Safety beveler vs a spokeshave

[T Moore Medicine Hat Saddlery]

What are you using the safety beveler and razor blades or a spokeshave. What seems to work best 

[gigi]

I worked with Tandy safety beveler for skiving veg-tanned leather edge and it performed great! But I only use the original replacement blades - they don't last very long (don't think it works with razor blades, tried once). 

Some people use a little leather plane, or a paring knife, or paring device, depends what you need to do.

Edited July 19, 2017 by gigi

[Matt S]

Swann Morton 10a scalpel.

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

I use both. I have about 8 or 10 spoke and heel shaves, but built saddles for years without.  They are just another tool that cam make life easier. Ninety-nine percent of the time,  I only use the spoke and heel shaves for saddles, the little potato peeler skiver I use for a lot of things. It is on my bench most of the time.  Advantage is you never have to sharpen it, just pop the blade out and put a new one in.  I also have a couple of Tandy chrome plated skivers. . . I don't remember what they are called, but I never have liked them.  They always seem to dive and take too much off, or not cut at all.  The potato peeler skivers, if you have a new sharp blade in them, are much more controllable for me. However, I will say that the last couple new ones I've gotten won't cut.  The design isn't quite right and they absolutely won't cut a thing. I got them both from Weaver, and thought the first one was just a fluke, so I ordered another one and it was no better.  I've worn a couple out, so it's been something I've kept an eye open for on the used/vintage market.

[paulw]

can I just have a pennies worth, I am very new to leather craft about 6 months, i was worried about skiving leather in case I mucked it up, I bought the cheapest skiver from LePrevo in the UK, cost about £3.00, watched Ian Atkinson on youtube and it was a treat to use, no problem

[cowboycolonel]

Like everything else ... The right tool for the right job.  I use the potato peeler and the heel shave for saddle seats, but a head knife or potato peeler for small work that is not stationary. Seems like Sioux and I have to same experience with the "peelers" from Weaver.  Sometimes they work, but if they are misshapen, they simply won't!  Wish they come in both right-handed and left-handed models though.  As for the Chrome Tandy models -- same as Sioux.  not worth spending money on. 

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

I will add that I have a straight spokeshave that works fantastic for truing up edges.  If I take the time to get a wicked sharp edge on it, I have not found anything that works as well.

[LumpenDoodle2]

I use one of those black safety skivers most of the time.   I bought a little planer to use, but never took to it, so went back to the skiver.   I also have a Japanese knife skiver which is quite nice to use.

[keplerts]

Big Sioux,  I got a skiver from Weaver as well.  It was silver.  The problem is that it is made by the CS Osbourne company.  The cheap black ones from Tandy are not made by them and actually work.  CSO tools are pretty much junk. I bought a Harness awl from Weaver that was made by CSO and it was Junk!  I did give Weaver feed by on it.

[arz]

1 hour ago, keplerts said:

Big Sioux,  I got a skiver from Weaver as well.  It was silver.  The problem is that it is made by the CS Osbourne company.  The cheap black ones from Tandy are not made by them and actually work.  CSO tools are pretty much junk. I bought a Harness awl from Weaver that was made by CSO and it was Junk!  I did give Weaver feed by on it.

That is interesting. I have the sliver Osbourne and have mixed feelings about it. Sometimes it works great...other times I give up in frustration! Sometimes I think the angle is not right. I never thought the black Tandy might work better. I far prefer a very sharp English paring knife, skiving knife from Japan, French skiver etc.

The nice thing though about the safety skiver (potato skiver) is that you pull, so for very small items etc. it works nicely.

Maybe in the future I will try the black skiver and see if it works better than my silver Osbourne....

-Adam

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

4 hours ago, keplerts said:

Big Sioux,  I got a skiver from Weaver as well.  It was silver.  The problem is that it is made by the CS Osbourne company.  The cheap black ones from Tandy are not made by them and actually work.  CSO tools are pretty much junk. I bought a Harness awl from Weaver that was made by CSO and it was Junk!  I did give Weaver feed by on it.

Come to think of it, all the skivers I've had that worked were black, and none were CSO.

 

3 hours ago, arz said:

 I far prefer a very sharp English paring knife, skiving knife from Japan, French skiver etc.

While those tools may be great for some things, they won't work for scraping ground seats in saddles.

[T Moore Medicine Hat Saddlery]

I'm getting a low angle wooden compass shave. This maker has supplied some yo a saddle maker and the maker ordered a second one so hopefully this will work good.  I have a old stanley 51 flat bottom that I used but is dull now. I'll let everyone  know how it works. Incident it will pretty much be used exclusively on ground seats