MtlBiker Report post Posted January 12, 2022 It looks like I'm going to need some sort of skiving tool in the near future. It was suggested that I get a bell skiver, and at least up here in Canada, they're pricy at about $1800 (CDN). I did a quick search on the used market but nothing jumped out and I'd be kinda hesitant to buy someone else's problem machine. So I'm looking for advice. I just need to be able to skive the seam allowance on leather, mostly chrome tan and maybe 4oz. This is for bags/purses where my seams with inner bag attached just get pretty bulky. I realize that veg tan probably is easier to skive, but at least for the near term my choice would be chrome tan. Are devices like this one Amazon Canada Skiver worth considering? Or the one from Tandy Leather? The bell skiver I looked at (website) was the one from TechSew which happens to be local for me. No shipping cost as I could pick it up from them as I did my 2750 Pro. But still it's a lot of money, especially for a beginner with leather work. I've just finished my first purses using leather for the body and gusset and I'm pretty please but I certainly want to improve for my next ones. Here's a bag I just finished (forgot to remove the cat hair before I took the photo)... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hardrada Report post Posted January 13, 2022 (edited) I have the original that far east knock-off is a copy of: the Schärffix. And even that one won't work for chrome tan, because of its soft temper. Don't waste your money there. Either skive by hand with a Japanese skiving knife or a half-moon knife, or save up for a bell skiver. Edited January 13, 2022 by Hardrada Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kgg Report post Posted January 13, 2022 Excellent work. kgg Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MtlBiker Report post Posted January 24, 2022 On 1/12/2022 at 8:38 PM, Hardrada said: I have the original that far east knock-off is a copy of: the Schärffix. And even that one won't work for chrome tan, because of its soft temper. Don't waste your money there. Either skive by hand with a Japanese skiving knife or a half-moon knife, or save up for a bell skiver. I'm getting VERY CLOSE to buying a bell skiver. SIGH Like maybe in a week or so. I'm just getting too frustrated with the thickness of my leather around seams, etc. In the meantime, using a round knife, how do you skive leather? Do you slice or scrape? Maybe my knife isn't sharp enough but it seems that scraping works better. The leather I'm using for my current project is about 4oz chrome tan. And in some areas of the bag there would be 4 layers of leather plus an interfaced cotton for the lining. I have some leather that's a bit thinner (maybe 2oz) but the color doesn't quite match the rest of the leather. (What I'm trying to make now is the same bag as above, but instead of using an interfaced cotton for the flap, I'm using the same red leather on the outside of the flap as the body of the bag. The best solution to this would be to have a bell skiver, but I don't have one yet. Awfully close though.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jcuk Report post Posted January 24, 2022 This maybe of use. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwnN_b01_M8 Hope this helps JCUK Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MtlBiker Report post Posted January 24, 2022 15 minutes ago, jcuk said: This maybe of use. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwnN_b01_M8 Hope this helps JCUK Great video! It really helps. Thank you! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RibMtn Report post Posted April 16, 2023 I read this post with great interest as I am also looking at leather skivers. For starters, I have an engineering background and an interest in sewing machines and how they operate. About five years ago, we were given a New Home (Janome) Memory Craft 6000 machine by my wife’s aunt. So, being the curious person that I am, I took several sewing machine lessons from a woman in our area and learned how to machine sew. Fast forward to the fall of 2022, I purchased a used Seiko STH-8BLD-3 walking foot machine in immaculate condition from a private party located about an hour and 1/2 away. The machine already included a servo drive, and I then added a box style speed reducer from Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines. All I can say is that it is a fabulous machine! After learning to machine sew and now having an industrial machine, I have made numerous tote and messenger style bags from both regular canvas and waxed canvas, as well as Cordura. Looking ahead, I am very interested in going to the next level and making/sewing bags with leather. I have read many articles and posts on skiving of the seam allowance area to facilitate the fabrication of the bag and to minimize seam bulk. Obviously, when making bags, there is a great deal of skiving that needs to be done and it appears this will require a skiving machine to speed up the bag making process. But at about $1,500-$1,700 delivered to my residence, I am finding the price difficult to accept. I recently tried using a belt sander to “skive” and this turned out to be a dismal failure. So, I am hoping that you will share with me what you learned and what you are doing now for leather skiving. As an FYI, the closest dealer to me that carries skiving machines is Hoffman Brothers in the Chicago area. They are offering the Ferdco GT801 skiver that includes two drive motors: one for the bell knife and one for the feed roll. Anyone have experience with this machine? Thank you. I look forward to any and all commentary on this subject. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chakotay Report post Posted April 16, 2023 (edited) On 1/12/2022 at 4:01 PM, MtlBiker said: Are devices like this one Amazon Canada Skiver worth considering? Or the one from Tandy Leather? If you buy a generic one of these machines, this video may be helpful. It absolutely works . . . but there is a learning curve. https://youtu.be/pG8j8ql2oIw Edited April 16, 2023 by Chakotay Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
