Need some Help about a leather splitter/skiver

[Tina]

OK, so I'm looking into this "little" splitter thingie.

What I can find out there is 3 makers out there (?)

Osbourne...the only new one is the 6" model 86 (at least in the catalogue I have at home from them)

Heritage®...has a copy of 8" Osbourne model 84 (I don't know which company makes this one cuz nothing turnes up in a google search but Weaver has it)

Craftool®...has a copy of 8" Osbourne model 84

I need some input from users of which one to get and why:-)

[Bob]

Tina, those are great questions to ask. But to buy something that will work best for you, years from now. You must ask yourself. What kinds of leather/rawhide work am I going to be doing?

I prefer the older splitters made years ago, because they seem to have used better/harder steel than nowadays. There's lots of great used equipment available for sale.

One other things is, how much shop/bench space can you spare to mount this on? It should be mounted something solid to stay.

A 6 inch osborne would be a great place to start, it's small enough to take little space, easy to use and quite abit cheaper then some others.

How big of pieces do you plan on splitting?

One of the biggest hurdles I've seen with many leather workers is sharpening their tools. Most don't take the time and effort to get them sharp. Thats the most important thing with splitters, you will have much more pleasure from using something thats sharp.

Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox. Gotta get back to work.

[Tina]

Tina, those are great questions to ask. But to buy something that will work best for you, years from now. You must ask yourself. What kinds of leather/rawhide work am I going to be doing?

I prefer the older splitters made years ago, because they seem to have used better/harder steel than nowadays. There's lots of great used equipment available for sale.

One other things is, how much shop/bench space can you spare to mount this on? It should be mounted something solid to stay.

A 6 inch osborne would be a great place to start, it's small enough to take little space, easy to use and quite abit cheaper then some others.

How big of pieces do you plan on splitting?

One of the biggest hurdles I've seen with many leather workers is sharpening their tools. Most don't take the time and effort to get them sharp. Thats the most important thing with splitters, you will have much more pleasure from using something thats sharp.

Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox. Gotta get back to work.

Great Thanks for your input:-)

I have the space to mount a big one (8") and I want something to last me a lifetime and is easy/easier to use. Eventually I would like to learn how to make saddles and I might need a bigger one for that (?) As long as some dollars is going into a tool like this the difference in money vercas size is of a smaller importance.

The sun is shining on Michigan today and it's beautiful, whishing this for everyone:-)

Edited August 16, 2008 by Tina

[greg gomersall]

Tina; The heritage and craftool 8" splitters do not have as much taper or angle to the blade as the original model 86 has which means even when sharp it takes a harder pull than with the original. The osborne 84 has a good taper to the blade. There is an origianl osborne 86 on ebay right now that appears to be in premium condition. Greg

[bruce johnson]

Tina,

I had one of the TLF "professional" splitters. It was just OK, and after I sold it the guy who bought it did the maching work to get it right. Right now Campbell-Randall is selling probably the best new one. I am with Greg and Bob though, you can find a good used older one that you will be happy with for the same or less money. The few dollars you spend buying from one of the guys with a good rep will pay back. The one on ebay right now is one of the better ones to come along in a while.

[Tina]

Tina; The heritage and craftool 8" splitters do not have as much taper or angle to the blade as the original model 86 has which means even when sharp it takes a harder pull than with the original. The osborne 84 has a good taper to the blade. There is an origianl osborne 86 on ebay right now that appears to be in premium condition. Greg

Thank you Greg for sharing your knollage, otherwise it would be lodgical to think they have the same angle on the blade and so on. I'll keep track of the ones "on sale" :-)

[Bree]

I bought a Weaver Skiver today. I could have bought the Craftsman for $50 less but Vernon convinced me that the Weaver machine was a better deal despite being more expensive. The lifetime guarantee sure didn't hurt their cause!

[kseidel]

For pull thru style splitters, I prefer the "chase" splitters. They have two rollers... one on top and one on the bottom. The blade is thinner and has a long hollow ground bevel. Kept sharp and polished smooth they will pull full width easily. I have a 10 inch and a 14 inch.

Kings in Sheridan is selling splitters that Don had collected. There are dozens of them, chase, osborn, krebbs and others, in various stages of condition. Priced right if you have the ability to restore them to using condition. Bob Douglas has some that have been re-conditioned and are ready to use.

Keith