TomE

I guess a flat bed is good for feeding heavy/bulky projects but I don't own one. I have several cylinder arm machines. The Cobra Class 26 (LS341 clone) is a favorite for lighter leathers and sewing webbing/fabric on horse blankets and gear. It is easy to use and can handle a variety of thicknesses and shapes.

Several years ago, I bought a used SK-4 with the vacuum system and have been very pleased with it. I think you have a good plan to ask for the replacement parts and a partial refund - and maybe some free accessories. I would get it set up, sharpen the knife, and check that everything is in working order before negotiating with Techsew. I swapped out some parts on my bottom feed skiver in order to skive heavier leather. I switch out the feed roller for heavy vs thin leather.

Congratulations! Sounds like a harrowing ordeal. Glad you prevailed, and thanks to @chisel for the engineer's manuals. Much appreciated.

Great information, @Eelco. Prior to retirement, I was growing protein crystals from PEG solutions and shooting x-rays at the crystals. Fun to learn about more practical chemistry. Did not know about PVB, and I'm interested in your use of PEG for flexibility. Two criteria I have for gluing are short dry time before sewing and not interfering with burnishing edges. Using Barge cement for most projects.

Tidy looking work. Well done. I'm a fan of HO bridle.

Thank you for all your work on this. These forums are a wonderful resource. We appreciate you.

@Patrick1 also makes narrow feed dogs, plates, and presser feet for the 441 clones. https://heprecision.com/

I covered my work table with white HDPE (https://www.menards.com/main/building-materials/panel-products/plastic-utility-panels/1-4-x-4-x-8-hdpe-panel/whtkhdpe48x96x220/p-1561703293086-c-14048.htm). Less drag = much easier to control the knife, compared to plywood or the self-healing mat that I previously used. The white color brightens up my workshop and helps me see the work.

This cheap knife works surprisingly well. https://a.co/d/hzd8kRF I did use a coarse stone to decrease the angle of the bevel. I also use Osborne knives and several round and head knives for skiving but I still reach for this tool for some jobs. Here's a review by Harry Rogers.

Thanks, Bruce! Great resources and great tools on your site.

Beiler's sells arch punches from 1/4" to 2" that are "made to their specifications." The 3/4" is $28.79 and the 1-1/4" punch is $35.99. I am pleased with the quality/price of their pippin punch and strap end punch, and think the arch punches would be similar quality.

I installed a milled feed roller and a tapered roller foot on a Techsew SK-4 in order to skive 9-10 oz bridle leather to ~3 oz at the edge. I describe the parts in this post. I like the ability to switch between skiving thin and thick leather (switching out the feed roller and foot), and the ready availability of parts and accessories for bottom feed skivers.

That's a first class bag. Better than Hermes! Your stitching is superb.

Thanks for showing the chaps. They look terrific. The Saint Louis Zoo is breeding red wolves on their 300 acre property adjacent to us. They're in enclosures and off limits to the public. We can't see the wolves but we hear them! Lots of interesting calls and "conversations." Since the wolves arrived the coyotes moved out and the deer moved over to our pastures.

Beautiful work. Looking forward to seeing the completed chaps. Is that a red wolf?

Sounds like a good experiment. Let us know how it turns out. The electric creases seem to be popular for fine leatherwork.

I crease a lot of 6-13 oz straps for tack using plain creasers that I heat with an alcohol lamp. Works well once you learn how much to heat the tool, and they fit well in the palm of my hand. The inexpensive WUTA creases are a favorite for 5/6 oz loop stock for making keepers/loops. For heavier leather, I like vintage creases that have a broader/more rounded profile. The electric creaser looks to me like a lot of tool to hold steady.

I bought a used bottom feed thinking it would be more versatile for thin, and occasional thick, leather. I've heard some grumbling on FB about the performance of the Cobra NP10 skiver for thin leather, but that could be operator error in setting up the machine. There are lots of rollers and feet available for bottom feed machines, maybe less so for the top-and-bottom feed machines? I remembered that I also posted my modifications in this forum.

I skive 9-12 oz leather with a Techsew SK4. I changed the feed roller and foot with parts from Campbell-Randall. I use it to thin the edges of straps to make swelled brow bands and nose bands on bridles. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CzMhBXgKb/?

Yes, it's a challenge to machine sew alongside a raised element on a narrow border. One solution is to trim to width after sewing, but this is problematic for a padded strap. I have an in-line pressor foot for my Class 4 that I bought from @CowboyBob at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines. It works well but takes some practice, e.g. you have to back out of sharp turns in order to give the rear foot a place to land. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/15gmyLrtX1/ A narrow pressor foot set from @Patrick1 also does nicely. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BWLAmkrxV/ The standard left foot on a Class 26 wraps around the center foot and functions like an in-line pressor foot. I just let the left foot hang off the edge of the strap and the wrap-around part fits nicely against the raised element. Of course, the low tech solution is to sew by hand.

Very nice work! Lots of handsome details. A couple of questions/suggestions. The noseband buckle can rub on the jaw bone, depending on the hole in use so it's useful to pad underneath the buckle. Can either extend the noseband ~2" and sew the buckle on top, or you can include a flap of 6oz leather in the buckle turn, underneath the buckle. I would make the platform for the hook studs a little longer, increasing the spacing between the 2 fixed loops, in order to make it easier to open the billets when attaching a bit. The stitching around the raised element on the noseband is perhaps a bit far away from the edge of the strap. The loose edge of the padding might curl with wear. If needed, can modify the design using a wider filler strip for the raised element and sewing closer to the edge of the strap. Great to have another English bridle maker on this site. Let's continue to share notes. I am doing more repairs than new goods these days. It seems both activities are complementary. I learn new construction methods from the items I repair, and feel that making tack gives me a knowledge base to do better repairs and modifications.

After waxing the thread, pull it through some heavy brown paper to evenly distribute the wax.

Handsome, impressive craftsmanship as always. Lots of details that fit together perfectly.

The Leather Crafters and Saddlers Journal online store has a number of books on Sheridan style carving. I liked reading this one https://leathercraftersjournal.com/product/sheridan-style-floral-drawing-gabor-pinter/.

Thanks for your reply. I have serveral of Steinke's books on saddlery, harness, and bridlework that have been very helpful. He is doing some saddlery work again and occasionally posts on Facebook and Youtube.