bruce johnson

Clair, It all depends on how wide a piece you are splitting. I have found with good sharpening and stropping, I can split about 1" less than the blade width on my Chase splitters. I like the Krebs and the Chase patterns the best for the pull through splitters. The Krebs I mostly see are 8". They have a dial on the drum in the front with gradations that you can go back to for repeated leveling. With the top and bottom rollers a strap won't ride up the bevel or flip up and chop off. The Chases have a thinner blade with what seems like a flatter bevel. I think there is less drag on them and so would be better for patterned pieces. I do think it is better to rough cut and split and then cut the final shape after splitting to avoid distortion. They also have top and bottom rollers and feed well. The Chases are pretty common in 8 and 10 widths. I have a couple of 12" in slightly different styles. I know of one wider than that. The Chases have no gradations to measure, and I keep a thickness gauge close by. I have a 10" and the 12" fastened down. The 10" is pretty much left at 8 oz. The 12" wanders according to need. One thing to watch is to use the whole width of the blade to wear more evenly. Some guys will put a narrower straps in the same place each time. Some of these oldies will have warps and dips in the rollers or feedwheels on the handcranks from wear in just one area. Some blades will have 1/8" or more cupping in the center of the leading edge of the blade from being sharpened just where it was used the most.

Good design on the tag holder Russ, I like that. Also I like you color coordinated the tag colors with the headstall and rein.

[ What sort of price does this splitter go for and is there any chance that Marvin has an email address as it's going to be difficult for me to contact him by calling and snail mail is likely to take to long (my sister is currently in America and might be able to help bring me one back if the price is right). Also what do the Landis ones usually go for though I think they might be a little on the small side (Lunchtime here at work and I don't have my main pattern here to check sizes). I'm also looking at the American (probably too small as well) and the Weaver so if someone knows what they go for as well that would be great. I know the postage is going to be fairly high on any of the splitters as they are heavy but I haven't come across any in Australia yet and I really would prefer a hand crank one due to the shapes that have to go through it. This is also the only machinery I need for what I am doing so I am prepared to pay a bit more to get something decent, so if anyone knows of anyone currently selling any of the hand crank splitters please get them to contact me through the board. Thanks for any help Cheers, Clair Clair, The Weaver handcrank has an 8" blade and sells for just under $1900 according to my 1-2 year old catalog. The Landis and American handcranks have 6" blades. They usually trade for around $400-700 if complete and depending on condition and blade left. Once in a while you can score a deal on one. The refurbishers sell them for a little more, but they have gone through them and know they are ready to go.

Thanks for all the kind comments. For the newer folks, I don't know how long they sold them, but Tandy carried comb case kits for a long time. I kind of figured they were like the pants in the Shepler's catalog with the big eagles embroidered on them. Somebody bought them at some time I guess. Like akaawol, I always silently wondered "Why?". Hidepounder cleared things up with the "little dab'll do ya". Much like the snoose can carriers that went on your belt, I figured a pocket was good enough. Always worked in the past for me. When I took the Tandy classes I went straight from rounders to a belt and skipped the combcase. The guy I made this for and I have been threatening to make comb cases for about as long as I have been on leather internet groups and we sort of fell in as allies. In the last few weeks I have been making a lot of awards - repititious sort of things. When he emailed me about just celebrating a birthday I needed a bit of a humor break. Since he was too far away to TP his house, I decided I was going to blink first and make him the combcase he was always referring to. I split this out and did it one morning between another stamping project. It was pretty fun to make up the pattern and do it and imagine the laughter of him opening it. I am in the middle of stamping out a floral ropecan strap tonight, and it still is lightening things up. Eleven flowers down, seven to go.

It is a project that was listed in Tandy catalogs for quite a while, but apparently doesn't have the favor it once did and is no longer available. I am not sure how many of the kits Tandy ever sold. Actually I don't know anyone until now who had made one. Many of you have seen the penchant that a fellow member shares for this unique and practical item. When I realized I had missed his birthday, I split down some of my new skirting and made him up one. Whaddyathink?

Bob, I hear you on that. I think that GRS is still doing the engraving schools in Kansas, and then there was a guy in Alpine, TX that used to advertise too. If that doesn't work out, there is always "Internet Millions", "No Money Down", or "Buying Foreclosures at Auction for Fun and Profit". "Long Live Cowgirls!" Kowboyboots, Thanks for sharing your insight and experience. You are ahead of the pack on what you are doing for sure. I appreciate it and see some real possibilities. Just out of curiosity, the logo and lettering on the planner I did a couple years ago took about 20 minutes in the machine. About right? I don't know what kind and size of laser she has, but it is kind of middle of the road cost and capacity as I recall. It is not burned real deep, but has held up well in daily use so far.

Bob, I think the bias against the in-skirts has way more to do with the choice of material used than the type of rigging. Porter's did have the reputation for a stout in-skirt rigging. When production saddles cut corners and the riggings failed, the style was blamed and not the maker. After it got to be pretty common that somebody knew somebody who had a skirt rig fail, then they got the rep. It was cheaper and more production oriented to fold a strap over a dee and screw it down. Another factor is how some of them are applied. You only need to look at some of the laughable styles of plate riggings on the Ebay specials. I can only guess the rigging plates are of the same high quality. Close contact skirts are another good one. They cut out skirts, generally where you'd put your leg back to stick it in one, and call it close contact. Look where their fenders are when they are sitting up riding around the ring and it is generally forward of the cut and can be over the rigging where there still is full skirt. Add an underpad and "show" blanket with a tooled matching wear leather on it, and how close is your contact now?

Bob, I have seen some of the deeper lasered designs since I wrote that too. Pretty most of what I had seen up to that point were the gift-shop/vendors at the horseshow and rodeo type products with the design lightly lasered in. It is pretty cool what they can do. It seems like talking to people that they are getting more comfortable with the laser and are seeing the potential to do more than scratch a design or lettering. Seems to be more dimensional stuff on wood and leather than just an outline or flat silhouette. There seemed to be a bit of a surge in interest in them in the last few years, and probably more people having them has pushed the learning curve on using one.

Pete, Actually I called Springfield this morning, but Kevin was at lunch and I talked to Rusty (?). He gave me the lowdown on the Bicks but didn't have much experience with Lexol other than it apparently is not a big mover for them. I am not necessarily looking at it just for mixing dye with, but am curious about why some prefer it over Lexol and what the differences are. Thanks Ed for letting me know it is thicker. Locally I have only seen it at western stores in small bottles. I can buy Lexol in quarts at most any place I shop and not have the shipping charge. I wouldn't mind paying it if I knew that it was an improvement.

Just because it soaks right in doesn't mean it needs more right now. You can sure overoil one in a hot second. It will oversoften and then ooze out all over you everytime you use it. I put on a light smear with a clipped woolskin patch. I do it once a day. You kind of ahve to go by look, feel, and experience. It might take me 3-4 days. One of my friends told me to quit when I thought it needed one more good application. As I am prone to say, old men are generally wise.

So Bicks 4 is thicker than Lexol conditioner?

I guess this might be aimed to the suppliers. With the recent interest in mixing dye with Bicks 4, I have a question. I have never used the Bicks, but have used Lexol a fair amount, mostly because I can buy a decent sized container reasonably and locally. Is there a big difference or any difference?

Kevin, I am laughing here. In my old shop I had a heck of a mold problem. I can trace it back to taking apart a saddle that had been left out in the weather for a couple years. When I took it apart green powder boiled out of it. After that I had mold. At the advice of a couple of good southern boys I went to using ProCarve to case with. That eliminated it, and they swear that they didn't have mold on finished products they had cased with it either. Five years ago we moved, and I got a little lax about using ProCarve or any antifungal in my casing mixes in the new shop. Last summer we redid the electrical system and stripped out the walls, the ceiling, gutted the whole thing. I dug out some latigos and some finished stuff treated with Williams or SaddleButter this winter and it is mostly covered with powdery looking white stuff. It didn't really feel like spew. I just knew it must be mold from opening up the walls and ceilings. I sat around stewing for a few hours until I noticed the "mold" melting on the ones by the heater. I backed into your heat test for mold. Hit the rest with the heatgun and it was gone. Dodged a bullet there.

Kate, I warm it with my paint stripping heat gun. Set it on low and kind of fan it until it just gets a bit of a sheen to it. I leared the Wd 40 trick several years ago, I just couldn't get a piece of white rouge to stick on my new and improved strop very well. One of my older buds told me to spray the leather with WD 40 and it'll work alright. I found it will work sprayed on the stick too.

Bob, Supposed to be July 17-18th as I am recalling. Paula at Capriols'a and Wayne Jueschke are kind of ramrodding it as I understand. When we get some more details We'll post them. There is a carving class from a guy you know. I don't recall who is teaching braiding, but the tradeshow lineup sounds kind of good.

PG, I guess I am thinking 2-3 year olds when you said starting colts, so a 5 to me is getting mature and a 6-1/2 could sure fit the wider ones. If you do the card system, base things on that and not my generalizations. Denise and David can share the math, but on the different fork styles and angles changing with the pitch of the fork - some makers account for that and have formulas they use to ensure the bars sit at the same angle with different fork slopes. I am sure not all of them do it.

I guess it depends on where you live, but I have found different compounds at most hardware stores, Harbor Freight, auto body suppliers, and Sears here has about 8 kinds. To soften up some old chalky stuff I have lightly warmed it and it seems to soften enough. Another trick it is to spray it with WD 40.

Bob, I imagine we could find us some Crown easy enough. Stockman's and the Commercial are close by. The Star is within walking distance - good food, lots of it, and a friendly bar. There is also the Horseshoe Club around the corner with a pool table. Remember now, there is a leather show in the works for July in Elko.

Welcome to our little corner of the world. The tree makers can all chime in here, because they each do things a bit differently. I read that somewhere. There can be several ways they determine the bar angles, and most of the time once the tree is built you can't compare the bars from one tree maker to another and accurately measure them. So to get more spread you almost have to compare the trees from the same maker. Denise can weigh in here, but the spread difference between a 90 degree and 93 degree from them is not all that much and their bar patterns are pretty deep. I don't think going from a 90 to a 91 will even be determinable. Adding the wider wdith will make more difference. If the Wade is working for most of them and you need to get wider, the choices from the same tree maker with the same bar pattern would be either the 6-1/4" 93 degree setup or a 6-1/2" 90 degree to stay with using gullet width as a measuring point. I'd probably lean toward a 6-1/4" 93 degree for a wider rig for colts. I don't think a lot of colts will fill a 6-1/2" and hold it up very well. That 6-1/2" would be a mature horse setup for me, and not all of them at that. Then you'd get to decide on the bar angles for that setup. Now I'll duck and let everyone else toss out an opinion.

Art, Thanks for the links, those are some good ones. Bob, Just go the folklife center in Elko. They have more there, and a little living room setup to sit and view them in. My wife entertained herself there for half a day watching them all.

Another important tip might be something similar to what my friend David Morris has in his signature - something like - "Be sure not to drink the edge ink".

Another trick to control speed on a clutch motor is to shove a tennis ball under the foot pedal. It will have some give, but also enough resistance to not run off with you at the start. One of the best tips I got from a guy was how to put your foot on the pedal. I was prone ( like a lot of folks I am sure) to stick the ball of my foot on the pedal, and treat it like an accelerater. He had me put my whole foot from heel to end of my bigtoe on the pedal. When I needed to go I loaded my toe, when I needed to slow or stop I loaded my heel. I didn't have to rely on lifting my foot off and the return spring to slow things down. THAT made a huge difference. Especially since some clutch motors tend to coast when you release the pedal. Also be aware they may run for a few cycles immediately after you turn them off and accidentally hit the pedal. I have tried machines in shops with and without speed reducers and servo motors. They are just part of the deal for me now. I rarely have to reach up and grab the flywheel to start or stop. If you have a spouse to train on one, it shortens the learning curve, you don't say bad words to them, and so they still cook your dinner. I know not all servo motors are the same. Mine have a dial that limits the top end speed. You can dial it down to go slow and up to let it rip. I can only compare one machine I had with a clutch vs. a servo motor, but I had to handwheel the clutch fairly often to start slow, the servo I didn't need to nearly as much. It had more punch. The servos I have stop dead and no coasting when you release the pedal. No run on when they are off either.

rdb's method will sure work, and I have done quite a few like that. I do mine a little different now. I did a couple tutorials last year on laying out the angled basket stamp with a template - Angled basket stamp with template and laying out the angled basket stamp without a template - Angled basket stamp no template . I prefer to lay out my center line and use the no template method to lay out the stamp angle. I use the centerline of the arrowhead as the baseline to measure my angle from. Some guys I have shown this to prefer to use the template method. RDBs or either of these will get that inital angle for you, try them and see what works best for you.

Mark, I just replied to your PM, and then saw this thread, so here goes again. This stamp works better for me laid at about a 45 degree angle. On the gentle curves you can slide the impressions around each other and maintain pretty well. On tighter curves tip the stamp and stamp the outside to be continuous. You can make the inside of the impression with a concave beveler or a crowner. For tighter 90 degree corners you have to do some partial impressions. I am attaching a little deal I made up several years ago, and then one I cracked out one morning for the Celtic challenge deal we had here a year or two ago. I did these before I got Barry to make me up a couple, so you are already ahead of that curve.

I have Jeremiah's round bottom edgers from#1 through #4. I use them all. Be aware that the #3 and 4 are pretty big. I use the #3 to round saddle skirts. The #4 I use to trim after sewing through something oversized. In my experience they don't hold an edge quite as long as Ron's edgers, but sharpen up in a flash. The rest of my edger lineup from Jeremiah is (besides the free hand groover and the round bottoms above) - #3 and 6 french edgers - very sharpa nd smooth cutting but the trade off is thin blades. Easy enough to pop off the end of the blade if you try a tight turn trimming something out and apply a little inadvertant leverage. They will sharpen right back up though. #1 bisonette - pretty good, from when I was trying out a couple makers to get some "in-between" sizes for my wife. I am liking the bisonette style edgers a lot too. #2 turnback edger - nice for slots #2 and #3 vizzard pattern edgers. I like them a lot, and use them to trim with as well as edge. A real handy pattern I think. They will do a lot of slots too. I'd like to see them in more sizes.