arashikage

The machines you are looking at are all the same clone. I've heard Tech Sew and Cobra are good on the support side. Since you are in Ohio you could call Toledo Industrial Sewing Machine and see what Bob has. I recommend calling over emailing. They sell the Cowboy brand machines. The current post bed that they carry is the upgraded 8810 and is more expensive then the ones you are looking at but support is close and you can pick it up to save on shipping. https://www.tolindsewmach.com/cb8810.html You're most likely going to be looking at 46 or 69 thread size. Those are the US measurements it's the same as T45 and T70, respectively. It depends on how much you want the thread to stand out. The needle will depend on which thread and machine you go with. Talk to the sales person to help determine size. Just to make sure you are aware, these machines are for sewing the uppers. You will not be able to stitch the uppers to the sidewall with them so you will have to do that part by hand, or buy another machine for that part.

A rein rounder is not the same as a lace maker. It doesn't cut, it only compresses the leather into a round shape. There are cheaper models that you secure in a vise instead of the bench top like your pic. You may want to checkout Bruce Johnson's guide on how to use one to make sure that's what you actually want to do. https://brucejohnsonleather.com/files/8814/0658/3888/BruceJohnsonLeatherTutorialReinRounderUse.pdf

No problem. They helped me out so I figured I would pass them along.

To piggyback off of what zuludog said, i would suggest looking up Andrews Custom Leather on youtube. He has a lot of good videos and you can get a feel for what you will need and what you may eventually want to get. The only thing I would add is don't actually buy a quartz slab unless you have to. Check with any kitchen remodeling company near you if they have any samples or sink cutouts that they are getting rid of. I got a 12" x 12" x 1.25" slab for free.

Here are a couple of Lisa's videos on skiving.

It's a 3-in-1. The side blade is used to cut and trim materials and the top is used to skive.

Very nice. Way to go. I have thought about taking one of the New York classes. I didn't realize they had the individual lessons online.

You bought 2 pairs of sole presses. There are usually more pieces. You would place the other pieces in the shoe and screw the handle down and it applies pressure to the sole while the cement sets. The second picture is a riveter. And the final item is an American 3-in-1. It's used to cut and skive leather.

I had the same issue YinTx. I couldn't find it anywhere. It is possible they just haven't put it up yet.

Shoe System Plus is another option. Not sure how they compare on price. http://www.shoesystemsplus.com/5-in-1-Blades-Feed-Wheels_c_136.html

Weaver still has their retail going during the auction. Usually offering discounts. You can place an order from anything in their catalog and pick it up later that day. Although Weaver will put some new items into the actual auction.

Has anyone actually received theirs yet and looked through it? Were there books that were actually useful or just a bunch of really old material that is hard to put to use?

Depends, but there was a Ferdco with nothing wrong that went for less than $500. Some Cowboy stitchers brought close to $1000. Pfaffs and Adlers usually bring good money. Usually close to $2000. Still less than retail but high compared to everything else. Typically machines like a Luberto go a little higher because of the Amish that are there. So hand crank and pedal machines go a little higher than electric only. There were a few pedal Union Lockstitch machines that brought a couple hundred each. I did see on their flyer that they will be demonstrating their new Cub at the auction this year. Weaver doesn't seem to do much with sale sheets. Last year was the first I saw that they pushed one out early but that was because they had a big manufacturer go out of business and they brought everything to the sale.

I totally understand. I've been going for a few years and this is actually the first year that I'm not broke. It's hard to watch Singer patchers, in perfect condition, go for less than $200 when you don't have the money.

My family and I go. We've been going for a few years now. It's a huge sale. Wednesday is the leather and Thursday is the tools. Weaver usually puts some leather and tools into the sale so you can get some great deals. If you haven't gone before I recommend going at least once. Here's some pics from last year. These were taken on Wednesday so it's not all the equipment.

I will concur that they are every bit of 500lbs. Most outsolers and stitchers like the American, weigh at least that much. Moved many over the years. I don't know how much it is going to help to split because the head will be so awkward to move by yourself. An engine hoist would definitely make it easier if you did split. Depending on the motor mounts be careful if you decide to lay it down. It is possible to bend the drive shaft if it is exposed or the motor sits away from the base. We've had success will bolting the stitcher to a pallet that you could use a handcart with. The triangle shaped base makes them a pain to directly get a cart under. Strongly recommend at least 2 people.

I've been thinking about pulling the trigger on this. Sounds like it's worth it. Thanks for the review.

There is a section in the forums titled "Getting Started" which is a good place to begin depending on what you're planning to get into. Here is a recent discussion on the same thing. There's links to the different recommended sets too. This should help.

I'm looking for Apple Watch lugs that people like. There are a bunch of companies selling them on Amazon but I'm looking for anyone who has a good experience with a specific brand or retailer. I'm looking for 40mm and the original style (the bar screws into the lug). The only brand that I could find mentioned in the forums was Stouch but they seem to be no longer available.

Depending on the brand of cement, they may have their own thinner. It's best practice to use the same brand of thinner as cement, Barge with Barge or Master with Master, ect. But they all tend to work. If you know you're not going to be using it for an extended period you can thin it down quite a bit and just leave it.

Man that's way better than the free Brother sewing machine I found on the curb!

I have a couple different machines I use depending on what I'm doing. My main machine is a naumkeag (similar 1st pic but a standalone) with 200+ grit. I also use a belt/disc sander from Harbor Freight (like 2nd pic) for rapid removal of material. I would use it more if I got finer belts/disc for it. They work fine for sanding edges though. It's real easy to mess up an edge with a machine. So it depends on what you're working on and how fine of grit you're using. But if you take it slow it's fine. If the grit is too course it will cause your edge to become "hairy" so you actually have more work to do than had you done it by hand.

This does have 2 rollers. The top one is smooth to not cause damage and the bottom is grooved to serve as a feed roller. I don't know how thin these were ever meant to split. Most splitters like this, the Landis 30 included, were built for sole splitting. So you would be using thick stiff leather which is easier to split. Landis got back to me sooner than I expected. They said it is in fact a double convex blade from the factory. They also have replacement blades $430. Not sure if that's US or CAD. This means I'm going to have to really dial in the alignment of the blade after I sharpen it.

I know this is a long shot. I'm trying to determine the factory blade shape of a splitter. I recently acquired a 6" hand crank splitter. The blade on it appears to be convex on both sides, like a knife, as opposed to the chisel type blade of a Landis 30. I'm trying to figure out if this was the original blade or if somebody tried to "improve" it by grinding both sides. The badging on it says Sutton but it looks like it might not be original. It matches in all other ways to a Fenda splitter. I can't find anything about them other than there is a German company still selling them and replacement blades but there are no pics or description. I can't find any documentation on this machine either. I have an email into Landis International whose current splitter looks more like a Fenda than the old Landis 30. I've searched the forum and the 2 or 3 people on here that have mentioned Fenda haven't been on in a year or more. The pic is not mine but just to show what a Fenda looks like.