drill press slicking

[tazzmann]

Is there something I can chuck up in my drill press to slick up the edges on stacked leather? An aluminum bar, plastic rod, cocobolo ??? Doing it by hand is getting tiring.

Oh, I am talking stacked leather up to 3/4" thick or more.

Thanks!

Edited April 7, 2008 by tazzmann

[rsg3]

Weaver Leather sells a slicker made of plastic or wood (whichever you prefer) that you can chuck up in a drill press. It has several angles and grooves for slicking leather. I don't believe it has a groove large enough for 3/4", but if you know someone with a wood lathe they could make the same thing to your specifications in a few minutes. Hope this helps

[Jordan]

Older style Wood thread spools, newer plastic ones no good. on an arbor mounted in the DP chuck works good

[bruce johnson]

Tazzman,

I went through probably three of the Weaver models. The plastic melts or deforms. The wooden ones eventually chip out from the chuck on the spindle and get out of round before they eventually break off at the spindle. In their defense, they do have a space above the three provided grooves to add a wider groove. Turn it on and hold a round file there until you get the depth and profile you want. I had Norm Lynds make me up one a few years ago with the grooves I needed and a metal spindle. It has held up well. Pretty sure Norm is a member here. He makes some other handy tools also. I am attaching a photo of my Weaver one with the added groove, and Norm's below that.

[tazzmann]

Tazzman,

I went through probably three of the Weaver models. The plastic melts or deforms. The wooden ones eventually chip out from the chuck on the spindle and get out of round before they eventually break off at the spindle. In their defense, they do have a space above the three provided grooves to add a wider groove. Turn it on and hold a round file there until you get the depth and profile you want. I had Norm Lynds make me up one a few years ago with the grooves I needed and a metal spindle. It has held up well. Pretty sure Norm is a member here. He makes some other handy tools also. I am attaching a photo of my Weaver one with the added groove, and Norm's below that.

Thanks Bruce, that gives me some ideas. I was thinking of getting some hardwood dowels and drilling a hole through the center and then using a file to do just that, but wasn't sure if the dowels were the right kind of wood. On the other hand, I am sure I could buy a piece of cocobolo from a knife maker friend of mine and see if I can come up with someone that has a lathe that I could use to turn that into a slicker.

I have one of Tandy's nylon circle slicker that has finally given up the ghost after 15 years of doing belts and wallets and such, but it is much too narrow to do some of the stacked leather things that I do.

Thanks for the pics. I now have some ideas.

Edit: Also, with the wood, what speed are you running on the drill? Mine is a five speed that I can run from about 610 rpm to about 3100 rpm.

Edited April 7, 2008 by tazzmann

[superchute]

we have a cocobolo with a shaft mandrel in it and it hooked to a 1/2 1750 rpm motor and it work great. But if i make a new one going to make it with more sizes of groves in it and would like to try one about 6 inches arcrost beening a lot biger then the one I have now

Russell

[gtwister09]

We have used a couple of cocobolo ones for years that we made. We used a 3/8" X 3" lag bolt for the neck and cut the head off so that it could be turned on the lathe and later chucked into the drill press. Using the lag bolt fixed the issue with the neck getting chewed up by the jaws. It also provided a means to turn the slicker true.

Regards,

Ben

[bcurrier]

How long or how much has anyone here run a drill press mounted slicker like this? My concern would be for the quill bearings. Drill press bearings aren't built for side thrust. I doubt that it would ever be an issue for a slicker a couple of inches long or so, but would think it might be on a longer spindle due to the increased leverage.

Bill

[gtwister09]

How long or how much has anyone here run a drill press mounted slicker like this? My concern would be for the quill bearings. Drill press bearings aren't built for side thrust. I doubt that it would ever be an issue for a slicker a couple of inches long or so, but would think it might be on a longer spindle due to the increased leverage.

Bill

Bill,

From an engineering and machinist standpoint you are correct that these bearings are generally not set up for side thrust. However the amount of thrust is nothing like what we would consider if you put an end mill in the drill press and faced off a piece of steel or aluminum. These are performing slicking and not cutting operations. Cutting metal generally has the cutter climbing. We have used these in a smaller 12" drill press (conservatively about 100-125 hours of slicking) as well as using it to drill more holes than I care to remember over the past fourteen years (metal and wood drilling). The drill press is still being used today by one of our friends. We upgraded after 14 years to a 16" Rigid.

Regards,

Ben

[AlcoveShop]

We have 4" Diameter Rounds (4-5" in height) with various grooves turned on a lathe for stuff going on up to 3/4 - 7/8".

Your friendly woodworker with a lathe can make them easily on a lathe. Pick your wood and go to town.

A cheaper method involves digging up chair spindles with various funk for groove to them- they do work.

FYI you can buy a descent drill press at Harbor Freight for 30-40 bucks!.

[tazzmann]

FYI you can buy a descent drill press at Harbor Freight for 30-40 bucks!.

LOL, that is where I got my latest one. It works great and for $42 you can't beat it. Now for a bandsaw.....

[Srigs]

Tazzman,

I went through probably three of the Weaver models. The plastic melts or deforms. The wooden ones eventually chip out from the chuck on the spindle and get out of round before they eventually break off at the spindle. In their defense, they do have a space above the three provided grooves to add a wider groove. Turn it on and hold a round file there until you get the depth and profile you want. I had Norm Lynds make me up one a few years ago with the grooves I needed and a metal spindle. It has held up well. Pretty sure Norm is a member here. He makes some other handy tools also. I am attaching a photo of my Weaver one with the added groove, and Norm's below that.

I would buy one. I even have the drill press already.

[Shorts]

Has anyone converted a bench grinder to hold an edge slicker? Seems it would work as well. Remove the safety shield so you have room to work. You can put the slicker on one side, the horse hair on the other and end up with beautiful edges in one quick station.

[tazzmann]

As an update, I found some wooden thread spindles at Michael's craft store. I took them home and put a bolt through the middle with a nut to hold the bolt in place. I chucked up the end of the bolt into my drill press and proceeded to take a piece of 80 grit sandpaper and true it up. I then tested with a scrap piece of leather and it worked GREAT! I went back to Michael's and picked up a couple more of various sizes and worked through the process again of bolting and truing them up. Best part was they were about $.89 a piece and I didn't have to put hardly any side pressure on them. This means it won't hurt the drill and I have a fast, efficient way of slicking the edges. I tired both water and Gum Trgacanth and they both came out beautifully. Slick and shiney!

Thanks for the tip Jordan!

[JAM]

How long or how much has anyone here run a drill press mounted slicker like this? My concern would be for the quill bearings. Drill press bearings aren't built for side thrust. I doubt that it would ever be an issue for a slicker a couple of inches long or so, but would think it might be on a longer spindle due to the increased leverage.

Bill

Lee Valley Tools - www.leevalley.com - sells a drum sander support system that turns a drill press into a drum sander with a bearing support at the bottom. One could probably either use or modify that tool, or make something similar.

[esantoro]

Tazzman,

I went through probably three of the Weaver models. The plastic melts or deforms. The wooden ones eventually chip out from the chuck on the spindle and get out of round before they eventually break off at the spindle. In their defense, they do have a space above the three provided grooves to add a wider groove. Turn it on and hold a round file there until you get the depth and profile you want. I had Norm Lynds make me up one a few years ago with the grooves I needed and a metal spindle. It has held up well. Pretty sure Norm is a member here. He makes some other handy tools also. I am attaching a photo of my Weaver one with the added groove, and Norm's below that.

I need to get one of these wood slickers from Weaver. In anticipation of the spindle breaking off, how difficult would it be to fix by cutting off the spindle flush with the base, drilling a hole down the center, and gluing in place? Is there a special type of spindle I should get?

Ed

[moriver]

I make all of my slickers, folders etc, from Iron wood, it is very hard, actually sinks in water it is so heavy, it works nicely on a lathe or sander. I have yet to wear one out, some are 10+ yrs old and get used daily. You can get it from any specialty wood shop, very expensive but you don't need much. I have one peice that is about 4 inches long, I turned it in a lathe and just started making concave cuts of different sizes, some roucded and some squared off at the edges, different depths etc. So far I have not seen anything thaht beats it.

[esantoro]

I make all of my slickers, folders etc, from Iron wood, it is very hard, actually sinks in water it is so heavy, it works nicely on a lathe or sander. I have yet to wear one out, some are 10+ yrs old and get used daily. You can get it from any specialty wood shop, very expensive but you don't need much. I have one peice that is about 4 inches long, I turned it in a lathe and just started making concave cuts of different sizes, some roucded and some squared off at the edges, different depths etc. So far I have not seen anything thaht beats it.

Thanks, moriver. would you be interested in making one or more for purchase? I would be interested in something that can be chucked in a drill press, something like Norm Lynds', as well as something like a tandy slicker that can be either hand-held or chucked.

You got me interested now in ironwood. I did some checking and found lignum vitae, which has been discussed around this forum.

http://www.lignum-vitae.com/hardness.htm

I started looking around this site, and now I want to get into woodworking.

ed

[esantoro]

Thanks, moriver. would you be interested in making one or more for purchase? I would be interested in something that can be chucked in a drill press, something like Norm Lynds', as well as something like a tandy slicker that can be either hand-held or chucked.

You got me interested now in ironwood. I did some checking and found lignum vitae, which has been discussed around this forum.

http://www.lignum-vitae.com/hardness.htm

I started looking around this site, and now I want to get into woodworking.

ed

Twenty minutes on Google is a dangerous thing. Now I want a lathe.

ed

[King's X]

Tazzman

If you get a chance, I would like to see a picture of your new drill press slicker. I am in the market for one. I have seen the plastic one on ebay that looks like the Weaver model. I am glad I read this thread before I purchased the plastic one.

Thanks, ATX

[Bree]

Thanks, moriver. would you be interested in making one or more for purchase? I would be interested in something that can be chucked in a drill press, something like Norm Lynds', as well as something like a tandy slicker that can be either hand-held or chucked.

You got me interested now in ironwood. I did some checking and found lignum vitae, which has been discussed around this forum.

http://www.lignum-vitae.com/hardness.htm

I started looking around this site, and now I want to get into woodworking.

ed

+1 Lignum Vitae is inexpensive and easy to get. It is hard as can be and is used as the sole of wood planes among other things. It is an excellent choice. If you have a local Rockler's or Woodcraft store you can get yourself a small turning square and create your own. You really don't even need a lathe. With a little time you can use a scraper and sandpaper to make your coves. You could ask the store staff if they could use one of their lathes for turning classes to round out the square for you when nobody is looking! It would take them about a minute or two to do so.

[BearMan]

Hi Tazzman,

I did almost the same thing with a short table leg I got from Home Depot. It's about 10" long, & I drilled a 1/2" hole through it, inserted a 1/2" carriage bold & nut. It works great! & it has 5 diff. positions to slick on, with diff. diameters, & widths.

Ed

Has anyone converted a bench grinder to hold an edge slicker? Seems it would work as well. Remove the safety shield so you have room to work. You can put the slicker on one side, the horse hair on the other and end up with beautiful edges in one quick station.

[esantoro]

Tazzman,

I went through probably three of the Weaver models. The plastic melts or deforms. The wooden ones eventually chip out from the chuck on the spindle and get out of round before they eventually break off at the spindle. In their defense, they do have a space above the three provided grooves to add a wider groove. Turn it on and hold a round file there until you get the depth and profile you want. I had Norm Lynds make me up one a few years ago with the grooves I needed and a metal spindle. It has held up well. Pretty sure Norm is a member here. He makes some other handy tools also. I am attaching a photo of my Weaver one with the added groove, and Norm's below that.

Hi Bruce,

How wide a diameter is the slicker made by Norm? I just got the one from Weaver and it is 1" in diameter.

Ed

[bruce johnson]

Ed,

Norm's slicker that I have is made from 1" stock. It is the first one he made and I am not sure if he still uses the same stock. I used to go through one of Weavers about every 6 months or so. I am still on the first one. Seems like I have had it at least a couple years?? It's the real deal.

[esantoro]

Ed,

Norm's slicker that I have is made from 1" stock. It is the first one he made and I am not sure if he still uses the same stock. I used to go through one of Weavers about every 6 months or so. I am still on the first one. Seems like I have had it at least a couple years?? It's the real deal.

I'm going to the hardware store tomorrow to see what kind of dowels I can return with. I've emailed Norm, but I'll try again. I'll see if he has a telephone number in the Rawhide Gazette.

Ed