All Activity

They use the Schmetz 331LR needles, which at one point I think were discontinued, but looking online it appears some suppliers show inventory so maybe they started making them again? Landis #1 Needles Parts I highly doubt will be available, other than finding good used parts or making your own. If anyone were to have them, check with Eli Schlabach at Landis Machine Co. in Arthur, IL (217-543-3464). He's mainly in Landis #3 and Landis #16 machines, but he might have something.

I also have a Cowboy 4500, as to the thickness, it will do it. And as wizcrafts say you’d need to probably experiment some with needles, feet and foot pressure to get the appearance of the stitch you’re looking for. Here is a pic of a test piece I tried shortly after I got my machine, yes, it will sew thick!

Moved your post to leather sewing machines. You'll get answers here.

You didn't offend anybody I know. I often learn about people being dead after I wish them happy birthday on the book of faces!

Hello. I found a Landis #1 at a very good price and in considering buying it. I have gotten into a lot more heavy harness work but need to sew with natural thread, linen/cotton. My question is, how hard are the parts to find these days? Needles, awls, etc...? Thanks so much for any and all help. Brian Merrick

I own a Cowboy cb4500, which is a Juki 441 clone. It easily sews over 24mm thick stacks of whatever you have under the feet. It is a heavy duty sewing machine with two feet: inside alternating and outside presser feet. I would not refer to them as meant for delicate materials! The bottom appearance will vary with the presence or absence of the feed dog and its size. The stock feed dog is very wide and has a large oval hole in it. Soft stuff will be pushed down into that hole and may look dab compared to the top layer. To get around this problem, a couple of enterprising people have come up with narrower feed dogs that have smaller needle holes. I use one of these all the time. One maker is in Australia and the other is in the USA. They sell the narrow feed dog with a matching throat plate that is just wide enough to let the feed dog move freely. If you buy a 441 clone, then add the aftermarket narrow feed dog and throat plate, you will still be able to sew with #277 bonded thread, using a #200 (25) needle. The geometry of the needle matters too. you could experiment with different leather point shapes, and even a round point. Or, you might find somebody who owns such a machine in Hungary and send them some sample stacks of leather and foam to sew for you. Ask them to sew a separate line of thread with different needle point shapes. If they lack a particular shape that is available, maybe buy them a pack of 10 of those needles. The main needle shapes I've used in my 441 clone are Schmetz "S" point (inline wedge), tri-point (3 sided), diamond point (4-sided), and round point. I believe that some companies make traditional tilted wedge points, called LL or LR. They produce slanted stitches. I just don't have any of those.

Well I figured out the stickiness, I think. Someone previously had over tightened the pre-load on the handwheel (I believe). Loosening the set screws and screw on the back I gave it a little tap away from the machine body and it all freed up! I readjusted it so there was no slop, tightened the set screws, and it all seems excellent.

Hi everyone! 😊 I'm a saddler and harness maker (mostly English tack with just a little harness work), and I’m thinking about getting a Typical TW3-441D. I’ve heard it's a solid machine for saddlery, but unfortunately I don’t know anyone nearby who owns one, so I’d really appreciate some input from those with experience. My question is about its versatility. I’d need it to handle stitching through about 10mm (3/8" to 1/2") of harness leather plus a layer of soft foam (around 10mm thick) covered with thin, sensitive leather — like a thicker sheepskin nappa or a thinner calf. Do you think this machine could manage that without damaging the delicate leather on the bottom? Thanks so much in advance for any insight! 🙏

I repurposed some cardboard tubes from my day job. The ID is 6" and are 2 feet long. I duct taped two of them together to make a 4 foot tube, then utilized the under area of my 4'x8' table where the leather sides were previously stored.

I just finished getting this into working order. I have completely disassembled, cleaned, oil, and greased this machine per Landis' instructions. I had a local sharpener get the blade nice and sharp, a machinist surface ground the primary bevel to get it cleaned up, flat, smooth. At this point, it just needs some fine tuning and adjustment. I did not paint it because I prefer to leave these old machines as original as possible, but it has in fact been carefully gone over. There are two things of note: 1.) A small piece of the gear cover broke at some point. I have the piece, it is where a screw is meant to hold it in place. I just have a small clamp holding it. Works fine, I will include it. 2.) It was missing one of the blade support screws (they support it from the back and have a broad base), so I fabbed two little screw parts that do the same job. Other than that, it's ready for a new home. I enjoyed working on it. Asking $1250 shipped within the continental U.S. Money order, Cashier's Check, or PayPal.

Very nice 👌 All of my rolls of leather are under benches,, scraps, off cuts etc are stuffed in bags, boxes, on home made shelves under benches and in every conceivable gap in my workshop, and i've run out of those. I have a 20 x 20 and it's getting rather tight in there with 4 sewing machines, and a USM press, and a " partridge in a pear tree " 🌳 😀 Time for me to do what you've done, go up in stackable boxes, either that or have a ' clearance sale ' . HS

Thank you! Thank you!

Beiler's lists the lengths and widths of their bag punches in their catalog. Probably standard widths. Beveling the edge of the slot with a fine edger on the flesh side can help fit the tongue in the slot.

i had one made for belt cutouts on holsters. Very reasonable. http://www.usacuttingdie.com/die-examples.html

Well done. Very clean stitching and tooling. Beautiful!

Nice you should get good use of it. kgg

Quite nice. Very skillful hand with those stamping tools, too.

Hello Can you help? I've looked extensively on here, YT and Google but can't find what I'm looking for. Does anyone have photos, a link to a video or scans from a manual of the needle making the loop and picking up the bobbin thread. I have an original instruction manual but there are no images, just a place the shuttle in the machine, hold the needle thread, turn the handle and basically away you go! Starting to wonder if there is something not quite right with my machine. I am familiar with boat shuttles (have an Atlas and several domestic bullet shuttle machines), but this beastie is just confounding us ! Any help will be gratefully received. Thanks .... PS I requested to join the FB Pearson #6 group - waiting to be let in !

Being in Australia getting dies made by Weaver isn't really an option. I'd like to have a go at making dies but so far haven't been able to source rule steel here in Oz.

Yeah I got 1 of the vevor's about a year ago. It does everything i need it to do. I also had some custom dies made by weaver & i highly recommend them if ever looking for cutter dies.

Hello. I'm looking for wider bag/oblong punches for large harness buckles. Does anyone happen to know where I can find anything? I have all tje oblong punches in lengths I need. However I'm now working with heavier harness leather and large buckles so I need larger buckle slots. Thanks in advance Brian Merrick

Thanks, it's a fun little thing to make too. It does use a lot of leather though. Rather, with it being one piece it requires a larger piece. But, if you make the loops separate and stitch them on, it would free up some space on the hide. But, Sticking with tradition ya know.

Very nice work-worthy of 'Uncle Lou's' design. Larry

Is anyone there now taking classes? Is anyone planning on going to the show this weekend? I'm heading to Waco on Wednesday. Hope to see old friends and make new ones. Link to show info, sponsored by the Leathercrafters Journal.

This is an interesting one for me. A unique design I haven't seen before and therefore had to figure out. Lou alessi designed this to be made from one piece of leather. It utilizes an 's' curve that creates an arch along the slide side. This keeps the mouth open and prevents collapse. Really a genius design, and one you seldom see.