Why I Added a Die Cutting Press to My Leather Workshop

It Is Time… (a.k.a. The Day the Die Press Arrived)

Things are going well. I've hit the Christmas run-up, I'm learning the craft, honing my skills, paying my dues - all the good, noble stuff. After a bit of quiet contemplation, I decided: it was time.

I'd been putting off this purchase for a while. Not because I didn't want it, but because I didn't want to take a shortcut before I'd earned it. I wanted the skills to justify the tool, not use the tool to cut corners - literally and otherwise.

But it was time.

Enter: The Die Cutting Press

So I bought a die cutting press. Not just any press, either - I went for the VEVOR 3-tonne, 14.2" x 10.2" model. The big one. It comes with:

i: A manganese base plate
ii: A 3,303lb press limit
iii: A weight north of 40kg
iv: Enough presence to make my tool chest nervous

This wasn't just a tool. It felt like a statement.

Now… Where Do I Put It?

Originally I had this idea that the press would be mobile - use it, tuck it away, tidy workshop forever. Then it arrived. At over 40kg, that plan died on the spot. I'm not carrying that back and forth every time I want to punch leather.

So after some staring into space, I settled on an assembly-line layout: press next to the tool chest and the pillar drill. Efficient, logical. One small problem: there was nothing there to put it on.

Heath Robinson to the Rescue

In proper Heath Robinson fashion, I bodged together a bench extension out of old pallet wood and a fair bit of optimism.

Was it pretty? No.
Was it square? Also no.
Did it work? Absolutely.

And just like that, the benchtop was done.

The Lift (or: A Test of Mortality)

With the bench ready, all that was left was getting the press from the workshop floor up onto it.

I braced myself, and in one swift motion, the press went from floor to bench. No hesitation, no turning back - and a few worrying cracking noises that I'm fairly sure came from me, not the press.

Victory (Questionable, but Real)

And there it was - press in place, me still standing, if a little worse for wear.

Another good day in the workshop. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got leather to crush.