Andrew Chee

Are you ordering a guide? Let us know how their stuff is. Andrew

You should pit up some pics of your machines and someone will be able to identify them for you. Generally speaking, a splitter is used to split a piece of leather from one thickness to a thinner one. A skiver is used to taper the edges of leather usually so the leather can be folded over back on itself to make a nice edge or so the edges of multiple pieces of leather can be glued and sewn together without appearing too bulky. I've heard people use the term skiver when they mean splitter so there may not be a consensus as to the correct terminology. It sounds like both your machines are pull through splitters. With a few exceptions in the bookbinding industry, there really isn't such a thing as a pull through skiver (at least not in the sense I described above). Hope that helps. Andrew

That's a nice guide. Tool bad they don't make something like that for my kind of machine... The one I have works decently though. Only thing is I have to make sure the leather doesn't slip under the roller or else it's kinda pointless. Andrew

Hi Ferg, If you do, let me know how it works. If it works well, let me know if you'd want to build a second one and sell it to me (assuming an affordable price of course). Andrew

It's funny how sometimes you find the answer right after you ask them question. I was looking around for a few days for this but didn't find anything. I asked the question here and then googled something else and presto, found the answer. They're called Leather Folding Machines (duh). Seems like Randall Campbell carries them. The basic models fold leather in a straight line. You can find some info on them from the links below. http://www.bibomec.it/pages/FSOPENENG.HTM http://www.bimac.info/index_Page3127.htm I called up Randall cause I was curious how much something like this would cost. And not surprisingly (as it always seems the case with function specific leather tools) it was pretty expensive. $1000+. Anyways, here's the info for those who are curious. Andrew

Hello all, I was looking at a video on Youtube and there was a tool I saw that was used to turn edges. I've never seen one of these before. Does anyone know what it is. Please check out the video link below and look at the tool used at 2:05. Thanks. Andrew

Can you guys describe the milled leather from W&C? Is it just regular veg tan tooling leather but milled softer? Is it much softer than regular? Is the surface appearance the same as non milled stuff? Do they do this with any of their other leathers like their bridle leather or is it just with the tooling/strap leather? Thanks. Andrew

It's interesting. I've noticed that not a lot of folks on this site do this type if high end bag work. I have not idea where to get stuff like this either but please post if you ever fInd out. I'd be interested but unfortunately I'll probably never be able to afford/justify equipment like this. Andrew

Just FYI to everyone. I got the swing away arm from Greg at Keystone sewing. Installed it today. I required me to drill and tap one hole in the machine as well as route out a small section of the table where head sits. Not too bad. I think the results are pretty good. Nice thing is that I can put in a straight edge guide if I want and I suppose I could, in the future, put in a binder attachment if I need that as well. Thanks Greg for the work. Andrew

There are a few dealers that frequent this board and are very well regarded here. Steve from Cobra machine is one of them. Is the machine necessarily better then a Cowboy or a Techsew? Maybe not. They are all Chinese clones of the same Juki 441 class machines. A few of these dealers are quite well regarded on this board. I don't think you'd go wrong with buying from any one of them. Specifically concerning Cobra machines, I've purchased a few machines from Steve and have found him to be very honest and straightforward. I've never purchased from any of the other dealers on this board but the few that I've talked to have all been very helpful as well. If the Cobra class 4 style of machine is what you're looking for, I think the main choices you have are the Cowboy 4500, Artisan Toro 4000, Cobra Class 4, or Techsew 5100 (or spend more on the name brand Juki). They are all comparably set up and comparably priced. They all get their machines from China and then go over them and adjust them to make sure they're working well before sending them off to customers. I think ultimately the choice may come down to where you live and shipping costs. I live in the SF/Oakland area so Steve was a more logical choice for me because of shipping charges. Hope this helps. Andrew

Just curious, have you ever tried running something like CO2 through the air assist to minimize/eliminate charring? I am interested in using a laser cutter to cut patterns out since it basically would let me quickly and precisely prototype new patterns. The charring concerns me though since no one wants their edges to look burnt. Thanks. Andrew

I was looking for the exact same thing a little while back. I had the Tandy ones and they only put flat cut edges. I have since purchased edgers from Jeremiah Watts (Horseshoe brand tools) and Rons tools as well as the bisonette edgers that are made from old cutlery (those were found on eBay). The Watts western edgers, Ron's Montana edger, and the bisonette edgers all do a rounded edge. I haven't tried any other ones so I can't speak for those. I found that for me, the edger to choose depended on how thick the leather I needed to edge. the Ron's Montana edgers have very short toes so they are good with thinner leathers. The Watts edger and the eBay Bisonette edgers are also good but won't really work on stuff thinner than maybe 6oz because the longer toes will hit the table before the cutting edge reaches the leather. Bisonettes are easier to use cause they cut whether you push or pull the edger. But on the other hand, they are harder to sharpen because of the nature of the geometry of the cutting edge. I find myself using the Ronstool edgers more now because I work on thin stuff a lot right now. Their smallest edger will edge leather that is 2oz thin. But on the other hand, they are the most expensive of the lot. Hope this helps. Andrew

I have a 5'x3' work bench and I covered the whole thing with an 1/8" thick piece of cutting board material (same as your standard white cutting board) and it works great. If you have a TAP plastics store near you they can cut the piece to the exact size you want. Andrew

Thanks, I just got the thing disassembled (mostly). I was gonna use brake cleaner fluid and a brillo pad to clean the parts but steam cleaning sounds a lot easier. BTW, any particular oil you guys recommend for protecting the surface as well as any particular grease for the gears? Thanks. Andrew

Hm... I've never heard of steam cleaning. Will it get all the crud and oil out of all the nooks and crannies? I don't want to paint it, just clean it and I couldn't think of any way of getting to the parts inside without taking it apart. Do you know what kind of mechanic I would call for this? I've never heard of such a thing. Thanks. Andrew

I just purchased an American leather splitter. Everything is in goof condition but the thing is extremely dirty. Looks like it hasn't been cleaned in like 50 years. There's some light pitting but not tht big a deal. I want to wake the thing apart and give it a good cleaning. I've started the disassembly but I can't figure out how to take the gear assembly off. Anyone know how to do this? Andrew

I know that this is an old post but out of curiosity, how are lasers for cutting out leather? Does it char and darken the edges of the leather? I wouldn't mind being able to cut 4 to 8oz veg tan leather with a laser but I'm afraid that it would char the edges. Thanks. Andrew

Hm... Although I'm not terribly keen on the green and gold color scheme I wouldn't mind getting the machine fully restored. Doesnanyone know of professional services that do that? I don't trust my ability in this. Thanks. Andrew

Give Steve at Leather Machine Co. a call (www.leathermachineco.com). He's in LA and specializes in machines for leather. Good guy to talk to. Looking at your bag, you should definitely be able to find something that will sew that for under $1500 especially if he has something used. Andrew

Thanks. I had the blade professionally sharpened by a tool sharpening company so it should be good to go. What did you do to your splitter? How come it's gold and green? Andrew

Interesting. Will they also split the leather and refinish the flesh side? Might be worth considering if they do. Andrew

Not sure what your budget is but check out something like the Techsew 2700. Not sure what exact machine that it's a clone of but It's a cylinder bed machine designed for light to medium leather that might fit your needs. Andrew

The thing about flatbed industrial sewing machines is that they really aren't "that" big. They're certainly bigger than home machines but the sewing machine heads themselves aren't really that big. It's the stupid sewing machine tables themselves. They're basically all standardized to about 4 feet long by about 2 feet wide. I don't know if you can even find anything smaller. On a Cobra or Artisan Toro, they have specialized tables because they are cylinder bed machines which makes them a bit smaller footprint wise even though the machines themselves are bigger. I suppose that industrial sewing machines and stuff are designed with standardized factories in mind and not small timers like us with limited workshop space. I recently bought a skiver from cobra steve. The machine itself was actually rather compact (maybe 20" long) but it came on a standardized sewing machine table that was 4ft. long. I ended up sawing the table down, removing the K legs, and mounting it on a bench I had against the wall. Saved a lot of space. But I digress. I noticed that you mentioned that you sewed belts, and bags up to about 8oz weight total. Honestly if you don't go heavier than that and you don't go heavier than say a 138 thread (which would probably look very nice in a bag), you can probably get away with something like a Sailrite LS1 if you add one of those powerplus wheels and smooth presser feet. You can probably find those machines on Craigslist for a pretty decent price (I almost bought one recently for like $350). Something like a Consew 205 or 206 size machine would be much better but then you're talking about more money and larger footprint (because of the stupid table). Hard to find something perfect I guess. 8oz total is not terribly thick and would be a bit of overkill to buy a Cowboy 4500 or Cobra class 4 for something like that. Especially if you plan on sewing even thinner stuff with smaller thread. Anything under a 138 thread isn't really in the comfort zone of these big machines. I have an Artisan Toro 3000 (same as a Cowboy 3000 or a Cobra class 3) and it takes a lot of adjustment to get it to use smaller threads and thinner leathers. I ended up getting a smaller machine to sew lighter stuff. On the other hand, if you think that you might want to sew heavier stuff like holsters in the future which would require at least a 207 thread, then something like one of these heavier machines would be necessary. Anyways, these have been my experience. I originally purchased the heavier Toro 3000 thinking that it should be able to sew from thick to (somewhat) light. And while that is technically true, I've since learned that it is not really practical. There's really no one machine that can do everything. I have two machines now and I'm pretty happy with both of them. I've found that a lot of folks on this forum do a lot of saddle and holster work and are therefore justifiably drawn to heavier weight machines and recommend them. They're great machines but may or may not be right for you depending on what you work on. Andrew

That's a neat idea but it doesn't swing away. I need something that can swing away if I need to move away from the edge in the middle of a stitch but then can swing back when I get back onto the edge. I've ordered one from Greg at Keystone. It'll cost me something around $50-60 and I'll have to drill and tap a hope in my machine but at least I'll get something that works. I'm having him set it up so it can take either a straight or a roller guider. Hope it turns out well. Andrew

I bought an Artisan Toro 3000 a little while back. It sews great for thicker stuff. I tried going down to two layers of 3-4oz veg tan with a 92 thread and it took a lot of tension adjustment. Then if I wanted to go to a thicker thread and thicker material, I would have to spend a lot of time readjusting the tension again. These machines are designed for heavier thread and when you go down too light, it becomes difficult to adjust the tension so that you get the knot sitting inside the material. I currently have the machine set up for 138 thread and it does a nice job anywhere from 2 to 6 layers of 4oz veg tan. I ended up buying a Cobra class 17 machine for my lighter material. When I sew a single layer of 4 oz (like if I turn an edge and want to topstitch the turn) I use the class 17 with 69 thread. I can also use this to sew canvas liners for bags which the Toro would definitely not be good for and my wife's home machine can't handle (especially near the zippers). It works much better that way. I'm personally more of a hobbyist than a manufacturer so I switch thread thicknesses and materials all the time depending on the particular project that I'm working on. I originally bought the heavier machine with a similar rationale as you. I thought I'd get a heavier class machine thinking that a heavier machine should also be able to sew thinner material whereas the reverse would definitely not be true. I've found out since that although technically true, it's not very practical because of all the adjustments you would have to make between sizes. Because of that I bought I bought the second machine. Although I ended up spending more money then I originally had hoped to spend, I'm pretty happy with the setup since I can get a good stitch with whatever I'm working on without a lot of fuss. Reading your message makes me think that you're not really sewing material that's that light. 3/16 is still 12oz total. So assuming you're not going below a 138 thread on that you should be able to stick with one machine. Anyways, I hope my story gives you some perspective. Andrew