What Skiver Should I Buy?

[LeatherWerks]

I'm in the market for a skiver but don't know which one will be best for my type of work. I guess what I would use it most for is skiving thin leather. I've started making some wallets and need a machine to skive just enough so I can turn over the edge before I sew. I guess also, I'd probably use it to skive the buckle end of a belt from time to time.

I generally get my equipment from Steve at the Leather Machine Company and would continue to do that if his machine is right for my application. I'm looking at his NP-4 which is a bottom feed machine (even though I don't yet know what that means). I guess one question is, do I need a top and bottom feed machine or can I save some money and just get the bottom feed machine.

Any thoughts on the subject would be appreciated.

Steve

[raysouth]

There are a few conversations about the type skivers on the site but I do not know how to dig them out. One of the things I remembered during my quest for info., was, a dual feed machine is best. Please don't ask me just what that means but it made an impression on me at the time.

Seems that the Fortuna machines are some of the best and used are, I think, available from Campbell Tool. Cannot remember their full name either. Oh well, comes with age.

Campbell-Hausfield??????? Sure that others will be more helpful than I.

God Bless.

Ray

[LeatherWerks]

Ray, that is probably Campbell-Randall, I buy stuff from them from time-to-time.

Steve

Edited September 9, 2013 by LeatherWerks

[Andrew Chee]

There are basically two types of bell knife skivers; Bottom feed and Top and Bottom feed. Basically there is a knife shaped like a bell that turns round and round. There is a roller (usually made with some type of stone although other types of materials are also available) underneath the blade. That roller has roughly the same curvature as the blade and is powered and rolls towards the blade. Above the blade is a presser foot. That presser foot is also about the same curvature as the blade and is at most 2 inches wide.

Basically the leather fits between the upper feet and the lower roller and is cut by the blade. The distance between the upper feet and the blade determines the thickness of the skive. The feet and roller can be adjusted to different angles to get different skive angles.

The difference between a bottom feed skiver and a top and bottom feed is that the top presser feet on the top and bottom feed skiver is also a roller and is also powered. This allows that type of skiver to successfully feed harder, heavier materials.

I have a bottom feed only machine. Usually the skives I do are about 1/2" wide skiving veg tan from about 5-8oz down to about half thickness. For something like that, a bottom feed only machine works just fine. If I tried to skive veg tan leather for the full 2 inch width (if I want to split 2" wide strip down thinner) then my machine will not feed the material. I have an upper foot that is a roller (but not powered) and using that foot, I can skive maybe a little over an inch wide strip of hard veg tan.

If you need to skive wide swaths of heavy leather, get the top and bottom feed. If you only need to skive edges for turning or gussets, the bottom feed only will work just fine. And they are cheaper.

As for all the different makes and models of skivers, they are basically all the same. While some may say that some machines are better made (I cannot attest to that), they basically all use the same design.

Andrew

[LeatherWerks]

Andrew, thanks for that very in-depth reply. I now know much more than I did about skivers, and can make an informed choice.

Steve

[raysouth]

Ray, that is probably Campbell-Randall, I buy stuff from them from time-to-time.

Steve

Thanks Steve.

For some reason I seem to have a problem remembering names if I don't use them every day. lol. Now that you have straightened it out for me, I have remembered that the name I gave makes tools for the home shop, like compressors and more.

God Bless.

Ray

Edited September 10, 2013 by raysouth