Hand Tools · Reference table · 3 min read

Awls and Needles: Opening a Hole Without Cutting One

An awl is not a punch. A punch removes leather; an awl pushes fibres aside and, when the leather is dry, lets them close back around the thread. That difference is the whole reason a hand-sewn seam holds better than a machine-sewn one, and it is why the awl has to be polished rather than sharp.

By The Leather Bench · Published 2026-10-05

Awls and Needles: Opening a Hole Without Cutting One

Hole array drawn from the spacing in the spec table; dimensions in millimetres.

Reference table Awl blade to thread to hide

Awl blade to thread to hide
Awl bladeBlade width (mm)ThreadHide weightUse
Fine1.50.45 mm2.5/3 – 3/4 ozWatch straps, small goods, single-hole opening
Medium2.00.6 mm3/4 – 4/5 ozThe bench default for wallets and bags
Hafted round2.50.8 mm5/6 – 6/7 ozBelts, collars, tool rolls, three-layer stacks
Heavy3.01.0 mm8/9 oz and upAxe sheaths, harness, wet-moulded work

Bench sequence in the order the bench asks for it

  1. The blade has to be smooth, not sharp

    A stitching awl blade is a tapered diamond that should slide through leather with almost no resistance when it is properly polished. If you can feel it dragging, the blade is either too sharp or has a burr. A sharp awl cuts the fibres you need intact, and the thread then has nothing to grip.

    Polish a new blade on a strop with compound, ten passes per face, and re-polish every few hours of use. This is the tool that people sharpen and then wonder why their seams go slack. Stainless is the wrong material for an awl blade — it will not hold a polish as long as high-carbon steel.

  2. Working the awl: two rules

    Rule one: the awl goes in at the same angle as the pricking iron, which is perpendicular unless you angled the iron on purpose. Rule two: the awl opens only the hole the needle is about to use — one hole ahead of the front needle, never the whole seam at once. Punching 40 holes and then sewing them means the first 30 have closed again by the time you reach them.

    On thick work, dampen the leather slightly before the last 5 mm of the awl pass. A little moisture lubricates the fibres and the awl comes through cleanly. Soaking is not needed and will swell the leather.

  3. Needle size against hole size

    The needle must pass through the hole without being forced. If it needs pliers, the hole is too small: go up one awl size, or down one thread size. Forcing a needle flattens the thread against the hole wall and removes about a third of the stitch strength, which is invisible until the seam fails.

    Two needles per seam, both the same size. Mixed sizes make the stitch slant uneven on the two faces of the work, which shows on any wallet that is opened flat. On a 0.6 mm thread and 3.38 mm pitch, both needles should be size 003.

  4. Storage, and the blunted tip

    Store awls in a block or a roll with the point down and protected. A blade dropped on a concrete floor rolls the point, and a rolled point tears rather than separates fibres. It can be restored on a strop in about ten minutes, but most people do not notice it for weeks.

    Replace a hafted awl when the blade has lost more than 20 mm of its length to repeated polishing. A short blade changes the angle you work at and the holes start going in at the wrong depth. Awl blades are cheap; a slack seam is not.

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