Free falconer's tool

Jess & Anklet Template Maker

Pick your bird, choose a pattern, fine-tune the sizes, then print a 1:1 blueprint to cut your own Aylmeri anklets, button jesses, one-piece anklet + jess combos, or traditional jesses.

Bird

Selecting a bird resets the sliders to its defaults.

Pattern

Units

Adjust

C: between grommets (leg circumference + ease)2"

Wrap a string around the leg, measure it, then go one or two 1/8″ steps larger.

W: strip width3/4" (0.75)

About 1 to 1.5 leg-widths tall.

Grommet size

Removable (T slit)Pointed ends, a T slit by one grommet and pull-through notches by the other, so the anklet comes off without cutting.Dog-bone endsFlared ends with a narrower waist, common on #1 and larger.Edge cutsNicks so the strip rolls smoothly around the leg.Bell / transmitter holeExtends each end into a tab with a small eyelet inline below the jess grommet.

Print at 100% / actual size and turn off “fit to page”. Check the ruler on the sheet against a real one before cutting.

Cut file: solid shapes and white lines are cuts, blue lines are fold guides (set to Score), red circles are awl marks (too small to blade-cut in leather). After importing, verify one dimension against the blueprint before cutting. A Cricut Maker with the knife blade handles kangaroo weights; Explore machines only manage thin garment leather.

Stencil: a 2 mm plate in millimetres with the holes and slits cut through. Printers hold size far better than a paper print, so trace the outline and mark the holes and slits through it, then punch. Fold lines and edge cuts are not modelled; mark those from the blueprint.

Making notes

Grommet #1: 5/16" hole, ≈11/16" flange. One grommet is set through both end holes (permanent); for a removable anklet set a grommet in each end and hold them together with the jess button.
Size C is the leg circumference plus ease; choose one or two 1/8" steps larger than the measured leg so the anklet can rotate freely.
Removable T-slit: cut the T on the centreline next to one grommet (punch the small relief hole first, then the stem, then the crossbar toward the grommet). The notched end passes through the slit and the grommets are set through both layers; to remove, pull the notched end back out.
Grain: cut the strip across the hide's stretch direction; oil and pre-stretch kangaroo before punching.
Leather for this bird: Kangaroo, heavy 1.0–1.2 mm. Vegetable-tanned, oiled and pre-stretched; never chrome-tanned or waterproofed.

Sizes are compiled from published vendor charts (Prime Falconry, Midnight Falconry, Western Sporting, Mike's, Northwoods), state falconry guidelines and rehab manuals, cross-checked against USGS band sizes. They are starting points; every bird is different, so fit on the bird before cutting your good hide. If you have corrections, let us know.