Ferg

Bruce, You are correct the one I had was a 5 in 1. I refurbished it with intent to sell it which I did. Thus, my slightly vague comments concerning part of the machine. Have trouble finding my way home sometimes so any loss of memory is normal. LOL ferg

I am not one to suggest machines in your list. That said, true to several posts on this forum, searching the archives for what you want is a little intimidating. Most every machine revued/sold by member dealers is top notch. Obviously there are a number of different machines that will do different things better. When looking for a heavy machine you should be looking at 441 clones or similar machines that will sew 1/2" thickness of hard leather at least. Remember, most of the heavy stitchers will not sew thread below #138. ferg quote name='StNicky' timestamp='1339347500' post='251984'] I have searched around a little, and read and reread everything I came across re best machines including Wiz's invaluable series re the basics of a good leather machine.....BUT...I guess because of the advertisers.....I can find no list of all the brands and different models thereof that are suitable for heavy leather work and which are the most highly rated. Does anyone know of such a list? I would be glad to assemble such a list- Brand/Model/feed/max sew thickness/durablility/and some other important aspects, if the members want to nominate all the machines they consider qualify as an industrial strength leather capable sewing machine.

Bruce, The three functions are as follows. Skiver for soles so the shoe sole thins at the heel, trimmer for trimming shoe soles after the sole had been sewn, and I just had one of my many senior moments and cannot remember the name of the apparatus on top. It is used to press the edge of the shoe sole together. I tried it, really worked.Also, the sole trimmer is used to cut the blank for the shoe sole. Pretty much makes it a 4 in 1. LOL Mine was a Landis, I am sure had Memphis on it for manufacturing site. ferg

As you can tell from the photo I sent previously, my 3in 1 was not configured this way. I think the one I had was made in Memphis. Does that sound "kosher" ? ferg quote name='bruce johnson' timestamp='1339349837' post='251986'] I am starting at new thread on comparing two crank skivers I have with pictures. The American is my own user and a Model B with a 2-1/2" blade. The hand lever will open the gap between the rollers. This skiver I modified. The top wheel was milled originally. I took the teeth down to make it smooth. The blade angle adjusts with two eccentrics. One is under the hex head bolt to the left of th etable in the rear view of it. The other is under the lower slot head bolt to the right. Loosening the bolts and then turning the eccentrics changes the balde angle. There is a view with the blade leveled for splitting too. The Landis is one I just got. It has a 1-3/4 blade. The blade angle is adjusted by the hex heads in the slots - two on the left and one on the right. This one will level up too.

Bruce, I fiddled with mine a number of times trying to get it to cut level to no avail. It had a bolt that tightened the blade. You loosened it and turned an eccentric to change, retightened the bolt to use it. i bought a new blade for it but it would not handle chrome tanned that I had very well. The serrated roller was worn on it somewhat, cleaned and done some re-adjusting, it worked fine. I tried it on a piece of leather about the thickness of a shoe sole, it skived the edge perfectly. ferg

Bruce, The 3in1 I rebuilt had adjustments on it that would not enable flat even thickness skiing. The adjustment was actually eccentric. My understanding, when I spoke to a gentleman at Pilgrim, the skiver was intended for shoe work, explicitly the sole. That of course doesn't mean it couldn't and hasn't been used otherwise. The unit I rebuilt was a Landis. ferg

I think you have a Skiver not a splitter. The blade will not cut level/flat edge to edge. Adjustments on the little table make it skive a different amount from the edge of the leather. This is what it looks like to me. I rebuilt a 3 in 1. ferg

We ship thousands of packages, very few via UPS. They have gotten so expensive we just ship USPS (Post Office), First Class and Priority. They provide free boxes. I do know, the UPS Stores charge a premium. I think it is 35% above standard charges. Your $52 seems out of "Kilter" for sure. ferg

I don't have a Cobra or 441 clone of any kind but I do have a Consew 206RB5 and a Seiko CW8B1. Consew is a Flatbed, Seiko a cylinder arm. Wiz is familiar with both machines. The Consew came from a dealer in California. I requested a Servo Motor which works perfectly for me. I also have a speed reducer on this machine, couldn't do a darn thing with it if I didn't have the reducer. I can slow it down to one stitch at a time or let it run like a rabbit, it is 3/4 HP. This machine will sew 3/8" thickness with no problem. The Seiko came from Bob at Toledo. One of Bob's Servo motors. Wiz told me to set the speed dial in the middle, that works perfect for me with one exception, when sewing 1/4" of leather I need to increase the speed dial some so I have enough torque. Part of the time I have to give the wheel a quick pull for it to sew and still be slow as I wish it to be. If there is any difference in these two Servos at all, the one on the Consew may be a little bit more powerful. If I was doing leather work for a living I would certainly have one of the "Professional" Servos. Just my .02. BTW: I have communicated with Wiz frequently as well as talking with him personally while at Toledo. I have learned more than I could have imagined from Wiz and Bob. They have never hesitated to answer any of my multitude of questions with expert guidance. I am also sure that Steve, Ronnie, Greg and all of the remainder of dealers and professionals have the same mind set. ferg

That looks like a speed changer to my old eyes. Some I remember had a trigger like apparatus that made the belt move from one size pulley to another. ferg

You will find the self centering punches in woodworking catalogs as well as metal working catalogs. The punch actually slides inside of the barrel. The end of the unit is made so it centers in a hole. http://www.garrettwade.com/product.asp?pn=35K08.01&ch=10S09.09&EID=W6061011&SID=W6061011&utm_source=googlepla&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CPmf5qTEqLACFUMCQAodTyDXUQ http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-58-013-Self-Centering-Screw-Punch/dp/B00002X1YB I have one of the Stanley punches. Have had it for 40 years, use it occasionally in the shop, works fine. I believe an Ace Hardware or possibly Lowe's, Home Depot, or Menards would have them. ferg

Don't mean to make your day bad, we carry $2,000,000 liability. Have never in 35 years needed it but I can only imagine what would happen if some idiot decided to sue and we weren't covered. Your cost may be decided depending on your yearly sales, ours is. ferg

I guess that could be from a "Paint" but somehow I doubt it. Looks more like "Hair On" cowhide. I certainly have not seen every hide that has been tanned but I don't believe I have ever seen Horse hide tanned with hair on. Learn something every day? ferg

My experience with most any type of tape used similar to this is the adhesive that stays on the surface of the leather. Best way to reduce the marks, not necessarily eliminate them? Use smooth dogs and/or presser feet. I also use a smooth needle plate with a slot for the needle. Doing this requires lowering or on some machines removal of the feed dogs. If your requirements call for sewing soft leather consistently I would use the smooth feet and slotted plate. The machine will need some adjustment since you do not have ridges on the feet or dogs to move the leather through the machine. ferg

For what it is worth...... I have a Consew 206RB5, love it. I bought mine with a servo motor. Not coming with a servo is Balderdash! There are great Machines other than Cobra. ferg Hello! I am looking to expand my business and it is time to get a machine that is actually deicated to sewing leather. I currently just use my Juki 98q which is great for clothes but is tearing up all my leather projects. I will be sewing mostly soft leather for jewelry but some thicker pieces for bags and such. Right now I am thinking of getting either the Cobra Class 17 or the Consew 206rb. Can anyone compare these two machines? Or if you have another suggestion it would be greatly appreciated. I want to feel sure I'm getting the right one before spending so much money.

You can depress the foot pedal then turn the hand wheel. Should be easy to turn now but only while you depress the pedal. Ferg main concern as of now. the hand wheel is getting hard to turn once in a great while, maybe every 10 rotations, i disconnected the belt and took the needle out to ensure that i wasn't getting friction from that as i was moving the material during my adjustments and it continued to still happen i called a repair guy i knew to see if he could swing by and haven't heard back yet, i have also oiled the machine as per the instructions any ideas? i was hoping to have this operational to get some work done tomorrow thanks

Wiz is best one to help you with this, I a sure he will jump in any minute now ferg

I think the large pieces, notebooks, are a different story. I think they look better if the leather in the spine area is glued but the back needs to be bent at least a third of the way when gluing the liner. ferg

When you make your next wallet liner try this: Do not glue the liner to the back at the "spine". Let the liner move independently of the back at this area. ferg

My observations: Your needle appears to be too large plus the wrong kind/shape for what you are trying to do. Looks as though you have a diamond point, you need a "S" or similar. To select the proper size needle for the thread you are using, thread a needle holding the loose end of the thread up so the needle can slide down thread easily. If it appears to do this too easy try next smaller needle. When you back tack make sure you don't allow the leather to move away from the path you were sewing. When you finish a stitch line move the hand wheel until the "take-up" lever is at the highest point. This will release the bobbin and needle thread so you can pull out 3 or 4 inches to snip. Hope this helps ferg

Check with Bob at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, they have a banner at the top of these pages. ferg

Chris, Fine work and design as usual. ferg

Tanya, Your selection of design is excellent as is your tooling. Very nice. ferg

Randi-Lee, I have a grand daughter in Agriculture College now. She has loved horse since she was a little girl. Her dad says she will need to stick with their Boer Goats until on her own. LOL I have many great memories of growing up with draft horses. You love them, take care of them, they will work without any argument and Love you ten times over. Our big black Percheron colt use to tease me all the time. I was short, only about 12 or 13 years old, he was a good 15 hands. Every time I tried putting a halter on him he stood on my foot, just enough to keep me down. ferg