Modern Leatherwork for Makers: Traditional Craft Techniques Meet CNC and 3D Printing

All of the projects are pretty good, but the link supplied for the project files doesn't lead to a download :(

The book has some basic information on leatherworking (the regular old style) and then there are some projects that use modern technologies to add more fun to leather work. They use laser cutter to burn out designs on the surface of the leather. Then they print a part for a purse on 3D printer. And they use a vinyl cutter to make a stencil to add design to the project. It is clearly written and the projects are mostly step by step.

Frankly this book left me dazed and confused. the book itself is attractive,filled with diagrams and photos. But unless you are experienced in leather work, 3-D printing and CNC machining it is a total waste of time and money. The author has some cool ideas but I would not have a clue how to begin much less how to complete any of them. If you have advanced competencies in 3-D printing, leather work and CNC, you may find this book helpful. It is definitely not for beginners or intermediates. However the resource section is good. I was disappointed in this book. It is neither an instruction manual nor a usable introduction to using new technology to enhance leather work. 2.5 stars

A long, long time ago, I remember being given a set of leather punches or dies. They were intended to be used to stamp patterns into leather. I don’t recall ever having anything more than leather scraps to work on, but it was fun while the excitement lasted. I am still attracted to hand tooled leather goods. I admire the craftsmanship and artistry, recognizing that I lack the patience to pursue something like this. Tim Deagan’s somewhat odd tome on using CNC machines, 3D printers and other devices, like craft cutting machines has reawakened my old interest in the form of lust. Now I want a CNC machine and a 3D printer. (I already have the cutting machine.) Ultimately “Modern Leatherwork for Makers” has little practical value to me. Despite the addition of modern technology, this very well-illustrated book drives home once again that leatherworking is a hand-craft and now I not only lack the patience, but the manual dexterity. Deagan provides a thorough basic introduction to leatherworking. I found this to be informative and also convincing, in the sense of making it clear that leatherwork is something for me to admire, not to create. He then goes on to describe how CNC machines and 3D printers can be brought to the craft. These equally thorough basic introductions convinced me that I need a 3D printer soon – and, quite possibly, a CNC machine. Deagan provides seven projects illustrating concepts. One of them, a combination hatband for a Steampunk-style top hat and action cam, opened my eyes and my mind to something I have long wanted to try. Each of the projects is fascinating in its own right for me, as Deagan demonstrated how the machines can be used. Deagan’s writing style is excellent. He is thorough without becoming pedantic. His attention to detail is very impressive. Even though I will not pursue leatherworking as an advocation, I am indebted to Me. Deagan for an excellent introduction to the practical use of CNC machines and 3D printers.Jerry

This is a bit of a hard book to review as it's almost more like a project idea book rather than a normal Make book.This book jumps right into projects that assume several things - you have all of the hardware, software, and materials, and you're already very familiar with all of them. Obviously this makes a lot of sense if you have things like a CNC and/or 3D Printer already, as both of these come with pretty high learning curves as well as with very specific compatible graphics programs. So this book assumes you know exactly how to do things like calibrate a laser to burn at specific depths, change out print material for better fidelity versus durability, and how to change a flat image into a vector drawing.If you know all of the above already, then all this book does is really introduce you into a possible new canvas medium. Unfortunately there's not a whole lot about just working with leather in this book. There's description of punches, how to sew, cut, gouge leather, as well as protecting and finishes. Everything on the leather side is very modern, other than showing several of the traditional tools, other than punching holes or setting rivets, there's nothing advanced shown. No meshing of 3D printing or laser etching along side traditional embossing, for instance.On the traditional leatherworking side, if you're just looking into getting into more modern techniques, this is not a learning book. This book does not teach you how to use your printer or CNC. It mentions software by name and common import / export techniques, but that's really about it.So we end up with a book that doesn't teach leatherworkers how to use modern devices, and doesn't teach modern device users how to integrate traditional techniques.What this book does do is go over several base tools used in both traditional and modern leatherworking (with tons of photos from Tandy Leather). It also shows you examples of projects using laser etching and pattern cutting as well as providing a general sense of what the actual imaging file might look like on your software. Unfortunately, much like the Jimmy DiResta Make book, this feels like a case of trying to sell by way of the name of the author rather than the content.

Fully of standard information about leather, leatherwork and CNC. No real information about using a CNC machine to cut leather. The quality of the items supposedly made was not the best. I also experienced a few formatting issues when viewing on a kindle app on a tablet. I waited for this book as I am keen to explore using CNC techniques with my leatherwork, it didn't help me at all. Save your money!

Interesting but have not finished reading the book yet. So far so good if you like to do leather work but want to look for new ways.Will be more useful / better if more in depth comparison of 3D Printers is included. These machines are expensive and easy to buy a lemon...Still do not know which brand to get after reading this book and 2 others.