Best Leather Splitter/skiver?

[tossik]

J Hayes if you had to pick, would you stay with your Weaver Heritage or Osborne 84?

[J Hayes]

I went with the Weaver because of good reviews here and it put me over the minimum for my first order for my business account, it came sharp enough to split out of the box. Some of the new stuff I've bought from Osborne hasn't been close to sharp, and I didn't want to mess with sharpening a splitter again. You can also check with Bruce Johnson, he will sometimes have spliters for sale and those will be ready to work when you get them. One thing I think the Weaver lacks is a spring to push the stop up but its not a deal breaker. I have not run much leather through mine yet.

[Hunhunt]

I'll second the recommendation to contact Bruce Johnson to see if he has any splitters available and for his recommendations for your application. I recently purchased an old Chase pattern splitter from him and have tried it on several different chrome tanned leather pieces as well as some Horween Chromexcel. The splitter worked fine on everything I tried. This included some very oily, pliable chrome tan that I had no hope of splitting as well as a very soft, heavy knap shrunken chrome tan. The knife needs to be very sharp.

[tossik]

Thanks for the advice guys, I will contact Bruce, and hopefully he can point me in the right direction. Hunhunt, how much did you pay for your chase? how big is it and whats the widest piece you split? does it do lap skive?

[Hunhunt]

I paid around $450 for the reconditioned Chase pattern splitter. It is an 8 inch and I have split up to 4 inches. As you split wider chrome tan the leather tends to stretch as you pull it through the splitter. Yes it will do a lap skive but not a tapered lap skive like the Krebs pattern splitters. For making belts I don't need a tapered lap skive to fold over the portion where the buckle goes so the Chase works fine. Bruce explains the attributes of the various types of splitters on his website. The Krebs splitters have an adjustment mechanism so that you can get repeatable thickness in your splits. The Chase does not have this feature. The Krebs tend to be more expensive. Bruce suggested that the Chase I got from him might be best for splitting the types of leather I use due to the thinner blade and shallower (?) angle of the cutting edge. I have been very satisfied with it. There are other types of splitters as well that you can learn about on Bruce's website.

[tossik]

So many options! Ill be going crazy soon!

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

I have 5 splitters that I use routinely: my first splitter--a Tandy model that I bought about 30 years ago when it was the only model they had. Oddly enough, I prefer it over the others to split lacing and saddle strings. My second, a twist handle Randall. Man I thought I really had something when I got that one! It is a good splitter and if I had to have just one, that's the one I'd keep. The third splitter I got was either an American or a Landis, never can remember which even though I use it nearly every day. It's a 6" crank splitter, can't do lap skives. Fourth, a 10" Chase pattern splitter that I also really like, but since you can't do tapered skives on it, it wouldn't be my choice to keep if I had to keep just one. Fifth, an 18", (can't remember name) that I finally bought last winter after years of deliberating, that I absolutely love. It's awesome to level saddle skirts and plugs, swell covers, and about anything else that won't go through my 6". I have another Chase, an 8" I think, that needs a spring, and a Spitler pattern that needs sharpening. Haven't been motivated enough to tackle that. I would really, really like to have a Dixon lap skiver. I saw one in Bernie Samson's shop, and knew I wouldn't be happy til I found one. Some say don't waste your money, but if I find one, I'm buying it. I don't feel like I have more splitters than I need, as has been hinted at by non-leatherworking members of my family. I use them all often enough to justify having them, and they'll probably never go down in value.

[bruce johnson]

I used to wonder how many different kinds of splitters were made. Every time I think I must be getting close to the end of the list, I see something different yet again. Splitters are the leather kingdom's version of the never ending story. I've had or have most all of the one's BSS has, plus I have a Dixon lap skiver. I sold another a while back. Yep, they are cool...

HH has had good luck with the Chase splitting chrome tan. That was a real concern for me when I sent it, and sounds like it is still doing what I wasn't sure it could. You can't see me, so here's a cyber fist pump!

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

Bruce, if you find a Dixon lap skiver that you want to sell, I am interested!

[J Hayes]

Bruce, how about some pictures of the coveted Dixon?