Quick question for leather workers?

[Don Armstrong]

What kind of board is best for stamping or punching leather on. I was thinking some cork or a soft pine would protect your tools better. Thanks, Don

[stickhorse]

stamping and punching -- need two different items. use a hard surface for stamping such as corian or granite stone and softer for punching. I use the harder rubber matting found at feed stores for trailer flooring.
Bob

[Don Armstrong]

Thanks, I hadn't thought about needing different items. I will get something hard to stamp on and check with Southern States for the mating. Don

[Apex Predator]

The starboard material sold at marine stores works super as well.

[YORNOC]

For cutting and punching, you need a poly board you can get from Tandy leather. Something close would be a plastic cutting board at least 1/4 inch thick.The hard rubber matting sounds good too. The poly board seems to re expand somewhat after tools penetrate into it. It lasts the longest.It is also easiest on your tools, you need them sharp as long as possible.
For stamping I have a polished piece of granite like Stickhorse said. You often need to temp. rubber glue leather down when stamping and carving or the hammering will actually expand the leather as it is compressed even in small ares. This can change the outer shape. The polished granite you can spread rubber cement all over it and it rolls right off when you are done.

[Pat B]

I don't do much stamping anymore but when I did we had a marble slab we used. Anything hard and smooth will do.  For punching we had a large oak stump with a thick(1/4" or better) leather glued to the top. I now use a precut leather shoe sole. You can pick one up at a local shoe repair shop.

[Don Armstrong]

Thanks guys, I have a lot of options now    . Don

[chanumpa]

I use an ol chunk of a truck mud flap that I found on the side of the road.I dont know why my wife has a problem with me working with it on her maple dinning table though!

[highnoonhunter]

For stamping I have a 3/4" thick X 8" X 8" square piece of steel.

For punching I prefer old mine conveyor belt.

Placing either on top of a sturdy bench, stump, table, etc., just something that's pure dead weight is best to keep vibration from causing you to double stamp, and/or to keep you from hammering yourself to death.....

[portugeejn]

I don't do it professionally, but I have been doing leatherwork as a hobby on and off for over 40 years (started when I was around 10  and some hippies moved in down the street).

I have found the best thing I have used for stamping was the end piece of a granite countertop my friend gave me.

The best thing I have found for cutting has been an old plastic cutting board that was a little too rough for the kitchen any more.

The best thing I have used for punching has been some scrap cork sheet that I retrieved from the dumpster of a construction company I used to work for.  Before I found it I used scrap pieces of leather between what the punch and the workbench I was punching (make sure it is something that you won't mind marring if the punch goes through the scrap leather-don't ask me how I know    

RonP

[CG]

A good place to get a slab to tool leather on is a headstone (for graves) manufacturer. They will have stones that have been broken or were incorrectly engraved. I know.....sounds kinda weird.