TK-004 The Leather Beveler
Design Challenge: The Palosanto Edge Beveler
Many people have asked us about our design and production processes. We worked with our friends at District Leather Supply to develop a handle for one of the prized tools in their lineup, the Palosanto Edge beveler. Through this post, we’re hoping to give you a snapshot into the work that we’re doing everyday.
We first came across this project from our friend Bill at District Leather Supply. Bill approached us about designing the handle for a line of handmade Bevelers, handcrafted in Korea by the company Palosanto. We will say, each one is a piece of art. While their true passion is metal-smithing, you can see that Palosanto takes great care in everything that they do, their handle are as beautiful as the blades themselves. You can learn more about their work in this great interview with the creator, Tae kono Kim.
Their Blades are known for being exceptionally sharp and durable, it was an honor for us to be offered this design project!
Using an Edge Beveler
Where to start???
Fabrication
The DESIGN
When you consider the tools that you buy at your local hardware store, it’s important to observe how their form has evolved from the way we use them as a culture. For example, the steel head of a hammer is provides heft and durability, while the tapered shaft is designed to reflect how it should be held. This is something that’s easy to ignore, but incredibly important to the design of a tool. We had the opportunity to objectively define that shape.
The gentle profile of this edge beveler exhibits the precision of its application, the beauty of craftsmanship. Outside of this concept, the form focuses around the two main ways that the tool relates to the hand:
1) The palm grip- Provides the brute force for cutting
2) The finger grip, Offers fine motor control over the blade.
The bulbous end is formed to fit into the palms of a variety of hands,
whereas the exaggerated curvature of the finger grip is meant to offer greater fine motor control.
Taking a design and making it beautiful
Meet the our first edge beveler!
We definitely want to thank Bill for giving us the opportunity to explore this project! We’re still in the prototyping stages for this project but we hope to make them available in the near future! For you Leatherworkers reading this, we’d love to hear your thoughts! We’re hoping to send out a few samples so that we can get better critiques from those of you that use the tools more than we do. If that interests you, just let us know in the comments below!
We’re always up to something! Follow us on our social media for updates and to learn about the new projects we’re working on!