Wizcrafts

#138 thread might be a little too big to bury the lockstitch knots inside 2 to 3 ounces of leather. I would recommend using #69 (T70) for thicknesses below a combined 4 ounces. You can fill the gap between 4 - 6 ounces with #92 (T90) thread. Once you exceed 6 ounces you can use #138 thread. The above advice pertains to hiding the "knots" inside the layers so they are not visible from either side. Choose the smallest leather point needle that will do the job. Smaller holes make for tighter stitches and knots that stay inside the layers.

The 9 and 10 inch arms are just hunky dory until you need more room to sew something like a gunbelt with 24 bullet loops, or repair a 2" wide, 1/4" thick tow strap, or make/repair a halter, bridle, saddle or any other item that is longer than a foot to the right of the needle.

That machine was with me about 28 years ago. The best I can recall, I used the longest ribbed domestic belt I could buy. I had the motor mounted high enough on the back that a domestic belt could reach from it to the hand wheel pulley. I would have bought the belt from a sewing machine store. Nowadays, you can buy long stretch belts to reach more distant motors.

You can simply raise the foot as it meets a new layer on top. It will drop down naturally as you leave that layer. The needle feed will offset the natural separation of layers that would otherwise occur. Problem materials can be tacked, taped, stapled, or glued first. When the time and money is right, buy a walking foot machine and sell this one off.

This video, by Atlas Levy, demonstrates the capability of the Consew 223 to sew leather. Note that he is using thin thread, like #69.

You had it right the first time. It is the large screw on the top left. Contact Techsew for further technical assistance. You can damage the machine if you don't know what you are doing.

Try turning the pressure spring adjuster to the right or left. Some of them are bored off center and cause the presser bar to stick in the raised position.

Your photo looks like the feet have been raised by the hand lift lever on the back of the head. Did you forget to lower the lever? Or, did the foot lift chain get twisted around itself, causing the feet to stay lifted?

You have to remove the face plate first. The presser bar is the last one near the back side. It is secured with 1 or 2 screws. If you loosen the screws (you may need to rotate the hand wheel to get clear access to those screws), you can raise, lower and rotate the outside foot as needed. Tighten it enough to test the lift ratio between the inside and outside feet as you hand wheel a few times, adjusting the height as necessary. When the raise and lower height is right, tighten the screws all the way. I am curious why you need to change the height of the presser foot?

Is your needle in crooked? It looks like the slicing face is not inline with the direction of feed. Have you thought about trying diamond point needles? I got some from Bob Kovar and they lay inline on the top and bottom, plus they don't depress the edges like the S points do. Using the same stitch length setting with Diamond (aka: triangle) points makes the stitches appear longer since they are more on the surface from hole to hole.

Here is a direct link to the Techsew 2750

Okay. That changes the dynamic. You are going to want to think about upping your budget. Breast collars usually exceed the lifting capacity of the CB3200. I recommend a Cowboy CB4500, or Techsew 5100, or Cobra Class 4. These machines all have 16" arms and can clear an inch with the needle and feet lifted all the way up. With the feet engaged, they can sew a little more than 3/4 inch. I have eeked out a solid 7/8 inch on a custom holster on my CB4500. There are accessory throat plates that are used for holsters and stirrups. There is even a flat slotted plate that lets you remove the feed dog for a smoother appearance on the bottom. These machines will set you back about a thousand more than what you were hoping for. But, you won't have to turn down jobs due to lack of handling capacity. I have never regretted having more machine than I thought I needed back when. I remind myself of this every time I sew bullet loops onto a gun belt. The short arm machines won't do this kind of job without a huge fight and a lot of bending. Last point. All of the above machines, including the CB3200, use the same needle system and can sew the same lower range of thickness (~6 to 8 ounces). The only difference is in the top end, where the 3200 maxes out at 1/2 inch. You can't use raised throat plates on it because it lacks the height clearances.

The machine I or others would recommend depends entirely on what you intend to sew. If you don't plan on sewing more than 3/8 inch, and then only that thickness occasionally, then most modern walking foot machines will do. Cylinder arm machines tend to cost more than flat bed machines. So, do you want or need a cylinder arm? What are you going to be sewing? Thread handling capacity also plays a part in the cost of any machine. If you are good with 22 pound test #138 bonded thread, any walking foot machine will do. But, if you plan to sew items that need more stitch strength, these machines won't handle the larger thread diameters. Your cost goes up when you move into harness and holster sewing machine land. A lot of people on this forum have opted to buy a Cowboy CB3200. Check out the specs and decide if that is what you really want. It could be overkill if you only plan to sew wallets and bags. But, it won't put tooth marks on the bottom layer and you can get different presser feet that are left toe, right toe and the standard double toe. These feet are not nearly as wide across as those on the other machine you asked about.

There are few presser foot options for this machine class. The factory foot is at least a half inch wide with split double toes. Edge stitching closer that 1/4 inch in will be tricky because the edge guide will need to be extended in front of the right toe to get the edge to roll against it. The geometry will be bad on turns with the roller guide that far front the plane of the needle. You would be wise to ask about getting a modified single left toe foot up front. As for the feed dog, it is what it is. The teeth are very aggressive so as to move heavy leather along for the next stitch. Since the presser foot is static and probably under great spring pressure, you need sharp teeth to force the leather to move under the heavy foot. You can pound down the tooth marks if that is important to the appearance of your finished projects. But, if you are sewing things that are really only viewed on the top grain side, tooth marks on the bottom won't matter much. Note that there is a fairly narrow range of needle sizes for this machine in leather point. They typically start at #23 and go up to #27, covering a thread range of #138 through #346. The thickness and density of each piece of leather determines the maximum thickness that can actually be sewn. The absolute mechanical maximum is 7/16 inch, which you may not reach if the leather is too thick and dense.

You can use our own search engine to search All Content for this term: Juki LS-341N LS-There are lots of topics and replies to questions about this older model, which has since been replaced with the Juki LS-1341N

I think we can say that this topic has been explained to death; by dangling hammers and fish scales. So, I am closing it. If Clintock wants it reopened, he can PM me.

Any walking foot machine I've seen, read about or watched videos of can sew 2 layers of 3mm (~1/8") leather. Most modern compound feed machines can sew up to 3/8", or about 10mm. Look into a used Juki DNU-1541, or better yet, a LU-1508NS (inches) or LU-1509NS (metric). These machines are expensive when new. Another good source of used but functioning walking foot machines are upholstery shops. That is usually the only type of machine they use to sew furniture covers. Old ones will be rode hard and put up wet, but usually keep going like EverReady batteries. IHTH

Probably a Seiko frame.

Yes. The hole will be round, not slot shaped, or oval, or triangular. Round point needles are meant for paper, canvas, cotton, denim, vinyl and most other non-leather materials. Leather point needles are specifically designed to penetrate leather for the best results in otherwise difficult material. A benefit of using round points is that the stitches will lay flatter on the top and bottom surfaces, rather than getting pulled in on the leading and trailing edges, as slicing needles tend to do.

Okay, no harm done. Buy some #23 needles (round point!) and use #138 bonded nylon (22 pound test), or bonded polyester (21 pound test). That should hold a 3/8 inch stack of book papers together. If you need more strength, buy #207 (aka: T210) bonded thread and use the #24 needle you already have. Just make sure you use round point needles, unless the covers are of leather.

Please, for the love of God, do not put a #27 needle in that machine. It is meant for use with a #24. You may be able to squeak in a #25, but watch out for impacts with the feed dog hole and hook. If you break the machine it will be very costly to ship and repair it. The hook clearance is insufficient to pass 1/2 mm thread of any kind. Your idea of buying #138 thread is fine. It may even handle #207, which is what the #24 needle is sized for.

Yes, I lower that thread guide as far as possible. Some machines will have more room to move the guide than others.

If you must use 1/2mm thread (aka: 4 cord, or #277), you'll need a machine meant for heavy thread, like the Juki TSC-441, or the Cowboy, Cobra and Techsew 441 clones, or the Adler 205 heavy stitchers, or a Union Lockstitch, or Campbell Lockstitch machine, or even a Puritan chainstitch machine. The latter three machines are actually built for use with linen thread. If you need a flatbed machine, look for a used Adler 204-370 (long out of production, but out there), or a new Cowboy CB243 - both of which sew at least 3/4 inch with thread sizes up to #415 (.7mm), using needles up to a #27. These machines have an open frame shuttle and huge cylindrical bobbins.

I found the pdf with the specs for your machine. It is not clearanced for that size of thread and is only rated for up to a #24 needle. You must use smaller thread than 1/2 mm. I would go down to 3 cord linen (Chinois #832), or #207 bonded nylon.

I looked up your thread and found that it is a little over a half millimeter in diameter. Your size 532 hand sewing thread is about the same as #277 bonded nylon. This calls for a #25 needle. In your case, you may need to move up to a #26 needle to poke a large enough hole for the take-up system to pull the lockstitch knot into the stack of paper. Lockstitch sewing machines with a standard closed eye needle are not meant for use with any prewaxed thread. The thread path, guides and tensioning disks are not optimized for sticky thread. Use bonded nylon, bonded polyester, or even heavy cotton or poly core button hole thread.