The paring knife is a tool used in leatherwork to thin the edge of pieces of leather: paring leather.
It is useful for assemblies: sewing 2 pieces of leather together without creating excess thickness ( thickening the leather ) but also for dressing the edges ( making a rim ).
PREPARE THE LEATHER - THIN IT OUT
It is important to practice paring leather and to have the correct gesture: the index and middle fingers must be on the blade (the tool is held in the palm of the hand).
MAKE A EDGE:
The edge ruler can help you gain precision thanks to its two 5 and 7 mm openwork sides.
VIDEO: HOW TO USE A SKINNING KNIFE? LEARN HOW TO SKIN LEATHER IN 3 MINUTES.
MAINTENANCE OF THE PARING KNIFE
You need to sharpen your paring knife very regularly: we recommend you watch our video on sharpening .
SEE THE GUIDE >
HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR PARING KNIFE?
If you know how to sharpen your tools, we recommend using a straight paring knife (as in the video) or an oblique one . The choice between straight and oblique is based on your preference; the oblique one will allow you to achieve a thinner thickness more easily.
Knives are not the same if you are right-handed or left-handed (especially for oblique blades) : this is indicated in the product sheets. If you are a beginner, we recommend the paring knife with interchangeable blade (no sharpening skills required).
For beginners, we recommend choosing (initially) a "razor-type" paring knife, which is easier to handle. 
HOW DOES A LEATHER SKINNING MACHINE WORK?
Discover the Skimini paring machine (available for sale on our website)! This paring machine comes straight from Japan and can pare leather up to 2.5 mm thick.
LEARN MORE >
WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT LEATHER TRIMMING?
We invite you to read the book "Saddlery-Leathercraft Techniques" which covers sharpening tools, trimming with a trimming blade or machine and using a straightedge.
2 comments
Anonymous
Bonjour JP,
Merci beaucoup ! Le choix du couteau à parer ne se fait pas en fonction de la largeur de la lame qui généralement ne varie pas beaucoup mais davantage par sa forme : si vous savez affûter vos outils nous vous conseillons de prendre un couteau à parer droit (comme sur la vidéo) ou oblique. Le choix entre le droit et l’oblique se fait en fonction de votre préférence, de notre côté nous préférons le “droit”. SI vous débutez le couteau à parer « type rasoir » est vraiment pratique !
Bonne journée, l’équipe Deco Cuir !
Anonymous
Bonjour,
Merci beaucoup pour ce tuto très bien expliqué. Comment choisit-on entre différentes tailles (largeur) de couteau à parer ?