TomE Report post Posted December 12, 2023 As an alternative to hand skiving the edges of straps to create swells for bridles, I wanted to see if my bottom feed bell skiver could do it to save time (10 sec versus 30 min) and produce a consistent thickness. Think I am closing in on a solution. I am using 9-10 oz bridle leather and thinning the edges to about 3 oz thickness. This is a fairly steep taper on leather that is thicker than typical for a bell skiver. First thing was to improve the feed of thick leather through the machine. I purchased a slotted steel roller drum (FAV 856) from Campbell-Randall. It is heavy and has roller bearings inside instead of a bushing. This is the "knobby tire" for my "off roading" experiment. Grips the leather firmly and doesn't clog with fuzzy bits like an emery roller drum. For thick leather I also decrease the roller drum spring tension. Had to notch out the guard plate to accommodate the flange on the left side of this roller. Next thing was to get a roller foot that would decrease resistance to feeding thick leather and minimize marking of the grain of veg tanned leathers. This roller foot (FAV 362-BC) is tapered to produce a tapered skive. It has a nifty eccentric cam in the mounting pin that gives an additional adjustment for the angle of the skive. The short length of the roller and the cam adjustment allow for a very steep angle (by bell skiver standards). I am still dialing in the setup for this job, but here is some 9-10 oz bridle leather skived to ~3 oz on the edges. This was skived in a single pass on each side. The decreased spring tension allows the roller drum to flex so the knife can take a bite out of the leather while the aggressive grip of the slotted steel keeps the feed constant. The roller doesn't leave a mark on the grain, which is of course important for these decorative bridle pieces. Here is what a finished noseband with a swell looks like. Two skived straps are shaped in a rounding block and sewn together. This noseband has a padded liner. Once I work out the machine skiving methods, the next task will be machine sewing these swells instead of hand sewing. The problem with machine sewing is the continuous taper causes the presser feet to slip along the sloped edge. Going to try angling the strap while sewing with a holster plate. Your critiques and suggestions are welcome! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bruce johnson Report post Posted December 12, 2023 Interesting set up. When I bought my bell knife I got it from a seller who had a ton of machines and experience. I took my own leather down there and we sat down. He’s the first guy who mentioned the milled feed wheel. Then he grabbed me two or three roller presser feet. Both of them make a bottom feed much more reliable for heavier leather. You talk to some sellers and they’ve never heard of that feed wheel or roller feet. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomE Report post Posted December 12, 2023 1 hour ago, bruce johnson said: Interesting set up. When I bought my bell knife I got it from a seller who had a ton of machines and experience. I took my own leather down there and we sat down. He’s the first guy who mentioned the milled feed wheel. Then he grabbed me two or three roller presser feet. Both of them make a bottom feed much more reliable for heavier leather. You talk to some sellers and they’ve never heard of that feed wheel or roller feet. This is a used Tech Sew that I am quite happy with. Setting up a bell skiver for anything but thin/soft leather seems to be a well kept secret, but I am having fun learning by trial and error. Took @RockyAussie's advice and avoided the top-and-bottom feed machine, which would probably outsmart me. I will also use it for thin leather - bags, covers for halter pads, etc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FDC Report post Posted April 4 Nice problem solving! I too am trying to get my Techsew SK-4 801 skiving heavier leather than it is intended for. Veg tan to boot. I have added the serrated drive wheel but maybe the best modification is a speed reducer in the drive train. Plenty of grunt now. Thanks to Andrew at Skyline Leather for his fine video about this! And there is no question that a freshly sharpened blade is critical when pushing the performance envelope on this skiver. I have had success with 9/10 oz leather to date and that was my goal. It’s not an everyday requirement but occasionally I need it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomE Report post Posted April 4 7 hours ago, FDC said: I have added the serrated drive wheel but maybe the best modification is a speed reducer in the drive train. Plenty of grunt now. Thanks to Andrew at Skyline Leather for his fine video about this! And there is no question that a freshly sharpened blade is critical when pushing the performance envelope on this skiver. I have had success with 9/10 oz leather to date and that was my goal. It’s not an everyday requirement but occasionally I need it. Good tips! I will look into the speed reducer. Here's a link to the video. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
