bruce johnson

There used to be a deal sold that was a roatry shaft tool and reciprocating handpiece with a large collet. They called the "SpeedStamper" and weren't in business very long. I had one and liked if for long beveling especially.

Don't even need to see the video anymore, question comes about once a month and it sure looks handy. I tried to track it down a few years ago. I have asked a few folks in England and even the one I talked to at Jeffries was not real sure where they got the cutter. One guy said he thought it was made by a handyman sort of guy in Walsall. He said it used roller knife blades and spacers between to set the widths, sort of like the strap cutting machines. It really doesn't look all that hard to make knowing that now. He said it was good for fixed widths, but he liked the ability to change widths and used a plough gauge once he left production work.

Awesome work - again - and CONGRATULATIONS!

I like that a lot Little John. The lining cuts are a good touch for sure.

It depends on what kind of leather you are making the binding from. A crank splitter pushes the leather into the blade, so the leather has to be pretty firm or it bunches up against the blade. You can pull a little softer leather with a pull-through, but there is a limit as to how soft you can go there too.

I think you are probably the one who sent me an email this afternoon. I gave you a call back but missed you. I curated an exhibit on old saddle making and leather working tools and use for our local cowboy museum. It was supposed to be a 4 month rotating display and was popular enough they kept it up 9 months. I'd sure be glad to talk to you about how we set it up, and details.

Depends on how much you think you'll use it. A guy can sure make one himself, but that takes time. I think the draw down feature on Ron's is really handy. You can raise and lower it, or spin it and it doesn't change the strap tension. I was a the first Wickenburg show and a stand was not even on my radar screen. I got hung up BSing and my wife went on ahead. She came and grabbed me to go look at Ron's stands.She talked me into it. Never a regret.

First call I'd make tomorrow is Keith Pommer - (605)372-4523

Call Keith Pommer - (605) 372-4523

Used both and wouldn't be without the stand. The cantle binding attachment is a back saver.

Here is a quick sketch of what I was trying to explain regarding the different rounds.

If that is machine belting, it is probably one layer of leather - no folds or gaps to fill in. Just one ply of thick leather that is heavily edged and worked through a rounder. Heavier belting might be folded and stitched in channels top and bottom. Then the excess is trimmed the two cut edges are edge beveled heavily and rounded up. Even heavier round are made of two pieces, The outside is folded around a flat piece, sewn through in channels then trimmed and edged like the folded one piece before it is rounded up

It is a type of a "V gouge. TLF might still sell them.

Once you edge all four edges you are giving it a somewhat rounded profile, especially if you are using an edger that leaves a rounded cut - like a Gomph round bottom edger or equivalent. You start in a larger hole and pull it through a few passes. Then step down a size and repeat until the leather is compressed and round. The deeper moisture is critical to allow the leather to compress and hold that profile.

I cut my lines first and then double bevel them. The tool I prefer is a beveled tickler. It will open the cut line, bevel, and burnish with one tool in a pas or two if the moisture is right. . I bevel the complete length of the lines, then go back and use a seeder at the intersections. Here is a link to my webpage that shows the profile of the beveled ticklers vs. regular ticklers - http://brucejohnsonleather.com/content/index.php/leather_tools_for_sale/leather-ticklers-for-sale/ .

That less than 1/32 of an inch of grain leather provides little strength relative overall to the rest of the thickness of the belting cord. That is kind of the misunderstood parts of leather strength. Yes, the grain section has more strength compared to the same thickness of the flesh leather. Overall the flesh leather adds more strength the thicker it gets. It is true that a folded and sewn round should have more tensile strength than a single ply thicker round, but the cost of producing a round is more then stripping out belting. Single ply belting works well for the intended purpose. Another thing is to have the leather damp wen you pull it through the rounder. You want it to be about the moisture content for edge burnishing. Some people use plain water. The old guy who taught me used water with a little soap in it.

I use the staples like Tree Reaper linked to now once I got a die to set them for my foot press. Before that I used a NevaClog pliers type stapler. In one of the LCSJ articles from the past there was a recommendation for an Arrow pliers stapler that uses heavy staples. You can usually find a NevaClog or two on Ebay at any one time, along with staples. Pretty handy units.

Are there any numbers on it anyplace, maybe under the seat jockey? I doubt it is a Porter. I have a Porter kids kind of saddle and that son of a gun is maker stamped in 5 or 6 places.

I mostly use the standard Osborne blades, the test monkey in the picture happened to have my last Buchman blade. For the OSbornes I take the shoulders down on the bevel and then sharpen out to a foil edge and strop that off. I spend about 2/3 of the time on the part of the blade that faces the handle and 1/3 on the outside. That very empirical and imprecise method gives me the bevel I like for the blade to draw the leather in without binding.

I definitely agree with TXAG, it sounds like a sharpening problem first. The blade needs to be sharp enough that it easily pulls into the leather. The blades never come sharp enough. I am attaching a couple pictures of how I grip one also. I point my index finger down the right side of the handle. My middle finger is on the trigger. My thumb lays over the leather to keep it down. This is how I was retaught and works well for me. The biggest lesson I learned for cutting consistant straps was to stop looking at the blade when I am cutting. Just watch the leather staying up next to the guide. If the leather is staying there, the blade is taking care of itself. Good tip for a plough gauge, ripping boards with a table saw, etc. The natural tendency is to watch the blade cutting because that is where all the action is. The leather wanders away from the guide and things go out the door from there. Also I set my draw gauges up so the blade tips toward me as much as the slot will allow. That slicing action helps to hold the leather down on the bar. If the blade is tipped away a bit, the leather tends to ride up the edge.

I have attached a picture of a pinked scalloping punch. They cut a pinked edge around the scallop and some people use those on chaps and other trim applications. A smooth punch doesn't have the pinked edge. Easiest way is to grind off half of a round drive punch. Hope this helps.

Great idea! thanks a lot. Much safer than anything I have tried or thought about.

Pinked scalloping or a smooth half round scalloping?

Go for it! I paid off 90K in medical debt just short of two years expanding way more into wholesale custom work and awards as a side deal. Learn from ,my mistakes. Be reasonable to yourself with lead times. It is no fun to watch the sun come up and pack off to work. Price to be fair to yourself. You have to figure wholesale pricing is less than retail, but bigger numbers of pieces.You still have to do them one at a time. Know your costs - down cold. Don't let the tail wag the dog. If they can get it cheaper, let them. Sellers can always find a cheaper source. Figure out how you are going to handle the situation when his retail customer contact you directly and wants to buy from you - circumnavigating the retailer and trying to buy from you cheaper. Quick thoughts off the top of my head.

I have had both through here. Both are easy to sharpen. The cutting edge is right there and top and bottom edges are accessible. Both cut a rounded profile. The longer stock on the grooved edger means you may have an inch of blade to work through. There is less "life" to the common edger because once you get past the curve, it is worn out. Either one should last a lifetime unless you really grind one out to sharpen each time. The grooved edger may last 2 lifetimes. The stock on the grooved edger is narrower so you can have thinner leather laying in the middle of the bench and not hanging on an edge to hit the angle you need. The grooved edger is usually held at a lower angle than the common edger. These are both based somewhat on the tried and true patterns of the old Gomph edgers. Personally I usually use the round bottom edgers that are similar to the grooved edger. I have a few good makers I sell to who prefer the Concord edgers similar to the common edger. Either will do the job, it pretty much comes down to a preference.