andcoffee Report post Posted May 26, 2020 Hey everyone, I'm well aware that ordering dropship machinery from AliExpress can be a pretty sketchy ordeal, but I'm curious if anyone has any experience with getting an 801 bell skiver from there? I know sewing machines can be incredibly complex and finicky, with tons of precise parts, but bell skiving machines seem to be a more simple in their design, and thus have me curious. I'm just a hobbyist and don't do a ton of work, so it wouldn't be pushed to its limits. Would this possibly be an okay purchase or would I just be buying myself a headache? I should also mention that at my current budget my options aren't a cheap skiver or a more expensive, reputable skiver -- my options are a cheap skiver or no skiver. Thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
keithski122 Report post Posted May 26, 2020 Having a skiver set up correctly in my mind is worth paying the extra as one that needs setting up will really cause frustration.Where I work my boss bought an old fortuna second hand and with no amount of fiddling about could I get it to work with any consistancy.I myself bought a newer but again secondhand chinese version and ended up paying a technician to set it up.While it may look more simple than a sewing machine you have spring tension and angle of feed roller plus height adjustment, then you have left/right adjustment of bell knife, also height and angle of pressure foot adding into that the fact that if you adjust one thing it can vary another adjustment.Material of feed wheel can affect how it pulls the leather into the blade.Owning a skiving machine and getting it to work correctly is a contant education. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andcoffee Report post Posted May 26, 2020 Thanks for the input. Sounds more complex than I'd assumed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DavidMillsSaddlery Report post Posted May 27, 2020 Find a good used one... no more china! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites