Woodworking tool heresy

Rob Keeble

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Location
GTA Ontario Canada
So you thought that nicely sharpened block plane was for cutting wood eh?

Well let me show you a new use i have developed for it.

Its called skiving.

This is the process of changing the thickness of leather.

So i needed some thinner leather strips for a project i am working on.

Well i dont have a skiver and using a skiving knife on a fairly long strip means inconsistent thickness unless you a serious pro which i definitely am not.

Well take your blockplane use the adjuster to open the throat insert the leather strip with tanned side facing away from the blade.

Then use the adjuster to get blade to bite into leather to the depth u desire that would leave behind the desired thickness.

Then grap strip of leather on the top side of the plane in the throat and pull the strip holding the plane down on the bench on its side. I have done it holding it in my hand because i bend the underside leather such that it feeds into blade.

Swish in one continuous tug and you done.

So far i have done 1/2" strips and 3/16" strips. Nothing wider but i am going to try wider when this project is done.

Here is the evidence

20170722_154409.jpg
 
Years ago, Stanley (and maybe others) made a plane specifically for cutting the leather used in flat belts for the old-timey overhead shaft machine shops. The plane was intended for scarfing the belt joints so they'd run smoothly.
 
Years ago, Stanley (and maybe others) made a plane specifically for cutting the leather used in flat belts for the old-timey overhead shaft machine shops. The plane was intended for scarfing the belt joints so they'd run smoothly.

Interesting note Jim, hadn't heard of those before... Looks like it was the venerable #11.
http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan2.htm#num11

What Rob's doing is a smidge different, more splitting than skiving.. I wouldn't have thought to pull the leather through the plane like that, clever and only obvious with an abundance of hindsight :thumb:

Here's a commercial splitter in use in the same fashion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6GMa_n7Gno
 
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