Rotary Punch

A rotary punch is a plier-shaped tool with a wheel of different-sized hollow punch tubes mounted on one jaw and a flat anvil plate on the other. Squeeze the handles, and whichever tube is currently rotated into position presses through the leather against the anvil, cutting a clean round hole. Because it works like a hand punch pliers rather than requiring a mallet strike, it's fast, quiet, and easy to use one-handed — a good fit for thinner leather and softer hides where a drive punch and mallet would be overkill.

It struggles on thick or very firm leather, where the hand strength needed to close the jaws becomes impractical — that's the point at which a drive punch and mallet takes over.

How to use it

1. Rotate the wheel until the punch tube size you need lines up flush with the anvil plate.
2. Mark your hole locations with a ruler or template first, especially for anything that needs to be evenly spaced (like belt holes).
3. Position the tube directly over the mark and squeeze the handles firmly and evenly until you feel it break through.
4. Placing a thin scrap of leather between the anvil and your workpiece can leave a cleaner exit hole and helps protect the anvil's finish over time.

Care

Wipe the tool down after use to remove leather dust and any dye or finish residue that transferred from the leather. Store it somewhere dry, since the small punch tubes can rust, and rust on the cutting edge is much harder to fully clean out than on a flat blade. If a tube starts leaving ragged rather than clean holes, it usually needs replacing rather than sharpening, since most rotary punch tubes aren't designed to be resharpened.