Skinning Machine

It's been awhile since I've shown the videos on using a skinning machine. I no longer make them for sale but they are available out there. You'll be glad you have one. They easily pay for themselves. Less work in the fur shed means more time and energy in the field catching more fur.

Here's a few styles and my long video with all the tips and tricks I use to make it easy. I hope you enjoy them.

I wouldn't be without one! Makes life in the fur shed much easier.

Thanks for sharing (again).

No problem. I thought there may be a few new guys by now that ain't seen them. With over 100k views on my skinning videos.... maybe not. lol

ADC, I love mine. Thank you.
Before you sold them, you gave me dimensions. So I built one and been using it since.
Use it for Coon & Coyote, peels like a Banana.

I bolt to cement floor (w/cement anchors) and remove in off season.

ADC, Hern, and others who know their way around the fur shed...I hate to hijack this thread but I'm looking for input on fleshing fatty critters, particularly coons and bears. I just put up 6 large boar coons this week and fleshed and salted two bears for friends and my right elbow is killing me from the heavy pushing motion with the fleshing knife...It seems like on fatty critters that I am relying on the battering ram approach to push off all of the excess fat. Scraping the last 1/4 inch of fat down to the leather is no problem, but in areas with heavy fat (1/2 inch) or some flesh I just have to hammer that top layer off with the dull side to try and get it to move. I've tried using the sharp side to cut a little of the excess and being careful but I've put a hole or two in the pelt that way. I have been doing my bears the same way as a coon, starting below the ears and going down the back first then moving on to the sides. I don't have much control over skinning the bears (friends bears), but I'm thinking I can do better at leaving fat on the carcass with coons. Seeing ADC's video above is what prompted me to write this post, even the belly fat seems to be sticking on the carcass of his coons in the video. Anyways, it's my favorite time of year to be in the fur shed and I'm taking a few days off to think about it. I'm guessing I just need to get better at skinning, but I'd welcome any thoughts.

washxc I'm not going to be much help from the experience standpoint. Once I skin them, I'm done with them until I sell them. I have bad shoulders and I couldn't flesh the traditional way you describe even if I wanted to. I always figured if I had to flesh them I'd look into the Blue English Style. It's a pulling motion vs. pushing I'm told. I don't know if a person could switch to it easily but if you started with it, I think you could get used to it. It's supposed to be easier on your body, I don't know from actual experience though, as I said, only what I've read/heard about.

What kind of a fleshing knife are you using?
I have a knecker and I take a file to the dull side and square up the edge. The dull side on most fleshing knives Is kind of rounded off. You can't do squat with a round edge. You should be able to do most coon using the dull side of the knife.
My advice would be to start about 4" above the tail end. That way your not building up lots of fat a head of your knife. Once you have scraped off that area just take off another 4" or 5". Another thing I do Is start my fleshing with one leg up. And you should cut off that leg so It's only about 2" long. That way you can go right over It. Once you have that area done all the way down flip the coon hide around and do the other leg side. Now when that's done you should have a 3" or 4" strip right down the middle. The only time the sharp edge comes Into play is that area just below the ears on that neck area. And the tail area.

Always use your knife with the bevel up. It acts like a snow plow and the fat and gristle just roll up and away. The other thing Is keep you knife edge just about flat that will help with the hole thing. The thing to do Is start with your knife blade up a bit so you can make a slight cut when you've done that flatten out the blade and with side to side slicing motion slice off that area. If your just pushing straight ahead you get a build up ahead of your knife and lose control and that's when you make holes. And don't run your knife across the square or even a rounded edge of your beam.
I could have done 4 coon In the time It took me to type this LOL

Square up that dull edge of your knife you will be surprised how well that works.

Beav can you post so pics oh how to square the dull side? Eric

I don't do pictures
Just take a fine file and run It along the face of the knife edge. Just keep It up till you can see a square edge or when you can feel It.