Strop Making

It takes only a few minutes, even with dadoes and such. You can still clamp it in the vise if you want/need to. Strops work best in a side-swipe fashion and not well front to back or pulling towards you standing in front of the bench.

I have always made strop making simple by using double-sided tape to fix the leather to the strop block. It works fine but with the pressure of stopping long term the leather starts to loosen at the corners and it does get gouged from time to time which results in bumps in the surface.

The sizes are of course variable according to space you have but this one works very well for me. Square up, surface plane the edges and use solid wood or plywood according to preference. The dado is about 5/16" deep but I went to a particular strata. Also, the plywood splits all the way across at one level when you push in with the chisel. That's what makes it quick.

Pre-drill the stop block with 3/16" holes 3/4" in from the ends and countersink.

Attach to the end of the strop piece using PVA glue and screws.

Use the square and knife to establish the first knifewall 1" from one end...

...and then make a second one 3/16" from that one, so 1 3/16" from the same end.

Space 10" to establish the knifewall at the opposite end...

...and then a second one, 3/16" from that one.

Use a dovetail guide for the 1:7 ratio angle, or use a sliding bevel.

Saw down, inside the knifewalls across the grain.

Remove the waste between the knifewalls down to the 5/16" depth.

Cover the surface of the strop, between the dadoes, with two-sided tape.

Stretch the leather across the surface. Starts in the middle and stretch towards the dadoes.

Press the leather down into the dadoes.

Cut off the excess in the bottom of the dadoes with a sharp knife,

Fit strips of wood to suit the grooves. It should be snug but not too tight.

Establish the height of the retainer strips and mark with a knife.

Rip to width.

Drive the inserts into the groove and tighten down with a hammer.

Flip the strop over onto a scrap of wood and trim the leather to width.

Apply a coat of finish such as waterborne clear varnish. This will keep the strop clean.