Fortuna Skiving Machine - Help Needed

[edd]

Hi All,

Today I received a reconditioned Fortuna skiving machine having waited impatiently for a month for it to arrive. I'd asked for a V50 S or equivalent machine, but I'm not exactly sure what it is that I've received.

I was expecting a bottom feed machine, with continuous drive motor for the bell knife and a separate clutch motor for the feed wheel, as I thought this was standard with the V50 S. On the machine that I've received, the bell knife and feed are both driven together, which really limits it's effectiveness.

Is it possible to simply install a separate motor to isolate the knife from the feed stone?

My knowledge of machines and motors is pretty pathetic so I'm trying to consume as much info as possible from the internet at the moment, I'd really appreciate any advice!

Photos attached.

Cheers

Edd

[Ferg]

I don't have a Fortuna but have one very similar with both top and bottom feed.

My machine feeds from one motor. Bell knife, feed for top and bottom are synchronized so you can vary the speed of feed while everything else responds to that speed.

I would not want different speeds for each operation.

ferg

[edd]

Hi Ferg,

I read through some of your previous posts about skiving machines. They really helped me get a better understanding of some of the variations and things to look out for so thanks for sharing all your research!

Good to know you use yours comfortably with the knife and feed roller synced. I'm still tweaking the various adjustments and trying different types of leather but it is certainly still very usable in it's current configuration. I just figured it'd be best to have the knife turning at a constant speed for optimum cutting and then to use the clutch to have more control when feeding through lightweight leather.

Looks like it is possible on this machine as there are two separate pulleys. I'm just not sure yet about the most suitable single phase motor to use for the bell knife. Need to do some more homework!

[Andrew Chee]

I think that that's possible and probably relatively easy to do. There's the belt that goes from the motor to the machine. That pulley on the machine controls the knife. From that pulley there is another belt that goes to another pulley on the back of the machine. That pulley controls the feed wheel. Remove the belt between the two pulleys and rig up another motor to run that back pulley and now you have independent control over blade speed and feed speed.

The easiest thing to do is to buy a cheap clutch motor and connect that to the knife pulley. You can rig it so the motor is constantly engaged from the moment you turn the power on. That way, you have a constant speed knife. Then you use your servo motor to control the back pulley so you have better feed speed control.

Andrew

Edited August 29, 2014 by Andrew Chee

[edd]

Thanks Andrew... That's confirmed what I was planning to do. Looking inside, it actually all looks very straightforward.

Any idea what spec the motor should be? Something like this: 1500rpm/4pole, 0.75HP/550w ?

Cheers!

[Ferg]

I can see where you are going with this.

When I feed thin leather chrome mostly, I want the feed and the knife to turn slowly in comparison to other leathers.

Easy to control. If the knife is as sharp as it should be there is no problem with the cut.

I have simply gotten used to the way the machine is set up to begin with and have no problem with it. Different strokes for different folks! LOL

ferg

[pcox]

I have mine setup with 1 motor. The knifes run full speed but the feed is controlled with the clutch. I used an old style clutch motor and added a pulley between the motor and clutch. Works great.

[edd]

I can see where you are going with this.

When I feed thin leather chrome mostly, I want the feed and the knife to turn slowly in comparison to other leathers.

Easy to control. If the knife is as sharp as it should be there is no problem with the cut.

I have simply gotten used to the way the machine is set up to begin with and have no problem with it. Different strokes for different folks! LOL

ferg

Yep...if it works, it works

Fitted a new knife but will have to wait for a deburring rod to arrive before i can get a decent honed edge on it. Obviously no point really trying to skive anything until the blade is razor sharp

This manual someone posted a link to on the forums a while back has been a lot of help getting things adjusted

http://aoi.ou.edu/images/Leather%20Skiver%20Model%2010A.pdf

[Andrew Chee]

Thanks Andrew... That's confirmed what I was planning to do. Looking inside, it actually all looks very straightforward.

Any idea what spec the motor should be? Something like this: 1500rpm/4pole, 0.75HP/550w ?

Cheers!

For the fee I would think that any standard servo motor would do. There's not too much torque involved in feeding leather through and a servo will give you all the speed control you would need.

Andrew

[edd]

I've bought an old Willcox & Gibbs 1/2HP 1425RPM motor for the knife. It weighs a ton. Not sure if i should have gone for a higher RPM?

I've had some success after using the paper trick to adjust settings, changing the grinding stone and using the deburring rod to get the knife sharpened up. Managed to get some nice clean skives. Different story today though. The leather is struggling to feed properly so think I may need to change the feed wheel as it's not gripping the leather and feels a bit clogged up with dust. Its basically just burnishing the underside.

The other concerning issue is there's some play in the knife from front to back. I can move it about a mm back and forth (see photo). I don't know if this movement occurs when the motor is engaged and the knife is spinning. Should i be worried about it?

Advice to anyone in the UK thinking of buying a refurbished machine, I'd recommend going through Ernie at PMF-Fortuna. Even if it costs a little more, you'll know everything's been properly tuned up and you won't have to replace lots of parts . He was good enough to spend a bit of time giving me advice over the phone.

Edd

[Andrew Chee]

The knife shouldn't have any play in it. Is the knife not bolted on to the shaft tightly or is the shaft itself moving? Also, one thing to consider is that when you skive thin leather, the blade should sit closer to the feed wheel while if you skive thick leather, it should sit further back (to the right I guess). This will help in the feeding of the item.

Andrew

[edd]

Thanks Andrew.

Its the shaft that's moving. There's also a tiny bit of movement up & down. Any idea if its possible to adjust it or would the shaft need replacing?

I'll have to contact the supplier to remonstrate

[Ferg]

Shaft may be worn or bearings could be going bad.

This is the biggest problem with the older machines of any kind. Expect a number of things to fix/repair, quite often worth every bit of work but parts for the Fortuna may be costly.

ferg

[edd]

I'm going to find out how much it'd be to replace the main shaft. So much for buying a 'rebuilt' machine.

Still glad I didn't buy a cheaper Chinese copy though

[Ferg]

A really good machine man would find all the little faults. May have been a quick "do-over".

Still a great machine.

ferg

[edd]

Well I've been on to the supplier and they said they'd pick it up and exchange it for another machine they've just had in . They assured me this one is in 'perfect condition'.

I spoke to the UK Fortuna distributor who said that the machines that became available due to factory closures in the nineties and noughties have all found new homes (mainly overseas). A lot of the 'rebuilt' machines doing the rounds are in need of replacement parts and serious repair, that's why they were gotten rid of in the first place.

I was quoted £1100 for a new knife shaft. Worth bearing in mind for anyone tempted by a freshly painted 'refurbished' skiver!

[Ferg]

Gosh! Did I say parts for it may be costly? LOL

ferg

[edd]

Haha I know, I choked when they told me!

[billybopp]

At that price, you've gotta wonder what the shaft is made of. Just sayin'.

Bill

[Dwegan1982]

Hi. I know this is an old thread but I thought this could be a fun post with a happy ending

I a few years bought this exact same machine on ebay(serial numbers and crappy white paint job matched)

It was in the state as described in previous posts and I was a little bummed so i just let it sit a few years on the floor but during covid lockdowns I decided to give it some TLC.

I stripped it down to bare metal and repainted it. Serviced all the bearings or replaced them as needed as well as replacing  most plastic knobs for metal ones.

Its now a lovely flawless running machine that should outlive me.

I attached a photo of its current state.