If you want to be comfortable wearing a leather belt, you must know how to cut your leather belts properly. Leather belts are an essential part of our personal attire. They keep our pants attached to our waist and prevent them from falling down and causing humiliation.
A belt around your waist is also a fashion choice that can greatly enhance your look. But wearing a belt that is too long can give you an uncomfortable feeling and make you look like a man of poor fashion sense. So to keep yourself both comfortable and fashionable, you should know how to cut leather belts.
The Necessity of Cutting Leather Belt
A leather belt is a strap-like accessory that goes around your waist to support pants, skirts, and other clothes to keep them attached to your body. The width of a leather belt is between 1-1.5 inches, whereas the thinner ones are considered the formal ones.
But when it comes to the length of a belt, there is no fixed length. It all depends on the wearer. A person with a wider waist requires lengthy belts while a skinnier person requires shorter belts due to his waist size. But sometimes, it is hard to find a belt that you like in your proper size.
If you wear a belt that is too long for you, it looks very odd and takes away from your fashion sense. Wearing large belts also makes you feel uncomfortable. If you like a belt that is short for your waist, unfortunately, there is not much you can do. But if you like a belt that is large for you, you can always shorten its length by cutting it.
Tools to Cut a Leather Belt
It is absolutely important to cut leather belts with the proper tools. You cannot just take scissors or a knife in your hand and cut a leather belt. Using knives or scissors to cut belts will require more than the necessary amount of strength. This might even cause unnecessary damage to your leather belts. There are several tools to cut leather belts properly. Here are descriptions of some of the tools below-
Draw Gauge
When it comes to cutting leather belts, the draw gauge is perhaps the most useful tool to use. Leather belts are thicker in nature and weigh around 8-9 ounces. As a result, it is hard to cut them with regular tools. A draw gauge can cut the thickness of the belt easily. It has an adjustable width of 4 inches which comes in handy in cutting belts. But this is a professional tool that requires a little bit of practice before you can use it properly.
Strap Cutter
A strap cutter is a tool very similar to the draw gauge. But the main difference between them is their materials and blade slot. Strap cutters come with a wooden body whereas the draw gauge comes with an all-metal body. It also has a blade slot for replaceable blades. It is easier to master than the draw gauge.
Rotary Cutter
A rotary cutter is a common tool used to cut strips and straps. But it can also be used to cut a leather belt. But it is not possible to cut a leather belt of 8-9 ounces in a single go. To cut with it, you need to go through multiple runs to cut the belt with it. So it is better to use the draw gauge or strap cutter instead of this one.
Round Knife
A round knife is a very handy and easy tool to use when it comes to cutting leather belts. Using its round sharp edge, you can put it against a belt and move it in a forward and backward motion to cut the excess part of the leather belt. It can be used for fast trims and cuts, but definitely does not work as well as the draw gauge or the strap cutter.
How to Cut Leather Belt?
The process of cutting leather belts depends on which tool you are using. Every tool requires a different effort and technique to cut the leather belt properly. Here are the methods of cutting leather belts using the tools mentioned above-
Using Draw Gauge
Draw gauge is a tool with expertise in cutting heavy leather with thickness exceeding 9 ounces. As the thickness of a belt is around 8-9 ounces, a draw gauge can easily cut the excessive part of a leather belt. To cut a leather belt, you need first to determine how much you want to cut off from your belt. Then remove the belt from your belt buckle using a screwdriver and mark the length you want to reduce. Then put that mark under the draw gauge and simply cut it off. Then take the excess part of the belt and create a hole of the same size. Then put the screw back in the belt and attach the belt to the belt buckle. Be careful while using a draw gauge as its blade is visible and might cut your hand if not used cautiously.
Using Strap Cutter
Strap cutters should be the first choice for cutting belts for any beginner leather craftsman. Strap cutters work similarly to the draw gauge. But the blade of a strap cutter is covered and can be replaced if needed. First, you need to remove the belt from the belt buckle and mark the amount of leather you want to cut off as mentioned before. Then put it inside the strap cutter and use it to cut the excessive part of the leather. Then attach the belt with the belt buckle.
Using Rotary Cutter
A rotary cutter is not the best tool to cut a leather belt but it can definitely get the job done. A rotary cutter cannot cut the thick leather belt in one go. To cut the leather belt, remove the belt from the buckle and mark it as mentioned before. Then put a ruler on the mark. It will help you use the rotary cutter more efficiently. Then keep using the rotary cutter in a linear motion until your leather belt is cut to your desired length. This method can take time and definitely not the most efficient one.
Using a Round Knife
A round knife is the most basic tool to cut off a leather belt. It has a sharp edge that helps you to cut straps or strips using a circular motion. After taking out the belt from the buckle and marking the amount of leather you want to cut off, place the knife on the mark and move it forward and backward in a circular motion. By doing so, you can cut off the excessive part of your belt. But it requires more effort than the draw gauges and strap cutters.
Conclusion
Leather belts like other clothing items need to be of the proper size to ensure comfort and good aesthetics. But sometimes the desired belts come at a much larger length than we need them to be. In those cases, we can easily cut off the excessive parts by using any of the tools mentioned above.