Leather Splitter Setup Help

[Rarere]

Hi guys,

First post here but I have been reading the wealth of information for a little while now.

Over the last few months I have begun my leather work journey, making small leather goods items as a hobby.

Last week i purchased a leather splitter from a saddle maker.

As i am based in New Zealand, these types of items are very hard to come by.

The seller was not able to give me a maker name but after some research I have found it to be an old Whitfield Hodgsons & Brough splitter (attached pictures of the model).

I tried splitting some veg tanned leather and found that it in fact was not in working condition.

It pulled the leather and barely split it, end result was a twisted piece of mess.

I have adjusted the bottom roller so that it is now level, though I am concerned that the blade itself needs a makeover. It doesn't look dead straight and I have no idea what the history of it is.

The blade is symmetrically shaped, is there a specific angle that it should be ground at?

I saw the blade that is used on the Master tools leather splitter is the same shape, they talk about theirs being hollow ground. Is this something that I would need to make sure is done?

I'm assuming that the blade is a main factor in effecting the ability to split, but if any one has any other tips on setting up this machine it'd be greatly appreciated. I can't wait to start using it!

Cheers

[Birdman]

I have no specific knowledge regarding this tool. But I can offer the following advice based on using my own splitter.

You should make sure that the blade is sharp and that the side of the blade that is facing the roller is flat. The upper surface may be 'hollow ground'. If this is the case, any subsequent sharpening should take both of these points into account.

The blade should be polished and rust free.

The roller should also be polished, it is probably brass?

The roller should run freely....suitable light oil/greasing of the bearing and other moving parts?

There is a critical relationship between the roller and the blade regarding the horizontal distance/space between them, and also the angle between them.

Your splitter probably has vertical and horizontal screws to adjust these variables as well as an adjuster for the height of the roller?

If so, experiment. A likely adjustment is such that the blade does not cover more than half the width of the roller and is even along the length.

Also bear in mind that every piece of leather is going to be slightly different. So before you do something terminal on a new piece of work, test the settings first by backing off the height of the roller/blade gap first and slowly adjusting it up until the desired thickness is achieved.

THEN back it off a tad, as because the leather compresses slightly as it is drawn through the splitter, the 'one off' pull through is going to be slightly different from the several pull throughs you will do when setting up.

I hope this is not as clear as mud and that it gives you some ideas on how to set up your splitter.

Regards, P.

[silverwingit]

That was a great post, Birdman! I wish I had seen one like it when I was setting up my Heritage splitter.

One thing I might add would be to underscore the business about finding the correct relationship between roller and blade. It is critical is that the blade be perfectly parallel to the roller underneath it. Try making a straight line along the roller with a marker that is in perfect alignment with its axle. Then you can then use those blade adjustment screws to make the blade's leading edge run right along that mark. It's even easier if the blade is very close (but not touching) the roller.

That should give you a good starting point. If the blade isn't perfectly parallel to the roller, all bets are off. From there you can tweak the blade's angle with the adjustment screws as needed.

Also, just to clarify, if your blade is not already hollow-ground, there is no need to have that done. It's far easier to sharpen a blade that isn't hollow ground. Sharpening the blade is the most critical step in your set up. I used a set of progressively fine 3M wet or dry Polishing Papers on my granite surface plate to lap my blade to a mirror finish on both sides. It cuts like butter.

http://www.amazon.com/3M-WET-DRY-TRI-M-ITE-PCS/dp/B0095I79RA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417974287&sr=8-2&keywords=3m+flexible+polishing+papers

Good luck and tell us how you fare.

Michelle

Edited December 7, 2014 by silverwingit

[Rarere]

Thank you to you both for your very informative posts.

First glance of the blade it looks visually fine, upon a closer look it need some work done.

It looks like it has been rounded and is slightly bow shapes so I think I will take it to get reground so that I know that I have that variable covered off.

The shape of the blade is the same as in the image, number 3.

Is there a specific angle that this should be ground at that I can let the company doing the work know?

Also the edge being the shape that it is, does this make any difference for the set up at all?

Thanks in advance for your help

[oltoot]

In all the splitters I've dealt with over the years the shape should be as #4 and the flat side against the roller. This is how blades are when new and users must work hard to keep that backside flat and smooth with the blade then meeting the roller at TDC. A flatter angle than pictured would also be best. Then, in use periodic honing and stropping to keep both sides flat and smoooth as glass, and the edge straight. Then all the other stuff about roller tension, etc comes into play. But all of that will be like a dog chasing its own tail if the blade isn't right. When basics are right then one could experiment with #1 or #5 shapes on top side as there may be some difference in the finished product based on leather types, useage techniques, etc. When work piece is hand fed (as are 99+%) even the heighth of the machine vis a vis the ht of workers can make a difference. That is actually an angle of approach thing which can change if user changes stance or hand position. In my experience splitters are like some wives (not mine) finicky and demanding but the results are woth the attention paid.

PS It takes lots of scraps and makes a big mess on the floor getting it perfected.

[Rarere]

Thanks oltoot. After doing some further research I have found that there are a few blade shapes that are used in splitters. The one that you described and the one that I have to deal with. I have attached some pictures.

The thing sure needs a sharpen, I can almost run my finger along it in the centre without cutting.

It has some damage on the corners where it sits up against the stops, any tips for dealing with this or should I just get it reground to uniform.

I suppose by doing this that I know it will sit flush when positioned.

I can't seem to find any information online with regards to what angle to get it reground at, should I put my faith in the sharpener?

[oltoot]

Personally, from the pictures, I would just bite the bullet and take it to a machinist and go for #2 shape, being careful tough not to end up with something so thin and fragile as to have no durability. Perhaps a compound angle such as # 5 would solve that dilemma. This is usually done with hollow ground blades. The long flat major grind would be for enhancing feeding of the material with the secondary not being so steep as to make the results difficult if not impossible to sharpen. All must be done carefully to keep the temper in the blade all the way through the edge. If you go this way, be extra careful with honing and stropping. Do the the cutting slope most rigoruosly and just keep the feeding slopes smooth and slick.

[silverwingit]

I won't claim to have the kind of experience as oltoot but I must respectfully disagree.

Japanese knifemakers have long known that the optimum trade-off between sharpness and durability is an edge ground on one side only to a simple bevel. That's also the way my Heritage blade is ground and correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that is the way the blades are ground on the Osborne and Campbell-Randall splitters.

The reason I like it, aside from the fact that it works very well, is that an edge with a single edge bevel is the easiest (for me at least) to sharpen and maintain. Very easy to lay the beveled edge on a sharpening surface and maintain that one angle. Then flop the blade over to remove the burr. Easy-peasy. A single bevel edge is also easier for me to set into proper adjustment as I know that if the blade is perpendicular to the roller, I am good to go. Adjusting a blade with a more complicated edge requires greater skill than I possess.

I have my hands full with such a simple single bevel edge. I can make it work quite nicely and wouldn't want anything more complicated.

Maybe oltoot is one of those sharpening gurus though.

Michelle

[oltoot]

Please note that the simple single bevel was my first preference and the second only offered as a remedy for someting gone a little wrong. Yes the single is easier to maintain.

[bruce johnson]

Obvious to me that this is a different animal. It is a crankstyle and not common to the US. I would try to see if you can find somebody with one over there or Europe and see if the blade bevel is correct. That blade may well need to be that way by design. Changing to a single bevel may change the edge position. This particular splitter may need that double bevel to clear the bottom roller when it is up against the stops (where the corners have chipped out). Those corners can chip out on US crank splitters too. If you allow the blade to sit back from the stops the distance of the chip, they will work without sacrificing good blade in the center.

[oltoot]

Thanks for that, my experience is limited to US and Canadian made types.

[Rarere]

UPDATE

I took the blade to get re ground and it came out beautifully.

After mounting and some final tweaking I ran a thin piece about 1 inch wide through it.

A beautiful split!

The smile did not last long however. I tried a piece about 4" wide and it began to twist and warp.

After some head scratching my father and I found that the bottom toothed roller in fact has a slight taper on it, which I guess would explain why a wider piece would be skewed.

Not quiet sure how to tackle this next hurdle. Grinding the roller so it is even would remove the teeth on one end.

Though I don't see it working correctly any other way.

Back to the drawing board

[bruce johnson]

Normally when they twist to one side then a few things can be happening.

There should be a way to adjust the distance between the bottom roller and the blade and level the blade vs. the feed roller. On the US made ones there is a stud that goes into the two bottom roller bushing blocks with two jam nuts that can be tightened or loosened to adjust each side.

The other thing that twists the piece from one side to the other is pressure. Again, on the US made ones there are heavy compression springs that pressure the bottom roller. If one side has more pressure than the other that can affect feeding. Sometimes you have to back the pressure all the way off then tighten each side a bit at a time to keep it even.

[silverwingit]

When you split 4" wide strips of leather on a hand splitter you enter a different world. Much of the results even under the best of conditions depend on the type of leather you are splitting and even the specific sample/cut of leather you split as well as the thinness of the split you are trying to achieve. When you split oil-stuffed leathers thinly down close to the flesh side, for example, the strip can easily stretch and warp. You have to be very careful about just how you grasp the sample to pull it through in such a way that uniform tension is applied across the width of the sample as well as its length. A wide-grip Vice-Grip pliers can help with that.

There's lots of technique involved. Similar to cutting a straight line with a swivel knife, avoid wrist or elbow action and use shoulder or even body motion away from the splitter to do the splitting, especially with long samples. Try to hold the sample in such a way that as you split, the sample enters and leaves the splitter at the same angles thought the length of the split. The little guide bar isn't always sufficient and it affects different leathers differently depending on their stiffness. A helper guiding the strip into the splitter as you pull it through can make the difference. Even with a good split with wide strips I often then re-cut the split sample to the desired final dimensions. In my experience, you are expecting a lot trying to thinly split wide samples to exact dimensions.

Like someone said, be prepared to ruin a lot of leather to get good at it. Even a well-set up hand splitter is like a violin. You don't just walk up to one out lf the blue and expect to play it well.

Michelle

[Rarere]

Sorry I completely forgot to update you all.

Thank you to all that contributed but Bruce hit the nail on the head.

I pulled the whole machine apart and reassembled it.

Not quite sure what i did that was different from the original set up but it worked!

able to split a 5" wide piece of chromexcel even which surprised me.

It's not perfect but I think its the best I will get out of the machine for the time being.

I hope this can be of help to those that embark on buying an old hand cranked splitter

If anyone is interested this is the passport wallet I made with the splitter