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I got tired of using various cutting devices and straight edges to make long straight cuts. Too often the cutter drifted away from the straight edge or leaned to the side giving me an edge that was not square. When the cutting device touched a metal straight edge it would dull it. This was my solution. I purchased a Logan mat cutting ruler and straight cutter. I tried using the cutter and ruler the way it came but my results were mixed. The cutter travels in a groove in the ruler. I did not like the fit but the idea was sound. I removed the blade holding part of the cutter and screwed it to a small block of UHMW plastic. UHMW plastic is similar to cutting board plastic just denser. I cut my own groove in the block but produced a lip that provided a very snug fit in the ruler. UHMW is very low friction material so even though it is a tight fit it slides easily with no side play. The block's edges were rounded over and the bottom sanded smooth. The block travels in the ruler's groove,presses down on the leather and maintains the razor cutting edge perpendicular to the face of the leather. Because the block is so smooth it does not damage the surface of the leather at all. I mounted the ruler to a 2' x 4' piece of poly board I had. I attached flathead screws from the bottom of the surface to line up with the holes in the ruler. The nuts holding the screws fit under the recess of the ruler allowing it to lay flat. The ruler is removable. It is lifted up to position the piece and then dropped over the bolts. This eliminates any side to side movement of the ruler. I also cut a groove in the cutting board surface to provide clearance for the razor cutter. The cutter never contacts the cutting surface which really cuts down on blade drag and increases the life of the cutter. It works better then I had hoped for. The bottom of the ruler has rubber strips which help keep the leather from slipping. The blade holder has two depth setting which allow the blade to project 5/16" (20/64") deep. I have cut 12 oz. bridle with little effort. When I use it I press down on the ruler which holds the leather in place and slide the block with moderate downward pressure. It works so well I can even cut lace with it (1/4' wide see photos). Since both edges of the ruler are parallel I use a large square on the opposite edge when I want to make right angle corner cuts. Jim

Hello all - first post here, but have been lurking/reading for awhile. My wife is the creative side of sewing and now leather work. She is currently focused on leather hand-bags and some apparel. I'm the researcher side of things (engineer during the day) and really enjoy the electro-mechanical pieces and parts of her hobby. We realized her existing hobby machine was not adequate for sewing leather, especially anything of thickness or multiple layers. We did play around briefly with a vintage Necchi that had a little more presser foot lift than her her main machine, but it needed work to simply stitch reliably, was not a walking foot, and would need a motor upgrade. As we live in Rochester, NY we were somewhat limited in going out to a seller and testing, touching and seeing the options. Our options to visit a dealer and see a range of machines were Toronto, NYC or Pittsburgh - and although a good excuse for a fun weekend, we just couldn't fit it in. So we've done a lot of reading on our options for an upgrade, and this forum has been immensely helpful. So we were back and forth on several machines and talked to several sellers. We reviewed the Consew CP206-R, Consew 206RB5, Juki DNU-1541S, Juki DU-1181N, etc. We had a few long conversations with a dealer in Pennsylvania and discussed prices and shipping and warranty/service, parts availability, etc. Our high-level specs: Commercial, or near-commercial grade Walking-foot, single stitch High presser-foot height Servo Motor - ideally 3/4 horse (120v) Safety clutch Ideally a package from manufacturer (not pieced together) Interchangeable parts and options for feet and accessories After all of that, we decided on the Reliable MSK-1541S. This is a knock-off of the Juki DNU-1541S I believe. After all of the above, my general questions are around whether anyone here has any experience with Reliable or specifically their MSK-1541S? The price was very good comparatively and seems to come well equipped (SQ5000 servo motor, plywood-topped table, Light, etc). Reliable web site for specs on head: (http://www.reliablec...tch/MSK-1541S_3) Thanks for any thoughts, tips or advice here!