Cowboy 3500

[bladegrinder]

Hi everyone, I'm a knifemaker and have been hand stitching leather sheaths fro about 30 years, I've contemplated getting a machine several times. I retired last year, moved, built a new knife shop, and am now full time making knives. besides the pain in the fingers hand stitching it's becoming a time killer for me where now I'm having to build five or more sheaths at a time so I'm pretty much set on buying a machine now.

 

After a lot of research and thinking about different machines I'm pretty set on the Cowboy 3500, I keep looking at the 4500 and for $300.00 more, that's not much more for the whole "cry once buy once" outlook, but for what I plan I really don't need a longer arm...yet. any comments or thoughts on the Cowboy 3500?

I'm looking at buying from Toledo Industrial, so I'm hoping some folks here can answer a couple questions I have. first, how is it dealing with Toledo? I've only read good things.

Second, and this is a big one, I don't really have room in my house for this, my shop is a 30' x 50' enclosed pole barn with concrete floor, metal walls and metal roof, it was professionally built so it's not what you think when you think "pole barn", it's rain tight but of course outdoor air circulates thru the roll up doors and roof vent. it's in North Florida so it's hot in the summer and can get kind of cold in the winter...for a few hours mostly on some days. I have some expensive machinery in there now and cover them with canvas painter tarps to protect from condensation and dust. would it be ok to keep this machine in my shop if I kept it wrapped and covered with bed sheets and or blankets to protect it from the elements? I maintain all my machines very carefully, keeping them clean and oiled and haven't had any problems yet.

Here is a picture of the last hand stitched sheath I made, after this one I pretty much decided that's it, I want a machine!

Here is the building I'm hoping to put it in...never mind the bent trees in the pic, their from hurricane Michael and are gone now.

[Handstitched]

13 hours ago, bladegrinder said:

I have some expensive machinery in there now and cover them with canvas painter tarps to protect from condensation and dust.

This is my workshop, although not as big as yours, I do pack a fair bit in and it survived a nasty  damaging storm years ago,  but thankfully my shop survived. Its insulated . Like you, I keep my machines serviced & covered . No reason why you can't have your machine in there . 

I keep meaning to make some custom made covers for my machines, ... a round-to-it  

You'll see in the 2nd pic I have the 441 clone, amongst other machines. 

HS

[shoepatcher]

Buy the long arm over the short arm.   4500 vs. 3500.    Trust me.  You will later regret not buying the long arm!!!

glenn

[dikman]

I agree, if you can afford it then buy the bigger one, you may not need it now but you never know what's ahead. At least you'll have it just in case. As for the shed, I don't see why it shouldn't work, just keep the machines covered when not in use. Mine are in a much smaller shed and I keep them covered to keep the inevitable dust off.

Handstitched, it's amazing how much one can cram into a shed, isn't it? Stuff will always expand to fill any empty space in a shed!

[bladegrinder]

Thanks Handstitched, shoepatcher and dikman for the info. I feel confident on putting it in my shop now, just keep it oiled and covered good when not in use.

As for upgrading to the 4500 I'm pretty sure that's what I'm going to do, it'll just be a few more tears added to the puddle of "buy once-cry once" and I'm sure it won't be to far in the future that I'll be glad I did.

I can't remember many things I've bought with an upgrade that I regretted later. I sent Bob at Toledo an email yesterday regarding shipping  to my house or picking up at a location about 35 miles away, and he replied first thing this morning.

picking it up elsewhere is cheaper even with my time and gas, I live on a county maintained dirt road and when it rains, which is a lot now, the road can wash out pretty good and a shipper may deny delivery if it was washed out creating a shipping drama.

Anyways...I'm looking to call Bob on Friday and discuss this purchase, I'll come back here to note how it went, thanks guys.

[Handstitched]

3 hours ago, dikman said:

Handstitched, it's amazing how much one can cram into a shed, isn't it?

So true   What you can't see in the pics , is what hanging up....now,  that pic is a few years old . Theres stock saddles, & tack  all over the place, over the door. Just about every nook & cranny is filled with ...something    

I should take an updated pic/s and post in the off topic bit. 

[jrdunn]

10 hours ago, bladegrinder said:

Thanks Handstitched, shoepatcher and dikman for the info. I feel confident on putting it in my shop now, just keep it oiled and covered good when not in use.

As for upgrading to the 4500 I'm pretty sure that's what I'm going to do, it'll just be a few more tears added to the puddle of "buy once-cry once" and I'm sure it won't be to far in the future that I'll be glad I did.

I can't remember many things I've bought with an upgrade that I regretted later. I sent Bob at Toledo an email yesterday regarding shipping  to my house or picking up at a location about 35 miles away, and he replied first thing this morning.

picking it up elsewhere is cheaper even with my time and gas, I live on a county maintained dirt road and when it rains, which is a lot now, the road can wash out pretty good and a shipper may deny delivery if it was washed out creating a shipping drama.

Anyways...I'm looking to call Bob on Friday and discuss this purchase, I'll come back here to note how it went, thanks guys.

I had mine shipped to the local feedstore (good people).  The shipper didn't have to deal with county roads and I didn't have to take off work.  It worked out great!  Of course I made him a "thank you" gift.

JM2C

[bladegrinder]

Well, I ordered to 4500 from Bob at Toledo this morning! I'm excited and can't wait to get it put up in my shop, start practicing on some scrap and learning this new machine.

should be two-three weeks. having it shipped to a freight place instead of my house and that cut the shipping dramatically.

[dikman]

Congratulations! Now order the modified needle plate/feed dog from RockyAussie, it's a must have for these machines, you won't regret it.

[Handstitched]

11 hours ago, bladegrinder said:

Well, I ordered to 4500 from Bob at Toledo this morning!

Well done  You'll be like a kid on Christmas Day when it arrives,  and you'll be forgiven for feeling a little anxious over the next few weeks  . Its a big investment . 

I'm glad I ordered the ' biggie' , never looked back. 

HS

[Tequila]

@bladegrinder nice shop!  Can I assume one side is for forging and the other for leather?  I live in south MS so I know the humidity you’re dealing with. My shop isn’t as big as yours but I do ammunition loading in mine and humidity is critical, so I put in a dehumidifier with a hose so it drains outside.  I guess my point is that if you find humidity is getting to be a pain maybe add a soft partition and keep the leather side dry. 

[bladegrinder]

18 hours ago, dikman said:

Congratulations! Now order the modified needle plate/feed dog from RockyAussie, it's a must have for these machines, you won't regret it.

Thanks dikman, how do I go about ordering from him?

[bladegrinder]

14 hours ago, Handstitched said:

Well done  You'll be like a kid on Christmas Day when it arrives,  and you'll be forgiven for feeling a little anxious over the next few weeks  . Its a big investment . 

I'm glad I ordered the ' biggie' , never looked back. 

Thanks Handstitched, yea I'm looking forward to it. funny thing when I first mentioned to the wife I was thinking about finally getting a machine I asked her if she thought it would fit in our spare bedroom. she asked me how big it was,

I told her I didn't have the exact dimensions but I'll find a picture, so while she was looking in that room I showed her a picture. Oh no no no she said, that's some kind of industrial machine that's not going in here. I just laughed, and said well yea of course it is, oh well. and that was a pic. of the 3500, now I have the 4500 coming. but all is well, it really needs to be in my shop to be around the rest of my going on's out there. I'm glad I got the 4500 coming or I'd be sitting here right now second guessing if I went the right way between the 3500 -4500.

[bladegrinder]

12 hours ago, Tequila said:

@bladegrinder nice shop!  Can I assume one side is for forging and the other for leather?  I live in south MS so I know the humidity you’re dealing with. My shop isn’t as big as yours but I do ammunition loading in mine and humidity is critical, so I put in a dehumidifier with a hose so it drains outside.  I guess my point is that if you find humidity is getting to be a pain maybe add a soft partition and keep the leather side dry. 

Thanks Tequila, The knife shop is probably half the building, in the back left corner of my shop I built a loft for over flow stuff from the house. today the shop was 100 degres with a feels like of 109.

So...later this fall I'm going to close that in and put a small portable air conditioner in there. that was the plan from the get go for a clean place for final finishing folder knives.

Here's a pic. of the loft, future leather working room...behind the tractor when I was moving my machines in there.....by myself...

edit: I also reload, so I have a designated are in there for that too!

Edited June 19, 2022 by bladegrinder

[Tequila]

@bladegrinder  if you can forge (or do most anything) in that heat you’re a better man than me  one of the benefits of a small shop is it’s easy to add A/C.  But I have to say I am jealous of your set up.  

[dikman]

22 hours ago, bladegrinder said:

Thanks dikman, how do I go about ordering from him?

Just send him a PM, he's shipped a few across the pond to the US so it shouldn't be a problem. I fitted the plate to mine and the only time I'll take it off is if, for some reason, I'll need the holster or stirrup plate, other than that it will be the default plate.

My little shed was originally built for my sewing machines but it didn't take long to move my reloading/casting gear in too. I doubt you will regret getting the bigger machine.

[bladegrinder]

10 hours ago, Tequila said:

@bladegrinder  if you can forge (or do most anything) in that heat you’re a better man than me  one of the benefits of a small shop is it’s easy to add A/C.  But I have to say I am jealous of your set up.  

Thanks Tequila, I've worked outdoors here in Florida all my life so I've learned to tolerate the heat pretty well. even at 100 it's not too bad with fans running, just remember to drink lots of water, now going out in the sun's another story. I was out in the woods running a chainsaw and doing tractor work today, tractor wasn't bad but the chainsaw work was friggin hot!

Yes, by this fall I'll have the bottom of that loft closed in with heat and A/C. it gets cold here too, some mornings are in the 20's but with a 40 degree swing, buy 2:00 it could be in the 60s.

That set up was a long time coming, I bought the property 18 years ago just for hunting, then decided to put a house on it 4 years ago, then put the shop on it two years ago...got it all wired up and water run to it, then moved here last year after I retired, I'm loving it!

[bladegrinder]

1 hour ago, dikman said:

Just send him a PM, he's shipped a few across the pond to the US so it shouldn't be a problem. I fitted the plate to mine and the only time I'll take it off is if, for some reason, I'll need the holster or stirrup plate, other than that it will be the default plate.

My little shed was originally built for my sewing machines but it didn't take long to move my reloading/casting gear in too. I doubt you will regret getting the bigger machine.

Thanks dikman, I'll send him a PM.