The paring knife is a tool used in leather goods to thin the edge of pieces of leather: leather paring.
It is useful for assembly: sewing 2 pieces of leather together without creating extra thickness ( thinning the leather ) but also for finishing edges ( making a hem ).
PREPARING THE LEATHER - THINNING IT
It is important to practice paring the leather and to have the right movement: the index and middle fingers must be on the blade (the tool is held in the palm of the hand).
BUILDING A RIM:
The rimmed ruler can help you gain precision thanks to its two perforated sides of 5 and 7 mm.
VIDEO: HOW TO USE A PARING KNIFE? LEARN HOW TO PARING LEATHER IN 3 MINUTES.
PARING KNIFE CARE
The paring knife needs to be sharpened very regularly: we advise you to watch our video on sharpening .
SEE THE GUIDE >
Tool sharpening and leather trimming training
We offer training courses on honing and sharpening at our premises in Loire-Atlantique. More information here:
HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR PARING KNIFE?
If you know how to sharpen your tools, we recommend using a straight (like the one in the video) or angled paring knife . The choice between straight and angled depends on your preference; the angled knife will allow you to achieve a thinner edge more easily.
Knives differ depending on whether you are right-handed or left-handed (especially for angled blades) : this is indicated in the product descriptions. If you are a beginner, we recommend a paring knife with an interchangeable blade (no sharpening skills required).
For beginners, we advise you to choose (initially) a "razor-type" paring knife which is easier to handle. 
HOW DOES A LEATHER SKINNING MACHINE WORK?
Discover the Skimini skiving machine (available on our website)! This skiving machine comes straight from Japan and allows you to skive leathers up to 2.5 mm thick.
LEARN MORE >
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT LEATHER SKINNING?
We invite you to read the book "Techniques of saddlery and leather goods" which covers tool sharpening, paring with a paring blade or machine and the use of the rim rule.
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 ?