Rotary Punch (9")

The way it cuts is worth understanding because it explains why the result is so much better than the alternatives. Each punch is a hardened tube with a sharpened circular edge. Squeezing the handles drives that edge through the material and against a hardened anvil on the opposite jaw, shearing a clean disc out. Compare that with the usual improvisations: a drill wanders, grabs and tears leather or fabric and leaves a ragged edge; a knife or an awl pushes the fibres apart rather than cutting them, which makes a hole that stretches and tears under load. A punched hole has a properly cut edge that holds its shape.

The catalogue names leather belts, canvas and fabric, and that is the heart of it — but the same tool does gasket material, rubber sheet, cork, felt, plastic sheet, webbing and tarpaulin. Making an extra hole in a belt is the job everybody knows; making a gasket by hand when the original is unobtainable is the one that saves a machine.

The head is adjustable, so it can be set square to the work, and the tool is carbon steel, chrome plated. Nine inches gives comfortable leverage.

The buyers are leather workers and saddlers, shoe repairers, upholsterers and canvas workers, tent and awning makers, engineering workshops making gaskets, sign and display makers, agricultural and harness repairers, and hardware dealers.

Three habits that keep the punches sharp. Make sure the punch lands squarely on the anvil, not on its edge, because a punch that half-misses the anvil chips. Turn the wheel until it clicks properly into position before squeezing. And do not punch material harder than the tool is meant for — thin sheet metal will blunt or chip these edges, and once a circular edge is chipped it tears instead of shearing all the way round.

Keep it dry and lightly oiled. If you need slotted, oval or larger holes, the Pro version covers those. Ask us on WhatsApp for a price on either.