Wood Planer for Splitting Leather

[Anubis78]

Has anyone ever tried using a wood planer, similar to the one pictured below, to split leather?  This machine cuts up to .125 inches and I was thinking that a piece of 8-9oz leather could be attached to a thin metal plate (to raise the leather up to help achieve the desired thickness) with the use of repositionable leather tape and passed through the machine.   This would be for larger pieces and would be less expensive than buying some of the machines I've been thinking about purchasing.  I'm assuming it would be the same principle but thought I'd reach out and get opinions of others out there in the community who may have had the same idea.  Thanks in advance!

[Bodean]

That planer uses a series of knives on a roller that spins. It more our less cuts the wood down to a desired thickness. I imagine it would chew up leather, and be rather dangerous if tried.

[mikesc]

No..a splitter splits ( leather )..a shaver shaves ( wood ) ..two totally different actions.

[Anubis78]

Ah ok got it.  I thought that it had a single blade inside of it.  THANK GOD I reached out and asked... I have never used a planer and saw this while in Lowe's today.  With the price of some of these machines, I keep an open mind to alternatives.  Thank you guys for responding.  

Edited December 7, 2017 by Anubis78

[bikermutt07]

Yeah, I racked my brain for awhile trying to reinvent the wheel. A splitter is just that, a splitter. They are expensive and even though leather is a niche market, at least they are still available.

Save up some money and scour Craigslist and eBay until you find a deal. That's what I did. I still want a crank or motorized splitter. But it just isn't possible any time soon.

[Big Sioux Saddlery]

Years ago, more years than I care to count, I was starting out and thought the same thing of splitter prices. . . simply out of the question.  I'm in the process of moving my shop, and I recently came across an early attempt to build a splitter myself. The blade was the problem, and I never did find something to work.  I eventually came up with the money to buy the cheap Tandy splitter, which at the time was like $99, although I still thought it was a lot of money for a splitter.  It got me by until I could buy a better one, for $350.  Through the years I've added as I needed, and could afford.  It's just like Mutt said above, don't try to reinvent the wheel. Even though they cost $$, it's less than you'd spend in time and wasted material trying to come up with a better wheel!

[Matt S]

The Cowboy/Neel's Saddlery lap skiver can be used as a basic splitter, using careful setup and some grunting and swearing. I took 4" wide strips of firm bridle leather from 4mm to 1mm in a single pass several times. I ruined a fair bit of leather and had to keep the blade in tip-top condition to do so but it worked a lot better than I expect putting leather through a planer would. Since lucking into a well-priced vintage crank splitter I use it exclusively for its intended purpose -- lap skives -- for which it performs better. Cost is around US$150. There are two models: 800 and 806. The 806 has a depth lock, a second depth limiter and a cooler paint colour. The 800 is what I have and it has no depth lock, but I improvised with a vine eye and a few 10lb weight plates. This left me both hands free to pull -- and I needed both hands, even with the help of a wide locking pliers.

If you only need to split up to 2" wide there is a small skiver which takes Stanley knife blades someone in Washington state seems to be producing: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HANDY-BENCH-SPLITTER-RAWHIDE-LEATHER-BELTS-TO-LACE/172847646263?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649
For $125 I'm thinking I might try it out.

ETA: Is that the DW735 planer? For that $550? There are two 6" crank splitters on eBay right now at $500 each. They'll need some work but I wonder if the extra $50 plus whatever the value of the leather you'll ruin plus the frustration of trying to make a planer-thicknesser  do a splitter's job would cover that?

Edited December 8, 2017 by Matt S

[Anubis78]

3 hours ago, Matt S said:

The Cowboy/Neel's Saddlery lap skiver can be used as a basic splitter, using careful setup and some grunting and swearing. I took 4" wide strips of firm bridle leather from 4mm to 1mm in a single pass several times. I ruined a fair bit of leather and had to keep the blade in tip-top condition to do so but it worked a lot better than I expect putting leather through a planer would. Since lucking into a well-priced vintage crank splitter I use it exclusively for its intended purpose -- lap skives -- for which it performs better. Cost is around US$150. There are two models: 800 and 806. The 806 has a depth lock, a second depth limiter and a cooler paint colour. The 800 is what I have and it has no depth lock, but I improvised with a vine eye and a few 10lb weight plates. This left me both hands free to pull -- and I needed both hands, even with the help of a wide locking pliers.

If you only need to split up to 2" wide there is a small skiver which takes Stanley knife blades someone in Washington state seems to be producing: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HANDY-BENCH-SPLITTER-RAWHIDE-LEATHER-BELTS-TO-LACE/172847646263?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649
For $125 I'm thinking I might try it out.

ETA: Is that the DW735 planer? For that $550? There are two 6" crank splitters on eBay right now at $500 each. They'll need some work but I wonder if the extra $50 plus whatever the value of the leather you'll ruin plus the frustration of trying to make a planer-thicknesser  do a splitter's job would cover that?

No, this one was for like $399 at my local Lowes.   That's why if it were possible, it would be appealing. But now that I know that it will eat yo the leather, I won't even try it. Lol.  I'll look up the hand cranked splitters on eBay...

[ContactCement]

I'm a woodworker and own a compact planer. That's an Extremely Dangerous idea leather on flat metal plate. Even very thin wood not recommended can flex / bend and get caught maybe ruined or thrown from the machine at very high speeds. A compact power feed planer like this can catch a wood knot & easily put a board through a wall.  Its designed for wood (much harder and thicker than leather). The input feed rate and cutter rotations RPM are designed for lumber only. Slowing planer input feed increases cuts / rotations per inch. The adjustable speed and feed  rate planers are very expensive..(my out of reach dream tool for a while)  Lol. The right tools and their proper application will save wasted money / leather  and keep you safe out of the hospital or at least reduce injury to yourself. 

Edited December 9, 2017 by ContactCement

[Anubis78]

2 hours ago, ContactCement said:

The right tools and their proper application will save wasted money / leather  and keep you safe out of the hospital or at least reduce injury to yourself. 

Right on!