Cheap skiver!

[toxo]

Will this cheapo be ok for a newbie with a hobby? Probably one or two projects a month for belt and edge skiving?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Splitter-Set-Cutter-Skiver-Aluminum-Craft-Leather-Metal-Machine-Paring-Kit-Edge/401795252129?hash=item5d8cdcffa1:g:3QkAAOSw8BNdEZ9A

[Matt S]

I did not get along with the one I used to have, which was similar but a bit more adjustable.

[koreric75]

6 hours ago, toxo said:

Will this cheapo be ok for a newbie with a hobby? Probably one or two projects a month for belt and edge skiving?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Splitter-Set-Cutter-Skiver-Aluminum-Craft-Leather-Metal-Machine-Paring-Kit-Edge/401795252129?hash=item5d8cdcffa1:g:3QkAAOSw8BNdEZ9A

I have the same one, it will skive leather, but if it's stretchy it will stretch it out trying to pull it through or bunch up and dig in.  Also the blade holder doesn't cover the rear corners of the razor blade so there's that to watch out for...ask me how I know...lol.  I think with some time, alot of time and  patience you could get it to work for some things, but for me it isn't worth the time, i'd rather just use my manual skiver as it takes less time than fiddling with the green machine.

[toxo]

So what manual skivers will do a whole belt and edges as well? As I said it's not gonna get overworked and I can't justify spending big money although knowing me if I get really into it that'll change.

[koreric75]

3 minutes ago, toxo said:

So what manual skivers will do a whole belt and edges as well? As I said it's not gonna get overworked and I can't justify spending big money although knowing me if I get really into it that'll change.

I'm not saying it won't, for whole belt/straps i use my tandy deluxe splitter, waited and waited until it finally went on sale for Christmas one year, but it's not for doing edges, that is why i bought the green thing...but like i said for those edge skives i use my japanese skiving knife style...

[Matt S]

18 minutes ago, toxo said:

So what manual skivers will do a whole belt and edges as well? As I said it's not gonna get overworked and I can't justify spending big money although knowing me if I get really into it that'll change.

Not being funny, but the only one I know of is a knife or a skirt shave. I spent months looking for something that will do that job and not be a full-size bell-skiving machine. That's why I bought the one that takes razor blades. Much frustration, blood and wasted leather later I bought a bell-skiving machine. For me, it's fantastic but I appreciate that not everyone wants or can justify one. Perhaps you can find somebody nearby who will skive some bits for you.

13 minutes ago, koreric75 said:

I'm not saying it won't, for whole belt/straps i use my tandy deluxe splitter, waited and waited until it finally went on sale for Christmas one year, but it's not for doing edges, that is why i bought the green thing...but like i said for those edge skives i use my japanese skiving knife style...

I could be wrong but think Toxo is looking for something to skive edges for turning, rather than split/skive the entire width of a belt.

[toxo]

Well ideally both. Do the six inch blade ones do edge skiving as well as belt skiving and what's the cheapest way to it?

[mdv99]

For belts you want a "bench splitter"-- you can get one on eBay for approx $160.  I have one and as far as I can tell it's the same one Tandy sells for $399.00.  I assume they're all from China.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Skiver-Leather-Peeling-Machine-Peeler-Splitter-Shovel-Skin-Skiving-Paring/362588548938?hash=item546bf62f4a:g:IDkAAOSwvpVcj1bf

Edge skiving depends a lot on the thickness of the leather and how much skiving you're going to do.  If you're taking 7-8 oz leather down to 2-3oz, it's not too bad.  If you're making wallets and trying to skive 2-3 oz down to 1oz with a soft leather it can be really challenging.  Without access to a Bell Skiver ($1,400+) the least expensive way is to get a good knife.  

Tandy has a number of skiving tools. 

https://www.tandyleather.com/en/search/?sSearch=skiving

I've had pretty good success with the "Safety Beveler" (and plenty of fresh razor blades), but there are a number of tools for skiving and which one works the best depends a lot on what you're trying to do.

One trick I didn't learn until after wasting a lot of leather, whatever tool you're using for skiving, make sure you're on a very hard surface (like granite).  If there's any "give" in the surface below the leather it makes skiving thin leathers more difficult.

[toxo]

Thanks again guys. I think I've finally learned. Over £100 for belt skive and lots of practice with a manual. I hope those six inch jobbies are all the same cos I wouldn't mind paying a bit more for a better grade.

 

[Matt S]

 

11 hours ago, toxo said:

Do the six inch blade ones do edge skiving as well as belt skiving and what's the cheapest way to it?

Sadly no. In my experience and opinion these "bench splitters" are strictly lap-skivers which can, with care, be pressed into use to split longer pieces, so long as your leather is relatively thick and stiff. There's a solid pillar both sides of the blade, so you can't really do edge skives with one.

Like I said before, your cheapest options are to either get a knife and practice or to find somebody to put your leather through their machine for you. Similarly you can shave down leather with a spokeshave, which is how it used to be done before splitting machines were common, but that is a skill in and of itself. If you weren't on the wrong side of the capital I'd say drop round for a cuppa when you're nearby and I'd do it for you.

45 minutes ago, toxo said:

 Over £100 for belt skive and lots of practice with a manual. I hope those six inch jobbies are all the same cos I wouldn't mind paying a bit more for a better grade.

As with all things there are various qualities and prices. Le Prevo do a cheapie very similar to the Tandy for about £150. Never tried it and doubt I will, always looked a bit tinny to me. I managed to import a Cowboy 800 direct from China a few years back, for a similar price. Got fed up with the blade so after years of searching I was able to import one out of the US which takes Stanley blades (no sharpening!) and is the size of two coke cans side by side. That was about £100 but had to pay some import fees. Old Dixons go for a few hundred, nice machines and they hold their value. Osbornes are available new still (see Nigel Armitage's reviews) but they're a lot more beer tokens. There are ways to modify belt grinders to do the job, which apparently is very good on hornback, but TBH I think that's more trouble than it's worth for occasional use on standard cow leathers.

As for edge skiving I know of very little that fits in the gap between "knife" and "bell skiving machine" except for the ones that take razor blades. The machines they were copied from were intended for bookbinding (very fine leathers) so take that as you will. Like I said, I could never get mine consistent but that's not exactly a statistically significant sample.

[bikermutt07]

The best option I have found for skiving an edge on a budget is a knife from Lisa Sorrell. I think the knives are 40 bucks. Watching her 2 YouTube videos about using them has finally given me the confidence to try a skived edge. 

I never had any luck with the safety  or super skivers from Tandy. 

Here is a link for Lisa's knives....

https://sorrellnotionsandfindings.com/product/skiving-knives/

Here are the two videos...

 

 

 

[Halitech]

At £26.26,, it's not worth it. I paid $5.00CND and only the blades are worth it. You cannot adjust the angle, starting on short pieces is a pain and you can only do 1" wide at a time. There is another one that you can adjust the angle, it's more money but it's an infinitely better machine if you are looking to do the edge.

I looked at  the bottom and there it was https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Leather-Craft-Edge-Skiving-Machine-Leather-Splitter-Skiver-Paring-Tool-DIY-809BP/223025244516?_trkparms=aid%3D888008%26algo%3DDISC.CARDS%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131227121020%26meid%3D0c3db2dee20f47c89e3fe6132965f210%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26mehot%3Dpp%26sd%3D401795252129%26itm%3D223025244516%26pg%3D2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982

Edited August 2, 2019 by Halitech

[toxo]

Halitech, definitely looks like it's worth a look. Does anyone vouch for this one?

Biker, I agree, doing a skive for a turned edge by hand does look scary. You'd make sure you did those edges before you invested in a load of work in case it went tits up.

Matt, nice offer but if I can't sort it myself I might as well go out and buy it. I'll always be up for a cuppa or a beer should the opportunity arise.

MDV, I can see me getting one of those soon.

Edited August 2, 2019 by toxo

[toxo]

Matt, you must use JT Batchelor a lot. I bought one of these from them for not a lot and it's a lovely piece of steel.

This guy likes it a lot.

 

 

[Matt S]

2 hours ago, toxo said:

Matt, you must use JT Batchelor a lot. I bought one of these from them for not a lot and it's a lovely piece of steel.

This guy likes it a lot.

 

 

Not so much these days but I used be down there at least once a week. Good people.

Barnesley make good tools, I use them daily.

[toxo]

JT Batchelor told me the other day that they only do shoulders now so where's the go to place for leather and is it a postal job?

[Matt S]

1 hour ago, toxo said:

JT Batchelor told me the other day that they only do shoulders now so where's the go to place for leather and is it a postal job?

That's news to me. I've bought plenty of different cuts from them in the past -- if true I wonder how they sell their nappas and calf leathers cos a shoulder of each of those would be quite tiddly.

If you want to buy online, in no particular order you can take a look at Le Prevo, AA Crack, Metropolitan, Marcus Gear, Pittards, SC Hall, J Woods, Abbey England.