Skiving machine conversion

[DanishMan]

Last week, I bought a Fortuna 3S skiving machine in Poland.

The 3S is more or less exclusively for shoe production, so the plan is to try to convert it into a normal skiving machine. I have an arm from an old Fortuna skiving machine, which I will try to fit.

The seller had packed the machine properly and it arrived today on an europa pallet.

As I unpacked the machine, I realised that the machine was in a bad shape. Many screws were not original, and the machine had signs of many years

of not being maintained properly. The seller had had the machine for two years, and I suspect the machine was not really useful for upholstery.

Anyways - it is still a good project.

When inspecting the machine, I realised that the 3S machine has some extra structure on the back of the machine (I suspect it to weigh almost 50 kgs)

The extra structure is attached by four bolts, whereas the arm is attached by three bolts. For that reason, I need to drill new holes in the machine. I also need to figure out to make new mounting to the table, as the mountings where at the extra structure.

Edited February 10, 2021 by DanishMan
photos not uploaded

[Mulesaw]

Do you have any pictures?

Instead of drilling and tapping new holes in the machine itself, you could make an adapter flange.

One that has got the 3 holes for your arm, and 4 holes for the back of the machine, Off course it depends on if the arm mounting holes are more or less the exact same position as the 4 first holes.
(I am not sure if this makes sense, it is kind of difficult to explain)

Brgds Jonas

 

[DanishMan]

Hi Mulesaw

I tried to upload photos, but it did not work out for some reason.

Cheers

Søren

Edited February 10, 2021 by DanishMan

[Mulesaw]

Hi Søren

So you want the arm with 3 holes to replace the mint green arm with 4 mounting holes?

If you get a machine shop to make a piece of flat steel bar that is the same size as the base of the 4 hole arm, and drill 4 holes into that, then you can drill and tap 3 holes in the top of that plate (or have the machine shop doing that)

The 3 hole arm might sit a bit higher, but it depends on how it should have been mounted originally.

That way you could still fit the 4 hole arm in the future if there ever was a need for that.

Oh and buy the way, it is a nice looking machine :-)

I could also have completely misunderstood it all (I don't know the first thing about skivers, but I know a great deal on machines in general)

Cheers

Jonas

 

[DanishMan]

Hi Jonas

I think, I will drill the three holes. My wife has a similar Fortuna, and I can check it out on her machine. There is also a pin, that i need to place.

The 3S machine is kind of obsolete, so I will not use the big arm again.

And then off course, I have to paint it.

Cheers

Søren

 

 

[Mulesaw]

Now I could suddenly see some more pictures :-)

But if the 3S is obsolete then I guess there is no need to be able to go back again.

I am looking forward to seeing some pictures of the finished machine at some point.

Cheers

Jonas

[CastleLeatherWorks]

i love this kind of stuff please post more pictures and info when available ..

thank you for sharing !!

[Webicons]

Not sure but it seems that it would be easier to take the components out of the 3S and fit them into the frame of the 50? 
Since micro adjustments are necessary for proper skiving I am concerned that the arm placement would be off. 

[DanishMan]

Fortunately I do not have to drill treads in the three holes. 

I could probably make them a fraction bigger, than the bolts, and then use a pin to make sure, that the alignment gets right.

I will post more photos later

[DanishMan]

I have taken the machine completely apart.

Normally I only do this, if I have to paint the machine. This one has been brush painted with a light green, so I will definitely have to paint it on the outside. The inside is 

very smooth. My experience with painting an old machine is, that the original paint is usually very sticky and more durable than new paint, so the plan is to putty fill the machine and then sand paper it.

Tomorrow, I will also measure, how to fit the black arm from an older machine.