Wizcrafts

Let us know how it works out.

I have the narrow feed dog and throat plate sets from both @RockyAussie and @Patrick1 for my Cowboy CB4500. I usually leave the Aussie set on for everyday use. I install Patrick's narrow set once in a while when I need to sew with thin thread and needles on a project that simply can't be done on any of my other 9 machines. There are times when this is the case. No one machine does it all as well as multiple machines geared for various jobs and thread/needle combinations. But, if I could only have one walking foot machine, period, it would be my Cowboy 4500, with the narrow feeder sets. I am amazed by the precision of Patrick's narrow set.

I performed the gradient transparency trick on a digital servo motor in 2012. It worked fine for about a year, then began stuttering at slow speeds. I eventually replaced the motor with an analog servo and have had no problems in all these years.

At this point I would recommend that you remove the motor, control box and all wires. Then buy a modern 110 volt servo motor and switch box, plus a new led work light that plugs into the back socket on the motor.

Thanks NM. They do help. As I suspected, the sliding block needs to move all the way to the left to be activated. It is currently sitting all the way to the right. If after moving it to the left it still doesn't lift high enough, A piece of rubber or vinyl tubing could be slid over the lifting lever that pushes up on the block. Once good contact has been achieved, the block can be positioned for the best lift. I usually set mine so it clears the top layer by at least 1/16 inch.

Your photos are too dark to make out the actual position of the sliding block. It looks to me like it is all the way to the right, which is the zero lift position. I recommend moving it as far to the left as it will go (towards the back end where the balance wheel is). The torsion spring it moves along is narrow at the adjustment end, then abruptly widens along the back. Slide the block until it stops at the wider point along the spring and tighten it down. If there is still too little lift, either the sliding block bottom point is badly worn, or the shaft underneath that pushes up against it is installed incorrectly, or is totally worn down. That shaft pivots on the front side of the head.

I do not recommend buying the cb4500 strictly for sewing webbing, unless it is going to be your only compound feed machine and you intend to sew dense leather goods too. The machine comes with a 3:1 reducer. The motor pulley is 2 inches and the machine pulley is 6 inches. It has 9:1 total reduction. The 3600 rpm motor will max out at 6.67 stitches per second, which is 1/2 of the machine's rated top speed. If you remove the reducer, or even get one with 2:1 reduction, the machine will shake a lot at top speed. 441 machines are not made to be run at high speed. Most of us who use them are sewing thick stacks of dense leather at a few stitches per second. The narrow throat plate and feed dog from @RockyAussie works great when I have to sew thin or soft material or leather and use small needles and thread. The standard feed dog hole and throat plate slot are much too large and soft stuff gets pushed down inside them. Again, the cb4500 and all clones of the Juki TSC-441 are heavy leather stitchers for halters, harness, holsters, gun belts, and thick pouches and cases. They aren't spec'd for sewing under 6 ounces (3/32") thickness of firm leather. But, by all means buy one if you plan to sew any of these leather items! Just be prepared to deal with the very slow top speed. I'd still go with the cb1541s if it was me, for sewing webbing, vinyl, banners or Sunbrella.

I think that the 1541s is a perfect machine for dog collars and leashes. The safety clutch will save the machine from losing its timing when you accidentally jam the top thread in the shuttle. Our advertisers include industrial sewing machine dealers who sell Juki as well as their own clones of the 1541. They would setup the machine with the motor you want and set the hook distance properly for the needle and thread you will use the most. In the case of collars and leads, I think you'll want to use #138 bonded polyester thread (in colors to match the webbing) and a #22 or #23 round point titanium coated needle. You can get thread, extra bobbins, needles, oil, seam rippers, a swing-away edge guide or edge guide presser foot and thread snips at the same time and have everything there from the get go. If you have an option to buy a speed reducer, think carefully. It permanently slows down the top speed by whatever factor the reducer is configured for. Once you get your confidence up, and have a reliable edge guide, you may not want to sit there chugging along at a top speed of 6 to 10 stitches per second. A servo motor with a small 2 inch pulley feeding a fairly large machine pulley will already have at least 2:1 reduction. That Juki might have 2.5:1 to 3:1 reduction because of its larger diameter machine pulley. If the motor maxes out at 3600 rpm, that means your top speed might only be 1200 rpm direct. This would translate into 20 stitches per second flat out. Add a 2:1 reducer and you'll max out at about 10 per second. A 3:1 reducer would max out at about 6 stitches per second and you'll be watching grass grow while sewing leashes! The above advice is tailored to your statement that you want to sew webbing. If you decide to sew leather collars and leads, having a top speed under 10 per second will probably be all you'll want.

While too much thread tension can be a factor, another cause could be the tip of the hook catching between the windings of the thread and splitting them open. There are only a few ways this could happen. There is a burr on the tip of the hook. The hook is hitting the needle instead of just passing through the scarf without contacting it. The hook is too far from the needle causing it to fray the loop. The thread is poorly bonded and has twisted loose as the needle moves up from BDC. The thread is overly bonded and comes off the spool like a coil spring. This can cause the loop to turn away from the hook. The thread is right twist instead of left twist. The check spring travel is too short, which causes too much slack in the top thread. The check spring tension is too light, with the same outcome. The timing is late, causing the hook to barely pick off the loop, which gets tighter with each stitch. The timing is early, causing the hook to arrive before a quality loop has formed. Loop gets split as hook barely catches it. The foot pressure is too low, allowing the leather to lift with the needle. This can also cause skipped stitches.

Most upholstery class compound feed walking foot machines can sew through at least 5/16 inch of leather. Some can sew 3/8 of an inch. On the face of it, you'd think any walking foot machine will do everything I just mentioned, and then some. I hate to tell you but it isn't necessarily so! Poking a thin needle through a stack of leather is one thing. Doing so with large enough size of thread to secure that stack is another thing. Wallet interiors can be sewn with #69 (aka: T70) bonded thread, using a #18 needle. It has about 10.7 pounds breaking strength if its good quality and not old and dried out. Wallet backs can be sewn to interiors with #92 (T90) bonded thread, using a #19 or #20 needle. It has about 15 pounds breaking strength. Bags vary in thickness. Assuming you want to make one that is about 8 ounces thick at the seams, you would use #138 bonded thread and a #23 needle. It has 22 pounds strength. Most walking foot machines can handle these three sizes of thread. They usually max out at #138, top and bottom, with a #23 needle. Holsters are a whole nuther story. They have to hold a heavy firearm and not fall apart under the stress of holstering the weapon or moving around while carrying it. They need stronger thread than most walking foot machines can handle. I wouldn't recommend using anything under #207 (T210) bonded thread on a holster or sheath, using a #24 needle. The thicker the stack, the heavier the thread required to hold it together. I routinely use #277 thread (#25 needle) on 3/8 inch thick holsters and #346 (#26 needle) at 1/2 inch. These thread/needle combinations are outside the capability of most walking foot machines. You need a harness and holster class machine to sew these things properly. This usually translates into a 441 class machine, based on the Juki TSC-441 design. Thus, your journey begins!

Can I see a close up of the paddle foot? The ones I've had for over a decade stick way out in front of the inside foot and miss turns. Yours looks shorter and more useful on curves and turns. Where'd you get yours?

What do you want to sew on a sewing machine? Define your parameters first so the recommendations meet them.

Try to cop a boo at the thread as it goes around the bobbin case and comes up to see if it is snagging on something. Also, check the hook timing to see if it is retarded and too close to the eye. If it is close, advance the timing a bit so the hook is about 1/16 inch above the eye at pickoff time. Also, make sure the hook isn't hitting the needle and that the needle easily clears the hole in the feed dog.. Q: Are you using a leather point or round point needle?

Maybe the manual will help you sort out the user adjustments. If you haven't already done so, remove the top thread, then unscrew the faceplate so you can watch and listen to the various crank shafts in the head as the machine turns over. It might have a loose screw that is causing the issues you are troubleshooting. Check the screw holding on the feed dog. The bobbin race cover needs some clearance for the springs over the screws to allow it to float a little. I back the screws off about 1/2 turn with thin thread (up to #138, and about 1 turn for #207 and #277 thread. It the screws are all the way in, the bobbin race can pinch the thread. 441 Engineers manual.pdf 441-timing-templates.pdf

I looked up one of these machines for sale and read the specs. It is strictly a light duty machine that specs out at a #18 needle (V69 thread). This is not a good machine for general leather sewing, It is more useful for hemming pants and cloth jackets.

Based on that I'd recommend a Consew 206RB-5, or any compound feed walking foot machine, like this Cowboy CB1541. The Consew bobbin is accessed under the table, while the Cowboy is accessed from the top. Other than that they both have similar capabilities.

That felt is to hold liquid silicon thread lube or sewing machine oil to lubricate the thread when it gets overheated while sewing at 2200 stitches per minute. Upholsterers usually run these machines flat out at their top speed. Smoke will come off the hot needle and melt nylon thread unless it is lubricated or oiled. If you aren't going to operate your machine at top speed, you don't need to concern yourself with the felt insert. But, if your needle starts getting squeaky in tough leather, add some liquid silicon lube to the felt with an eyedropper. Thread lube is sold by our advertising dealers, like @CowboyBob

Define the minimum and maximum thickness you would use on the walking foot machine and the type of material that would be the thickest stack. As a ferinstance, a Singer 211g156 can actually sew 3/8 of an inch of soft to medium temper leather, vinyl, webbing and denim. I use mine to sew zippers into leather jackets, to hem pants and chaps and to sew stuff that is too thin or lightweight for my Cowboy harness stitcher. This model has a reverse lever to lock the stitches which most of my older machines lack.

There is an explanation for this dealer's viewpoint. People sewing veg-tan leather projects and very part time sewers tend to sew slow to avoid overheating the needle and to get better control over the very visible stitches. Precision sewing at slow speeds is easier to get right and keep your picky customers happy. Furthermore, walking foot machines tend to be clunky due to all the moving crank shafts and interconnecting couplers. Running the machine fast without fine tuning it for speed make let it shake parts loose and things off the sewing table. Now, lets take the same sewing machine and set it up in a marine repairs or upholstery sewing shop. First of all, they will remove any speed reducer that was installed. Second, they will remove a small pulley and replace it with one that is at least 3 to 4 inches diameter. This lets the machine run close to 1:1 with the motor. The next step might be to reduce the alternating foot height to the minimum setting. The lower the alternating height, the smoother the operation. Next, the machine will be thoroughly over oiled and left overnight with a doubled rag under the feet and head area. Then, before running it for real, the feet will be equalized on the floor to stabilize the table. When the operator sits down with a 20 foot long seam that is stapled together outside the stitchline, he or she will hold back the starting threads, then run a n inch or so forward, then backward, then he/she will floor it until they reach the end, slowing down for corners. The last inch will be backtacked, the work will be passed to the next person and any oil cleaned off the table. In upholstery and marine sewing, and banner sewing, time is money. Nobody is going to pick up a 20 foot or longer vinyl or awning material thing and look at the stitchline unless it is a show piece. The operator just makes sure the knots are balanced and the two ends are locked in. Industrial sewing machine dealers tend to sell more machines to shops that sew long flat items, like couch and chair covers, sails, Bimini covers, tarps and banners than to leather crafters. Thankfully, we have a few dedicated leather sewing machine dealers who support this forum and sell specialized machines for our trade. They understand the craters' need to sew slow. They offer motors with tiny pulleys and speed reducers that they preinstall and setup correctly.

I'm not sure you timed it right. SOP on most walking foot machines is to hand-wheel the needle to BDC, then come up 3/32 inch. At that point the tip of the hook should intersect the needle at 1/16 inch above the top of the eye, inside the scarf area. With this timing there is plenty of upward motion to form a good loop. When sewing through leather the needle and thread meets resistance and the loop may not be as robust. The longer timing may help the loop form better. Another setting to dink with is the check spring, aka: thread controller. You can try increasing the throw by lowering the bottom stopper bracket under the spring.

My only input, being unfamiliar with your machine, is that you need to find out where the adjuster is that lets you lower the position of the inside foot. The dropping of the inside "vibrating" foot causes the raising of the presser foot. If the inside foot doesn't make firm contact with the throat plate, and maintain it, the outside foot cannot lift. On a Singer 111 type machine there is a crank coming out the mid-back that connects to a knuckle joint that is adjustable in a curved slot to adjust the amount of lift. There is a large screw on the knuckle that when loosened lets me move the inside foot up or down., then lock it in.

The LS-341 is a very good machine. A used machine could be fine, or have trouble. Only way to find out is request a demo of it sewing something as thick as you want to sew with the needle and thread sizes you intend to use. That model is usually6 rated to use #138 thread, top and bottom. That has 22 pounds breaking strength. Plenty for hats and bags. If it turns out that the machine has major problems, we have dealers here who sell brand new equivalents to the 341. One is Cowboy brand from Toledo Industrial sewing Machines, another is Techsew brand from Techsew, and another is the Cobra brand from Leather Machine Company.

@robygen - Why not consider buying a narrow throat plate and feed dog from one of our members who hand make them? I got mine from member @RockyAussie in Australia. We also have a member in the USA making narrow feeders and plates known as @Patrick1. They are made to fit most Juki 441 and clone machines. This way you won't have to give up the ability to sew thick leather with heavy thread. You will be gaining the ability to sew thin leather with thin thread and small size needles. I can go from T70 thread and up with the narrow set from Australia. The other set limits the largest needle to a certain size and is optimized for smaller needles. You can contact the members to learn more. Here are the topics the members started about their narrow plates a feed dogs. @RockyAussie topic:starts here ( 2.5em spacer for mobile phones) @Patrick1 - topic starts here.:

I think part of the silence is because most of us sew thick leather with large enough needles that flexing is a non issue. That said, I do have several machines setup with #69 thread and #18 needles. These are deflect-able. Occasionally, I will break or bend a #18 needle if it hits metal, or an uneven edge or layer that it just encounters. None of my machines have any special guide to protect my ten cent needles. If you plan to thread up with #138, top and bottom, you will probably want to use a #23 needle. That is hard to deflect.

Thanks for the plug! I wrote the article in 2019 and published it on my leatherworks website's blog. The article is here, titled Dumbing down a Cowboy CB4500, Cobra Class 4, or similar harness stitcher When I wrote the article there weren't any aftermarket narrow feed dogs. So, I recommended using the narrow slotted flat throat plate. This system worked very well every time I applied it. The loss of the bottom feed was not that big of a deal on the thin work I was doing on my big machine. Folks owning a 441 clone who don't have aftermarket narrow feed dog/throat plate sets can use my system to dumb down their harness stitchers to sew thin work with thin thread. I used the system to hem jeans on my machine.