hand crank splitters

[carver]

I got it in my head a hand cranked splitter like an American would be a good addition to my shop . can anybody tell me how well they work and any pointers in what to look out for on them ...... weakness problems with them ?????? I bought a hand cranked sewing machine without getting your expert advise and ended up throwing it in the creek and bought artisan toro with your advise and that worked out a lot better . thanks in advance

Carver

[bruce johnson]

I am Bruce, and I am a splitteraholic. I had an American. My experiences with it. For a crank splitter it is pretty good. It feeds from the back, which is a plus I'll get to. They are a 6" width so a little limited. It does firm leather fine. Softer leather like some latigo will wad up between the feedwheel and blade if the blade starts to get dull or the leather hits a soft spot. Smething specific to the American - the platform that the blade sits on can have a hairline crack. It is from a casting deal with a slight bow in the face, so when you tighten the bolts that hold it on the frame it puts tension on the platform. No big deal, the bolts hold both sides of the blade, and the blade splints the platform. Apparently fairly common from talking to some guys who have them. It sure didn't hurt the resale on mine when I decided to sell it. The downside of the American and crank splitters in general is they are TEDIOUS. I can pull two stirrup leathers through a pull through in the time it takes to crank one, and be a lot less bored and tired. They are handy for splitting smaller pieces that would would require pulling from both sides of a pull splitter though. The upside of feeding from the back is that I could take a latigo, get it started, let go of the handle and pull it through and let the handle free wheel. I have cranked some Landis ones, and they are good too. Greg Gomersall might still have one for sale.

[Luke Hatley]

i have a Landis hand cranked splitter that i bought off e-bay 5 years ago for app$500.00

i would not take $1500.00 for it . it is one of the finest machines machines that i have.

It is very useful for strap work , stirup leathers and belts.

[greg gomersall]

I still have the Landis if you are interested. Greg

[carver]

What are you asking for it and thank you for the other replies

Edited February 16, 2009 by carver

[carver]

I am Bruce, and I am a splitteraholic. I had an American. My experiences with it. For a crank splitter it is pretty good. It feeds from the back, which is a plus I'll get to. They are a 6" width so a little limited. It does firm leather fine. Softer leather like some latigo will wad up between the feedwheel and blade if the blade starts to get dull or the leather hits a soft spot. Smething specific to the American - the platform that the blade sits on can have a hairline crack. It is from a casting deal with a slight bow in the face, so when you tighten the bolts that hold it on the frame it puts tension on the platform. No big deal, the bolts hold both sides of the blade, and the blade splints the platform. Apparently fairly common from talking to some guys who have them. It sure didn't hurt the resale on mine when I decided to sell it. The downside of the American and crank splitters in general is they are TEDIOUS. I can pull two stirrup leathers through a pull through in the time it takes to crank one, and be a lot less bored and tired. They are handy for splitting smaller pieces that would would require pulling from both sides of a pull splitter though. The upside of feeding from the back is that I could take a latigo, get it started, let go of the handle and pull it through and let the handle free wheel. I have cranked some Landis ones, and they are good too. Greg Gomersall might still have one for sale.

Bruce thanks for the reply. would you suggest I stick with my hand splitter ? its tandy model or stay with the hand splitter but grade to some type of osborn

[bruce johnson]

Carver,

Realize that I have no loyalty to many things. There are Ford, Chevy, and a Dodge pickup in our driveway at night. I had one of the Professional Tandy splitters - first or second one I got. It needed some machining to be right, and rebeveling the blade to a lower angle, and I sold it. I bought the American crank splitter and a Landis crank skiver from an old friend. They both were fine. If I was just dealing with veg-tan or harness leather, I'd have been happy with the American. I also split some latigo, chap, mulehide, and other softer leathers. I got my first Chase pattern pull through, and it would do them all, without chopping a strap like some of the Osborne designs. I started off with an 8" CS Osborne Chase. Traded for a 10" CSO Chase later on. Kind of nice - leave one set at 8 oz, and the other set to whatever else I needed. On a trip I got an 10" HF Osborne Chase because it was such a different and simple design and very cool. I had used a Krebs before and really wanted one. Last fall I bought one, and ended up and got another in a deal two weeks later along with a 12" Hanson Chase pattern. The guy I bought the 12" from then found a flush mount 12" early Chase style, and I got that one also for no other reason than to have a spare 12" blade. Some of my splitters are for sure over 100 years old, and they all could be. The bevel on these old blades is shallower, the steel is good, and they all work fine for me, although I just have the Randall Krebs, 10" CSO Chase and 12" Hanson Chase mounted. I leveled a 11-1/2" wide swell cover through the 12" Hanson last week. Some splitters I have sold as I traded up.

It really depends on what you need one to split. If I was doing vegtan straps, wanted to process scraps easier, and 6 inches wide was adeqaute, the handcrank is the ticket. Softer leather splits better pulled. The Osborne 86 pull throughs can have the strap ride up the bevel or flip up and chop. The exposed blade on the 86 is just asking to make you bleed at some point. The hold-down bar on the 84 and clones help to prevent that some, but can still happen. The upper roller on the Krebs eliminates it. The dial setting on the Krebs makes it very repeatable. The upper and lower rollers on the Chase pattern or Krebs means the leather has no place to go but into the blade. I like that, and they haven't seemed to make one with that design for about 80 years. For a pull through, if I had it all to do over - I'd get a Krebs first and then a Chase pattern to back it up.

[rcsaddles]

I have a 12 inch crank splitter that was made by Marvin Deitz in Harrison, Idaho. I got it in a package deal about five years ago. I would highly reccommend getting a splitter from him if you want to split anything up to 11 inches wide. I have talked to him on the phone a couple of times to trouble shoot miine. By the way, not the machine but operator error putting the blade back in after sharpening. Marvin knows his stuff and I think he will work with you to learn the technical parts of his splitter.

Marvins contact info is:

Marvin Deitz

PO Box 277

Harrison, Idaho 83833

208-689-3086

Bruce, if you haven't heard of this guy and contact him, I will apologize to you now. I don't think I should be held responsible for giving this information to benefit others. I just don't want to contribute to your splitteraholicism. :-D

Joe Boyles

Rugged Cross Saddlery

[esantoro]

Joe,

Marvin's splitter sounds ideal. I gave Marvin a call and left a message. If possible, would you be able to post a picture of your splitter?

Ed

I have a 12 inch crank splitter that was made by Marvin Deitz in Harrison, Idaho. I got it in a package deal about five years ago. I would highly reccommend getting a splitter from him if you want to split anything up to 11 inches wide. I have talked to him on the phone a couple of times to trouble shoot miine. By the way, not the machine but operator error putting the blade back in after sharpening. Marvin knows his stuff and I think he will work with you to learn the technical parts of his splitter.

Marvins contact info is:

Marvin Deitz

PO Box 277

Harrison, Idaho 83833

208-689-3086

Bruce, if you haven't heard of this guy and contact him, I will apologize to you now. I don't think I should be held responsible for giving this information to benefit others. I just don't want to contribute to your splitteraholicism. :-D

Joe Boyles

Rugged Cross Saddlery

[fred3777]

I have a six inch crank splitter, it is a Landis I think. I find I really need to keep the blade sharp, sharp, sharp. I finally got tired of trying to hand sharpen it and took it to a company that sharpens planer blades. That was the best thing I did. Since doing that it works perfectly.