren't sharp enough. Paring requires a very sharp blade too, because you need it gliding easily over the edge of leather. Tripping is no good and dangerous.

I mean, you asked about how to taper strands when cutting them out, but all these things described above are indirectly part of the whole process. Keep them in mind while cutting.

ATB,

Aldo.

[riku1914]

I knew some would be done while paring, some would be done while cutting, but you guys cleared it up for me. I think i'll do

stokes about 1-2 ft. long, taper the first strand as close as I can, and copy it with the second, copy the second with the third etc.

I'll be using the outer part of my hide for bellies ( i'll probably cut the bellies for two or three whips out before I cut any overlay )

just to get the most stretchy areas out of the way, and also to use what I can from the hide. I'll cut them very wide ( like someone

said 2 - 2.5 times the actual width I want ) to make up for the stretch, stretch them, split them then do all the paring.

Another quick question, do you guys "taper" split your bolster like bernie showed in one of his videos?

[Canuck Digger]

Something came to mind as I read your last post; are you talking about kangaroo or cowhide? It doesn't make any difference in how you cut, but while you may be able to get a few bellies from one single cowhide, you will be hard pressed to do the same with kangaroo. It's just not that big.

Also when Jean said to cut wider in the stretchy areas (around the neck, arms and belly), this was AFTER taking out the REALLY stretchy bits. Just want to make that clear. Always cut a test strand at first; this will give you the correct time of day regarding where the stretch is in that particular hide, as well as show you how extensive the stretch is. I've had hides with just a bit around the main problem areas and then I've gotten others where almost half the hide was stretch! I know it sounds crazy and it probably doesn't happen very often, but that's why you do the test strand thing. If the test strand breaks when you stretch it, then try cutting it a bit wider in those areas, but likely you will save more leather if you just trim those parts out; the way I see it, if you cut a strand wide and it snaps around the neck, that's almost half the circumference of the hide that is just wasted in one strand, because it is probably too short to do anything else except maybe a bit of the wrist loop.

BUT

If you trim the really stretchy areas first to where the majority of the stretch is removed from the hide, then you can turn around and put that test strand to good use, AND you know you're good to go on the cutting.

Stretching strands properly is so important when working with leather. It prevents nasty surprises later on and lets you make a strong whip. It's all well and good to say I'll use up the stretchier bits for the bellies, but those have to stand up to the same rigors of stretching and plaiting just like the overlay if a good strong whip is to be made.

Another thing I just thought of, you were asking how long to cut with each pass... remember that it takes about 1.5 times the amount of strand to plait any given length, so if you plan your cutting on paper first, and you measure your core at every foot, then you will know what the width of your strands should be for every 18", then cut wider than you need.

I don't know that I've ever gotten a hide where the middle of the back, good and stable as the leather is there, didn't have some stretch to it. So even for the last part of the whip, I would still cut my strands a bit wider, if for no other practical reasons than the fact that you will be narrowing them out as out skive and if you cut them to size right away, you will end up with strands that are too narrow.

As for the bolster, I don't use a splitter so I can't do it like Bernie does, but I do skive the edges of the point a bit, just so there aren't any major bumps to roll smooth later. I start skiving the edges from where the bolsters starts to open up past the end of the belly. There is no real point before that. I mark my bolsters to size, but cut them a bit wider because when I rub plaiting soap in the leather, it tends to stretch and deform a bit, and by cutting it wider, I can go back when the stretch has been taken out, and re-size them to the real size. I know many, if not most don't do it this way, this is just my own way of doing things. I don't cut my bolsters by eye like Bernie because I'm just not that good. I wrap the kip around the whip and mark it every few inches and this gives me a connect-the-dots sort of line. This is the reality of the whip's taper at the point. From that I mark out another line with a straight edge that is a real triangle, but I stay inside the first set of markings, because anything outside the lines would be too much leather and would overlap when wrapped around the whip... So I basically use the first set of lines to know where to place the one I make with the ruler. You can simply follow the outline of the whip, but this will simply report the variations of the taper over to the bolster and you want the bolster to help fix these variations, and that's where the straight lines come in. I don't know if I expressed that clearly.

All the best,

Franco

[riku1914]

I have a splitter so I guess i'll taper like bernie does. Also I am using 4 oz cowhide so i'll be able to get a few bellies out of the part

not considered the best. I had planned on trimming it a bit to get the REALLY bad areas out. As for what you said about bernie

cutting his bolsters by eye, in one of his videos he did exactly what you said, roll the whip in the leather, mark it every 3-6 inches

then cutting it to a point at the end. I don't plan my stuff out on paper, I plan EVERYTHING in my head. I used to make big ole bike

ramps and people were so amazed I could do it without any blueprint, I always told them "don't need one, it's all up here "

Also regarding the strands needing to be 1.5 the length of the whip, yes I knew that and I plan accordingly, but usually leave about

a foot or so extra as the just in case thing.

Thanks again guys I really appreciate the help.

[Canuck Digger]

Sounds like you're ready to go.

Good luck and take some pics of the process if you can; we all love whip porn hehehe.

Franco

[riku1914]

Sounds like you're ready to go.

Good luck and take some pics of the process if you can; we all love whip porn hehehe.

Franco

I've herd things like that on my computer forum as well

When I get all my stuff in I'm going to be taking a few pics so I'll put them up here as well ( I have a few interested on my

computer forum , one who wants to buy one, I told him I'd sell him one once I've made a few leather whips ) so i'm putting pics

up for them, I'll do a thread on it here for you guys also