process of decorating the surface of leather by cutting, stamping, and modeling
Tooling can be done on leather that comes smooth from the tannery, or by a tannery itself, across the whole surface of a hide, which is often called “embossing”.
Knurl — To decorate by use of a wheel or tool, as the edge of soles, etc.
— The Shoe and Leather Lexicon, Fourth Edition, 1918