Ken Nelson

I built my own, used a motor and control off of a household sewing machine, I used included belt and put it with an industrial bobbin winder. I built a thread stand for it and it is fast and you can do a great job of winding bobbins with it. If you like, I can take a picture of it and send it to you. Mine is mounted on a board, on the side of a cabinet next to my sewing machines and I wind both Cobra Class 4 and M size bobbins on it. I hardly ever use the winders on my machines. HTH. Ken

Wiz, What kind of thread are you using? Nylon or Polyester? Thanks Ken

Does anyone have experience with the 8" weaver crank splitter? How good, how poor, like dislike etc. Thanks Ken

Landis 30 splitter is sold! Adler 270 is sold! pilgrim model 30 may be sold, if interested, please call for availability. I have a rebuilt Landis model D splitter for sale, price is $650.00 FOB Portales, NM. Nice splitter. Thanks Ken

Isn't it amazing how many people figure they should be able to price someone elses sale items? It would be nice if the people that don't have the means or willingness to pay the asking price would just keep it to themselves. No one is twisting anyones arm here. My 2 cents worth. Ken

The Pilgrim is a model 30 also. I have an Adler 205-230 with full saddlers attachments available also. Very low hours $2750. Fob Portales, NM 575-356-3628 . Thanks Ken

Pride dropped to $950.00 + shipping for this Landis 30 splitter or the Pilgrim #20 listed in used by me. If intersted call 575-three-five-six-3628. thanks ken

I do not know of any saddlemakers that use anything to craft saddles other than skirting leather. Talk to the end users of handmade saddles and I think they can explain it better than I can. Ken

Weaver Leather, Campbell-bosworth, Tandy, Leightons in Canada will all have them and I am sure there are more. Ken

I don't have his email either, but know him real well, call early or late or you will get his answering machine. He is really good about returning calls. HTH Ken

In the ranching, rodeo world I lived in most of my life, being " a hand" meant and still does mean doing what you do well, having a lot of ability, mastering what you do very well. It has always been a compliment and I did mean it in all honesty. Ken

Did he disclose what the price would be? The short arm 441 clones are very reasonably priced and I often wonder why anyone would buy a new Boss when for a few hundered dollars more you can have a powered machine, on a stand, that will sew circles around the Boss. But that is just my opinion. Ken

Don't know what the make and model machine it is, but it is a walking foot, not a compound feed. I would guess it has a very good servo motor and a SR2 speed reducer, or similiar, behind the servo. He is a HAND though. Ken

Looking for a lace tool similiar to a Hansen Lace Master. the one I am looking for is all aluminium, cast body, 1" rod with inch or 1 1/4 inch splitter area, v notch for beveling, and spot to hold skiver blade for cutting lace. If you have one or more you want to let go of, please send me a PM. Thank you. Ken

I am looking for a Hamley Gold seal in good condition. If you have one for sale, please PM me. Thank you. Ken

Nice work, and the daughter is very attractive. Good execution and I really like your finish work.

The punch pictured is a factory punch, they were quite common back in the day. You see quite a few rosettes on old saddles that have been cut with them. I don't know who made it but I would love to have a set of them. HTH Ken

Disabled rancher and ranch foreman. Grew up doing it, done it for over 35 years. Now own a saddleshop and would trade it straight across for a ranch job a 60+ man could hold down. Enjoy leatherwork and trade on some machines but cattle ranching has always been my passion. Legally disabled, old enough for Social Security but have never drawn disability and haven't signed up for SS. Take some pride in that. Don't know why, but I do.

We broke up two packs of dog cross coyotes, and they were doing a lot of damage to livestock. We were harvesting fur, not killing coyotes for sport, although there are species of wildlife a lot easier to bag than coyotes. While I was in the cattle ranching industry,for over 35 years, for every dollar's worth of damage I knew of coyotes doing, there were hundreds of dollars worth of dog damage. You are right, Ferel dogs are a bigger problem and the fact that dogs are crossing with coyotes changes the coyote population into a completely differnt animal. Animals are animals, not humans and is it a mistake to humanize them?

Actually, according to the game biologist in Colorado and the State Trapper in Nebraska (cherry County) ; Coyotes mate for life, if a male loses his mate, he will take a virgin bitch and mate for life again. If a female loses her mate, no dog coyote will mate with her. When these prime age females come into season, they will mate with domestic dogs, IF the domestic dog will breed her. I have seen them come into a ranchyard and all but assault a male cow dog. Also, a qualified game biologist can tell by their teeth if they are part dog. We killed several that showed German Shepard traits.When I first started hunting coyotes hard in the mid 70's, 37 or 38 #'s was a big dog. By the late 80's we were killing 60+ pound coyotes. Biggest we ever got went 72 pounds and the fur buyer wouldn't buy him. We were still killing a lot of 35 # coyotes but as a whole, they had gotten a lot bigger. We were harvesting over 200 a year. Season was from November to mid February.

Actually back in the early 1990's I worked on a large rach in eastern Colorado, the elders wife had a beautiful coyote fur jacket. The coyotes were harvested on her son-in-laws ranch at Wray, CO. The fur market dried up and as far as I know, which I really don't, there hasn't been a viable market for a number of years. Back in the 80's I seen them top out at $175 to 185 in Northern Nebraska and South Dakota. It wasn't until people started harvesting a lot of them we had a problem with them killing stock. They have gotten a lot bigger than they were 30 years ago in that part of the country. WHY, I have no idea but a lot of people think there has been an infusion of domestic dog in them. Interesting subject.

You are right, they will bolt up in the same holes, however you may need to purchase a different belt if the pulley is of a different size. HTH Ken

I sold one that looked super good a year ago for $800.00 and it was an offered sale. I currently have two rebuilt, fresh painted splitters for sale that I have been catching a lot slack on the prices of. Funny thing is about two months ago one, not quite as nice, brought $100.00 more than I am asking for mine on Ebay. I guess value on these things is relative to who is wanting to buy. If you want to make the above mentioned 5-in-1 look like the one I had I think you are looking at more than an hours time. Not to mention two new blades. But I am probably too high. I think if you want a like new, or rebuilt one, you should be prepared to pay for that. If you are willing to do some work on one, you should definately pay less. But what do I know? Ken

No matter what you offer for sale on this site, you will either get criticized for the quality of whatever you are selling or your price. Apparently some parts of the country are running over with like new vintage bench machines at bargain basement prices. Good luck on selling your item. I am not in the market for a 5-in-1 but the price looks reasonable to me by what I have been seeing on ebay and the leather supplier I do business with that also is a used machinery dealer. Just my 2 cents worth. Ken