How to Cut Leather Strips Quickly and Perfectly With a Simple Jig

Introduction

When making leather dog collars, leashes, keyrings, or any other leather straps, one of the most time-consuming jobs is measuring and cutting consistent-width straps.

I was making dog collars and found that even after measuring carefully, my cuts were often slightly off. This was especially noticeable on narrower straps such as 10 mm wide. Measuring, marking, and cutting every strap also took much longer than I wanted.

I tried using a hand strap cutter, but it didn't work very well with thinner leather. If the first cut wandered slightly, every strap after that would follow the same wavy line.

So I made this simple jig. Its a simple jig to cut leather straight and very quickly without measuring everytime. You can also use this jig to cut other types of materials

It takes only a few minutes to set up, requires almost no special tools, and produces perfectly straight, repeatable cuts without measuring every single strap.

Supplies

1. A flat workbench or table
2. A straight piece of wood
3. Two 3D printed spacer blocks (made to the exact width of the strap you want)
4. Steel ruler
5. Clamps
6. Sharp utility knife or leather knife
7. Leather

Clamp a straight piece of wood securely to your workbench.

This acts as a reference edge to keep everything aligned while cutting.

The wood doesn't need to be anything special—I simply used a piece I had lying around.

3D print two small spacer blocks.

The thickness of the blocks should equal the width of the strap you want to cut.

For example:

1. 10 mm blocks for a 10 mm strap
2. 20 mm blocks for a 20 mm strap
3. 25 mm blocks for a 25 mm strap

You can easily print multiple sets if you regularly make different strap widths.

Cut your leather to the approximate length you need first.

Cut the leather on the one end straight so it will sit flush against the wood.

Place the leather against the wooden guide.

Position the two spacer blocks between the leather and the steel ruler.

The spacer blocks automatically set the correct distance, so there is no need to measure or mark the width.

Slide the steel ruler firmly against the spacer blocks.

Once everything is touching, remove the spacer blocks.

The ruler is now perfectly positioned for cutting.

Hold the ruler firmly and cut along its edge with a sharp knife.

The cut will be straight and exactly the correct width.

Repeat the process for additional straps.

This jig has made cutting straps much faster and more accurate.

Advantages

1. No measuring every strap
2. Consistent strap widths every time
3. Straight cuts without wandering
4. Extremely inexpensive to make
5. Uses materials many people already have
6. Easy to change widths by printing different spacer blocks

Limitations

The only drawback I've found is when cutting very long straps. Keeping everything aligned over long distances can be a little more difficult, but for most projects such as dog collars, key fobs, belts, and shorter straps, it works extremely well.