Stitch Groover?

[awharness]

I saw a post on here a while back with a custom stitch grover... Who makes good groovers? Whats everyone use?

[TracyMoss]

I use a Bob Douglas stitch groover, it works really well, however the saddle shop I used to work for had several of the old osborne compass style groover and I want one of those, and as a plus Bob Douglas' groover tips fit the old osborne model.

Edited February 24, 2008 by TracyMoss

[Elton Joorisity]

I have an old Osborne compass groover with a medium Douglas tip in it and wouldn't get rid of it for love nor money!!!

[Rawhide]

I have an old Osborne compass groover with a medium Douglas tip in it and wouldn't get rid of it for love nor money!!!

Is that a Douglas Versa Groover's tip?

Marlon

[Elton Joorisity]

Yes it is a versa groover tip. They come in three sizes.

[Art]

I use a few different ones.

I use Ron's for stitching, especially where I like to lay the thread below the top surface like on belts and harness where they go through buckles.

I use the Tandy more for decorating now, however it works for small thread.

I use dividers to draw scratch lines then follow those with Ron's.

In the following pictures, I dug as deeply as possible to show what maximum is, I am usually a little lighter handed when following scribe marks and correspondingly a little shallower.

First, Four grooves made by (from left to right); Ron's #3, Ron's #2, Ron's #1, and Tandy Groover.

I laid 346 T\Rice Nylon in each Groove.

I Stitched 346 Rice Nylon in each Groove, I backed tacked the ending stitches (Ron's #3), note that in a large enough groove this does not show prominently. I didn't back tack the starting stitch as the groove (Tandy) was too small and it would have looked off.

Here's the culprits: Dividers, Ron's #3, Ron's #2, Ron's #1, and the Tandy Groover.

If you like the way the Tandy works but want something heavier like the Ron's, you can either use your finger as a guide (takes a little practice), or you can use the Tandy and then go back over with the free hand edger like Ron's. Douglas, Jeremiah Watt, and CSO make the old patent style divider groovers also, and Watt also makes a free hand groover. These are all good first class tools. There is also a Craftool edger similar to the Tandy but a little better, they all take a little practice getting used to. Danny Martin used to make one that was pretty big like a Ron's #3. I use the #1 and #2 most and the #3 if I really want a trough.

Art

I saw a post on here a while back with a custom stitch grover... Who makes good groovers? Whats everyone use?

[Rawhide]

Yes it is a versa groover tip. They come in three sizes.

Ok,

Would you post a picture of it in your compass? I can't imagine how it would work. My Osborne scratch compass has interchangeable scratches, but the scratches are a 1/4 diameter on one end and taper to the scratch on the other. The versagroover has an "L" style scratch like the one you can get at tandy.

I must be confused on something.

Thanks,

Marlon

[Elton Joorisity]

Marlon,

First off, Osborne's made two styles of compasses. One being the style you have and the other being the style I have. Second of all, Bob Douglas' versa groover does have an"L" shaped egde guide and not an "L" shaped blade. The best comparison that I can think of to the compass that I have is the one that Jeremiah Watt makes. It's darn near identical. I hope I was able to clear things up.

[barra]

This is the main style of stitch groover I use. I also have a tool that I was taught was called an American racer. From what I can gather it is like the Ron's tools style of stitch groover and I use it to groove free hand scrolls etc

[Art]

Hi Barra,

Ron's are like the "U" type American Racer. Dixon and Blanchard also made them in a "V" type. The "V"s turn tight curves better.

Art

This is the main style of stitch groover I use. I also have a tool that I was taught was called an American racer. From what I can gather it is like the Ron's tools style of stitch groover and I use it to groove free hand scrolls etc

[bruce johnson]

I use the TLF saddlemakers groover when I want to make small grooves on thinner leather. I have modified my blades a bit. I took my dremel and narrowed them up some, you really don't need that much blade thickness sticking out on either side of the hole. It mkaes more of a crease than cutting a groove. I thin them up from the bottom for the same reason It puts my cutting edge closer to the bottom of the blade tip. You have to go slowly and carefully or you might go too far. It really does improve their performance for me.

I have attached pictures of the two I use the most. One is the Osborne probably like Marlon has (#30, I think). Not one to be satisfied with most Osborne tools as they come, I have modified it too. I don't need one to pivot on a sharp point, I need one to ride an edge. I ground the point off and left the inside flat. It rides like the oldies. Even the smallest grooving point is size #207 thread and up for me. The loop type blade will cut as deep as you want to go. A plus for me for some applications, but not for the "save the grain" consortium.

My favorite is the wooden handled one. It is marked H&R. It is a nostalgia tool, and I bought it from my old tool buddy. I liked trying it out. He never would sell it to me directly, always figured he might need to "make himself a belt". Belt time passed and you all had a chance to buy it on ebay too. It is an old shoe tool, used for grooving soles. The downside is that the fence extends down pretty far. It is designed to ride off an edge and works well for double layers of skirting or heavy belts. Not so good for anything under 10 oz, unless you hang it over the edge of the bench. The upside is that is cuts a nice narrow groove, again as deep as you want to cut one. Apparently you can use it like a channeler, and glue up a deep channel and tap it closed if you want. Most of us have some tool(s) with a history, and this is one of mine.

[Rawhide]

Marlon,

First off, Osborne's made two styles of compasses. One being the style you have and the other being the style I have. Second of all, Bob Douglas' versa groover does have an"L" shaped egde guide and not an "L" shaped blade. The best comparison that I can think of to the compass that I have is the one that Jeremiah Watt makes. It's darn near identical. I hope I was able to clear things up.

Now I understand . The long tube portion is the scratch and the small elbow is the guide. Got it. Now, that "may" fit in my compass. I have the one like Bruce has in the first picture on the right side. Thanks for clarifying.

Marlon

Edited February 27, 2008 by Rawhide

[whithead]

Where could we newbie's get some of these tools? I am coming to the conclusion that the Tandy Line is good to start but I think I ready to move on to better quality tools...

[ClayB]

if you go to the other side of the leatherworker site, not the forum, there is a list of suppliers towards the bottom of the page. Beside a lot of the names, it tells what they sell and has contact info for them.

[awharness]

has anyone used the Horseshoe brand (Watt) compass style groover? it looks pretty decent, better then the new Osborns... any input?

-Andrew

[Duke]

I use the saddle makers groover, just for the simple fact that it was readily accessable to me. I have a few of the osborne groover blades for the compass, but dont have the compass, yet. I also have the freehand stitching groover, which I can use with a protractor or cardboard template for unusual lines.

[David Genadek]

I had a lot of trouble with the divider type grovers under heavy use so I took the cheap grover you get at Tandy and made a new blade for it. I use allen wrenches that I grand flat cut them off by the bend, drill a hole in it and use a dremel to put an edge on it. I have a bunch of them all set up to different widths. They work great and hold up well.

David Genadek

[awharness]

I had a lot of trouble with the divider type grovers under heavy use so I took the cheap grover you get at Tandy and made a new blade for it. I use allen wrenches that I grand flat cut them off by the bend, drill a hole in it and use a dremel to put an edge on it. I have a bunch of them all set up to different widths. They work great and hold up well.

David Genadek

David thanks for the tip, I may give that a try. I have a couple of the tandy groovers, but adjusting them all the time loosened up the handle on one and the little flat screw on the end of the other type they sell is getting stripped out. I just wanted to get something that I can set it and for get about it! I've got an idea in my head for something... I may need to get more info on how you sharpen the groover.

-Andrew

[Art]

Hi Andrew,

Dave's idea works for other things too. It is not uncommon to have many more than one draw gauge set at your most used widths. The little Tandy stitch groover is great for decoration, and cheap. If you want a two or three line decoration it is always easier to have two or three tools set at your "Standard" width than setting the same tool three times for a job. Tandy tools last longer if you are not messing with them all the time.

Art

David thanks for the tip, I may give that a try. I have a couple of the tandy groovers, but adjusting them all the time loosened up the handle on one and the little flat screw on the end of the other type they sell is getting stripped out. I just wanted to get something that I can set it and for get about it! I've got an idea in my head for something... I may need to get more info on how you sharpen the groover.

-Andrew

[gtwister09]

I had to chuckle a little about the Danny M. "trough". I was given one of them as a present and thought to myself ...WOW! What a HUGE groove. I have only used it on heavier thread and multiple thicknesses. It has been rarely used up to this point.

David Genadek's observation about the scratch compass having issues with heavy use was relayed to me many years ago by a saddlemaker. His fix was exactly like David's with a slight twist. He likewise used the handled Tandy ones with Allen wrenches from the pawn shop that were modified. He liked the Tandy blades with some thinning on the the blade for light leather but also used smaller Allen wrenches for these as well. He had about 4 of them set up for various thicknesses of thread. He used drill bits as gauges for his thinning efforts for the Allen wrenches so that they were always the same width before drilling his holes.

Regards,

Ben