Wizcrafts

Based upon your requirements, at a minimum I recommend the Cowboy CB3200. It sews a solid half inch of veg-tan with up to #346 bonded thread. Note: if you know in advance that you will be sewing right next to dropped areas, like belt loops on the bottom, or preshaped holsters up and down, the 9" arm CB3500 or the 16.5" arm CB4500 with an optional raised holster plate is a better choice. This is based on experience. I could not sew holsters the way I build most of them with only the standard flat throat plate. Shapes on the bottom get in the way of that plate. If you sew flat first and shape later, this won't be as much of an issue. Then, of course, if you dye after sewing, the thread will be dyed too.

How thick will your holsters be and what size thread do you want to use?

There is yet another bobbin size in current production. It is the Adler XXL bobbin that is used in certain new models of Adler leather stitchers. By my reckoning it is even larger than the Juki U style bobbin. See this PDF for more details.

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You will at least have free technical support from the dealer who sells you a new sewing machine (but try to not muck it up with self diagnosed failed repairs). I've bought countless machines and had to learn to fix them myself by trial and error (emphasis on error). I've only actually owned one brand new machine: a Cowboy CB4500. The dealer has never brushed me off, even though I bought it 7 years ago. Some dealers will offer the same level of support on rebuilt used machines they sell, but not usually on machines bought from other sellers, or which were sold as is. Avoid buying from a drop ship middleman. Buy from authorized dealers who receive and unpack the machines, adjust them, fix any problems before shipping them and include a sewn off sample under the foot/feet.

The Juki 341 has been superseded by the LS-1341. Certain issues were resolved with the newer version. The Juki 341 has been discussed on LW.N. Just search the Leather Sewing Machinbes forum for Juki 341 and read the problems and solutions. Here is one topic.

American built machines include Campbell-Randall Lockstitch, Union Lockstitch and Puritan Chainstitch machines, none of which will sew a couple ounces of leather. They are super heavy duty machines. The Lumberto Classic did advertise that their machine could sew a few ounces, but they went out of business. There are still a few Number 9 machines floating around that the Lumberto is cloned from. I saw one at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines last year. As for Japanese built machines you have Juki and Seiko. I can't say with certainty that all models of Seiko are still built in Japan. Their North American brand name is Consew and the most recent models are made in China. You can get all the answers you need by calling one or more industrial sewing machine dealers. Some of them advertise with us, as seen in the banner ads on top of each and every page. Those ads keep this forum alive.

The CB3200 is a "441 clone," meaning it is based upon the Juki TSC-441 heavy duty stitcher. It has similar specs as the CB3500 and 4500 and Cobra Class 3 and 4. These machines are designed to sew firm leather (or webbing, or Biothane) from at least 6 ounces and up, with thread sizes #138, #207, #277, #346 and #415 (all except the CB3200). The thickest the 3200 sews is 1/2 inch while the others max out at 7/8 inch. The CB341 is a medium-heavy duty walking foot machine that sews from about 3 or 4 ounces up to about 7/16 inch of medium temper leather or fabric. It can handle thin to middle weight thread from #46 through #207. Technically speaking, you can sew pancake style holsters with #207 thread.

That link goes nowhere except a broken web page on Leatherworker.net. Please try copying and pasting it again if it was in an online ad. The machine is a shoe sole stitcher.

The safety clutch probably disengaged the hook drive to protect it from the needle jam. All you have to do when this, or a thread jam happens is to push down on the button closest to the hook compartment and turn the hand wheel backwards until it re-engages the drive.

Perhaps some windings got crossed over in the bobbin, or unwound and popped outside the top or bottom cap. That would cause a big increase in tension.

The maximum listed needle size it can clear is #24, but only with #138 thread top and bottom. The 2700 is a light duty machine and is not suited to tensioning heavy thread or holding down hard stacks of leather. If you want to use thicker thread, look into the Techsew 2750, or the Cowboy CB341, or the Cobra 26. They have larger bobbins and can handle #207 thread and a #24 needle without modification. Think of the TS-2700 as a Singer 153 clone with reverse. The 153 uses the same G size bobbins as the 111w103,153,155 and156x walking foot machines. They are great for all kinds of upholstery, including motorcycle seats. The cylinder arm machines can produce leather caps, vests and jackets. As long as one doesn't overload the moving parts they could last almost forever.

I checked out the eBay machine you linked to and I think you might have missed this disclaimer: " Auction is for Machine Head Only (no table or motor included). "

This particular sticky topic was supposed to just be an announcement about the reason for creation of the sub-forum for laser and 3d printers. If you guys want to discuss technical details and methods please start a new topic to keep the discussion more focused.

Here's another video of an ASN in action.

Are you referring to an "American Straight Needle" shoe sewing machine?

Slant-O-Matics, like your 401 aren't meant to penetrate leather. The angle of the needle causes it to deflect off the strong top grain of anything other than soft chrome tanned leather. The needle could splinter into dozens of pieces when it deflects. Before I ever had an industrial sewing machine I tried a Slant-O-Matic at a Tandy Leather shop (private sale). I made a leather vest from a Tandy pattern pack and wanted a machine to sew it together along the various seams. I brought in some pieces of the leather they had sold me a month earlier and put a couple pieces together and tried sewing them on a slant needle. The needle deflected and broke into dozens of tiny pieces, some of which hit me. Never again! The needle must hit the leather dead on inline. It takes a lot of torque to penetrate real leather, especially hard stuff. You aren't going to get this power in a domestic sewing machine unless it is only a few ounces of combined seams that are soft to medium temper.

If the photo is showing the bottom thread, either the bobbin tension is almost locked totally tight or the top thread has lifted up out of the business end of the top tension disks and has little or no tension at all, or the tension spring is backed off too far, or the disk opener is prematurely pushing or holding the disks open.

I have a TS 2700 that I bought used from another member of this forum. It is a good medium duty walking foot machine. The table is U shaped. I use a short stool to operate it. The maximum thread is #138, but I don't need to use it in this machine. It does fine with #46, 69 and 92 bonded nylon thread. One thing I changed was the motor. I don't know what motor is standard now, but this machine had a brushless push button controlled servo that started spinning with a jerk at about 200 rpm. I bought a Family Sew FS-550s and a speed reducer and that problem is history.

The 441 machines aren't that complicated to understand. There are certain places that need adjusting for the best results. The operator and engineers manuals have a lot of details to help you set them up. Juki made the original TSC-441 in the 1980s and still makes it. 441 reverse-forward balance.pdf 441-timing-templates.pdf Juki 441 Engineers Manual.pdf Juki 441 parts List.pdf

Apparently. the (new) dealer failed to fully adjust and setup the machine. It takes time to develop a checklist of things that need to be tweaked and adjusted. I would mention it in a followup message to the seller. Adjusting the internal lift parts requires removal of the faceplate. There are two large screws holding it onto the head.The full lift is a little over one inch. The pressure spring makes it harder to lift that high when it's in, so remove it while you fine tune the lifter components. When you replace the spring you need to recheck for binding on the wheel inside the head that pushes against an adjustable steel guide block. That block can be moved at both ends to get the smoothest action up and down. I tweaked my machine via those lifter parts. When you are done adjusting the lift, oil all the tiny oil holes on the moving parts. Replace the faceplate, making sure you place the tension release lever slot over the stud that drives it on the rear lift lever. After a few times this will become old hat. Those internal parts need oiled every so often.

What Glenn said, with #69 or #92 bonded thread. It is a patcher for shoe and boot uppers, as well as for repairing purses, skates and sewing patches over pockets on vests. Every leather shop that does business with the public should have one. Once you get the machine and learn to operate the treadle, you'll be surprised at how fast it can sew. The big flywheel has two sizes of pulley. The smaller pulley gives more punching power while the larger one gives more speed. Keep the leather belt tight enough to not slip and you won't need a motor. Adding a motor to a cast iron patcher base is a big deal. It would be simpler to mount the head on an industrial sewing machine table that only has a belt slot cut out and a motor underneath.

Maybe the bearings are bad, or dry on the reducer. Or, perhaps the belts were too tight.

Since you're in Missouri, have you considered Springfield Leather? They sell industrial leather sewing machines from Cobra and Highlead. I see they have a Cobra model 26 cylinder arm machine listed on the machinery pages. It is a medium duty walking foot machine that comes standard on a pedestal table on a square column with a foot lifter pedal on the right side of the speed pedal. The pedestal height can be lowered for use when seated (requiring readjusting the motor linkage and foot lifter chain).

When I first saw that plate I thought it is a bobbin cover plate for a cylinder arm machine like a Consew 227 or Singer 153. I have a Techsew 2700 that uses long, narrow cover plates over the bobbin and shuttle. The slot could be for a sliding edge guide.