We’ve been cutting corners! Why it matters in leather craft

Most of the time cutting corners is something we are taught to avoid, but in leather craft its one of the first things we learn. Something we have applied to each and everyone of our pieces. Every notebook, wallet, bag, menu and bill presenter has had the corners removed. Not as a short cut, quite the opposite.

Why corners Matter

The issue with a sharp right angle on a piece of leather is that one it creates a point that will catch on things, fold or curl and weaken with use, it could eventually crack. Secondly it looks unfinished.

Cutting corners when done properly, with the correct sized and sharpened tool with a steady hand, rounds each angle into a gentle and subtle curve, this way the leather remains flat with a consistent edge all the way around, with no weak point.

The difference between done and finished

This really is the details that separates something that is handcrafted, from something that is mass produced. With a machine cut product, the corners are what ever shape the die produces. Whereas a handcrafted piece, every corner creates a decision, how much of a curve, is it consistent is it a clean cut. But it takes longer, more time and care is required to achieve this. It also leads to the edges being finished properly, first sanded, bevelled then burnished.

The same principal everywhere

Cutting corners is part of a broader discipline in leather craft — the idea that the details nobody asks about are the ones that determine how a piece feels in the hand and how it lasts over time. The corners. The edges, burnished until they are smooth. The stitching, consistent from the first stitch to the last. These things are difficult to capture in a photograph. All of them are felt the moment you pick the piece up.