Trimming and Molding tool. Need Help!

[Experimenter]

I'm trying to figure out what the proper tool would fit my purpose. If you have any non-power and powered tool suggestions, please list the tool name and brand if applicable.

I have a shoe with a complete sole and heel that looks to be made as one whole solid piece on the bottom.

The front sole measure about 1.25" and the back heel about 2.00". I want to trim down the heel to 1.25". I would assume the material is made of some sort of durable plastic that is used to make the bottoms of shoes.

What tool would be appropriate to first trim and layer down the back heel so it matches the front soles height? I'm looking for a power tool that is very easy to use and hopefully time efficient for this type of situation. I'm also looking for a tool that could wear down the shoes inner (toward the knees) soles a bit as well. I plan on doing this to a few shoes.

I know this is a woods category but I would think someone has enough knowledge to answer this question. Thank you in advance.

 

[Burnerman]

Have you considered a combined disc sander / belt linisher such as Screwfix's 52590?

 

[big-all]

the heel is quite likley to be part hollow so dependand on what your trying to do you may have to make allowances

also keep in mind if you measure the sole at the side the shoe goes into this space by probably 1/3 to 2/3rds depth

 

[Experimenter]

Thanks, I took a look at the Titan D15-B10-A Belt & Disc Sander you mentioned. I think this would be good for wearing down the shoe to smooth the edges carefully after I've removed a good chunk of the shoe heel and midsole. Is there a non-power or powered tool that would be efficient and safe to cut/slice a huge measured out portion of a shoe bottom heel/sole without jerking or jamming during the process? I read the comment about the shoe heel might be part hollow but I'm assuming this is completely solid bottom front to back and if it turns out to be partly hollow that is perfectly fine. The shoes are pretty cheap at about $20 bucks each so I'm willing to experiment on them a bit without must risk. I'm planning on eventually trying my final tests out on the shoe I really want to get which costs significantly more, so I don't want to experiment on the expensive shoes first with my trial and error attempts.

In case the shoe bottom may have some hollow parts. Are there any suggested materials anyone here can recommend to fill it up with that is safe and won't make a mess and stays solid over time and hopefully light in weight? Thanks in advance.

 

[big-all]

you need to be realy carefull the shoes can have tacks and steel plates in them to give strength to the instep thus just by cutting the heel level with the sole wont nessiserily work as the metal will hold the remaining heel at an angle causing flexing and probable fracture it
also likley to disloge the plate from the shoe and be uncomfortable to walk on

 

[Experimenter]

Thanks for your responses thus far everyone.

I've received a lot of responses worried I might cut into some metal shaft or dislodge a metal plate that could be supporting the shoe. The shoes I'm experimenting on will not kill my bank account. But from what I can tell so far I doubt there is any metal in the bottom of the shoe. I believe it's made of one solid rubber mass or whatever material it's composed of. Here's a link to one of the shoes with the same material as the shoe I'm experimenting on. If you can imagine another shoe just like it with a 2.0 inch heel and the front sole is about 1.25 inches. Midsole is approximately 1.5 inches. My goal is try and make the entire bottom of the shoe 1.25 inches uniform. The rear of the shoe might feel like you're leaning back a little when standing in it but that's perfectly fine with what I'm trying to accomplish.

Link to similar shoe I'm working on below:
Boxer Black

http://grindersfootwear.com/onlines...age=product_info&cPath=3_19_11&products_id=22

 

[big-all]

the ones we have here are "dr martens" with "airsoles"
http://www.shoesinternational.co.uk/ranges.cfm?manID=23

the soles are stiched on they say to use a hot knife to repair

i would suggest you cut off the heal at around 3/4 inch cut away sidewalls untill you have the flat heal then remove enough off the sidewalls on the shoe for the heal to sit flush then use a hot knife or contact adhesive to glue together

a shoe repair shop will do this for you in no time for the cost off a normal heal repair

 

[Experimenter]

Just so I understand the shoe terminology correctly. Sidewalls means the sides of sole or in this case the sides of the rear sole aka the heel?

The way I was thinking of doing it was to measure out from the rear exactly to 1.25" and marker it and cut exactly in from that point.

Do you have any recommendations for the proper tools to be used to cut into this kind of material easily either with a non-powered or powered-tool? Hopefully a safe and easy/efficient tool. Price may not be a huge factor since I am going to be working on maybe a dozen shoes at most so getting a machine that works to my goal would be a godsend for my experiment.

The part where you mention" remove enough off the sidewalls on the shoe for the heel to sit flush then use a hot knife". Are you describing it as if you're cutting into the shoe from the sides of the sole rather than from the rear heel? And the hot knife, is that a special term for a tool? Or is simply a metal blade that's heated up to some temperature that would make the rubber moldable to be manipulated?

Sorry, not an expert in shoe terminology so I welcome whatever advice you have to offer and just trying to understand exactly what you mean. =D

the ones we have here are "dr martens" with "airsoles"
http://www.shoesinternational.co.uk/ranges.cfm?manID=23

the soles are stiched on they say to use a hot knife to repair

i would suggest you cut off the heal at around 3/4 inch cut away sidewalls untill you have the flat heal then remove enough off the sidewalls on the shoe for the heal to sit flush then use a hot knife or contact adhesive to glue together

a shoe repair shop will do this for you in no time for the cost off a normal heal repair

 

[big-all]

you want the heel to be level with the sole off the shoe

the bottom off the heel will be a given thickness before it turns hollow
you need to cut near the bottom off the heel in the hollow bit above the solid bit
say your heel base is 15mm thich after trimming you need to remove 15mm from the upper part to allow the heel to go flush with the rest off the sole

now you may find there is more sollid material on the heel than you want so you either live with a few millimeters proud or remove the extra

a very sharp craft knife or maybe a large hacksaw[metal saw] may be your best options

 

[Norcon]

This is wood and carpentry, not the cobblers forum.

 

[mattylad]

Use a bandsaw.
Quick & easy.

 

[TicklyT]

One snag I can see is the shape of shoes. They are probably designed so the wearers toes are parallel to the floor whilst standing in them.

Reduce the height of the heel, and the wearer ends up standing with their toes turned upwards.