Tips On Skiving

[leaky5]

I am still learning with this, I can do fairly small pieces, but if I try to do say the last 60mm of the reverse of a 32mm wide belt (where the buckle goes) I end up taking chunks out of it.

Is it down to the correct tools ? I normally use a Boker subcom 42, but that plays havoc with the arthritis in my fingers. Would I be better off with one of the square ended, wooden handled skivers (Japanese style ?)

Do you bother skiving this part and the keeper to thin them out ?

[Halitech]

I know it will sound strange but a small block plane works a lot better then the super skiver or any kind of knife. But for a really nice job, pick up the High tech splitter, one pass and done with uniform thickness. I know it's not in everyone's budget but I picked one up on Friday and it is great for smaller jobs

[Bonecross]

French edge skivers can really come in handy and do offer much more control.

[leaky5]

Thanks for the tips, I almost bought a block plane and then remembered I had a new wood chisel in the shed. Gave it a bit of a sharpen and it has tided up my hack job quite nicely.

[zuludog]

You can get various skiving knives; I have sometimes thought that a broad woodworking chisel would be a cheaper alternative, especially as you can pick them up cheaply at secondhand stalls

Yes, search YouTube for 'japanese leather knife', there are a couple of good videos.

You will also see that the key to these knives and skiving knives is to get them razor sharp. The usual technique is an oil- water- or diamond stone and a strop. Again there are several videos.

Whatever you get, make a simple slip cover, both to protect the blade edge from damage, and to protect your fingers & other things from the blade edge!

Edited November 17, 2015 by zuludog

[leaky5]

I also ordered an Olfa BTC-1 and that does the job really well and is quite cheap. Along with the fact it had replacable blades, that is perfect for me.

[Chief31794]

One tip I'll share, is regardless what you use to skive, take your time and practice, it's better to make 20 small thin cuts that 1 big chunk. There is a finesse to skiving. That being said, I don't do nearly as much hand skiving as I used to because I have a bench skiver/splitter that I use to thin leather as needed.

Chief

[Nuttish]

I know it will sound strange but a small block plane works a lot better then the super skiver or any kind of knife. But for a really nice job, pick up the High tech splitter, one pass and done with uniform thickness. I know it's not in everyone's budget but I picked one up on Friday and it is great for smaller jobs

What kind of block plane do you use? I can see a rabbeting plane working because the iron extends slightly past the edge of the body, but I can't see how a regular block plane works for this application.

[Halitech]

It takes some work but it does work and it's just a small 1 1/2" plane that I picked up at Rona. Doesn't work as well for anything thicker then the width of the blade but it is usable and better then using a disposable knife