Laser cutting leather

[velegski]

I'm starting to see people using lasers on leather. They're cutting out sheaths and embossing with them. It's confusing as I was taught avoid heat in leather as it hardening and makes it susceptible to cracking. Any one using lasers and are you seeing any detrimental effects from them?

 

[Lorien]

a friend of mine is an incredible leather worker, and he uses lasers exclusively for all his cutting and engraving and has for years. So far as I know, he hasn't had the kind of issues you're talking about.

 

[Mecha]

My lady's been using a laser lately to cut thinner leather and cellulose sheet, and engrave her maker's mark, no problems. Other than it can stink.

It's quite useful for the welt, because the laser can mark the stitching holes and even cut them. And especially useful for a repeated sheath pattern.

 

[Guitarist7.62]

Saw someone doing it in a YouTube video recently. My first thought was “that’s gotta stink”

Honestly if you’re doing multiple of the same pattern especially ones with matching tooling/engraving, it seems like the best way to cut leather. Just program it to cut the stitch holes too and leave an extra 1/8” or so around the out seam so you can sand off the burnt part around the edges. Then all you have to do is fold, glue, stitch and finish which doesn’t take all that long. Added bonus of being more precise than any human could ever be. There are the hydraulic stamp pattern cutting machines but outside of shoe and boot making world I haven’t really seen many of those and you can’t do any tooling with them.

 

[LunaticK3nnels]

Can you guys post a link to the lasers you’re using?