gottaknow

Yes, I have manuals for the 2281's. I'm thinking I'll scan them and save as PDFs. And yes, a lot of the parts are interchangeable with the 281's. There are a ton of sub classes in this series as it was very popular garment machine. I'm going to try and get the pages that are unique to your machine scanned this weekend. Regards, Eric

Welcome. Do yourself a favor and steer a wide circle around any used split needle bar machine. Especially if you're going to be sewing denim. There are tons of mainstream designs that use a standard double needle. It's all about learning how to turn corners. A classic example is on the chevron on the back pockets of the original 501 Levis. That became one of their trademark features and it was done with a non split bar machine. Pounding split bars through denim kills the split bar. I don't care who makes the machine. They all work the same way, using a series of nearly microscopic ball bearings that lock and release inside a shaft. Once they get a little worn, they start allowing the needle bar(s) to jump up, taking the needle away from the hook resulting in skipped stitches. You also won't like the price of parts. Stick with a non split bar, learn how to make corners, and save yourself a lot of headaches. I would however try and find a machine with reverse. The 112's and most of the 212's don't have reverse. Best of luck! Regards, Eric

The 153's tend to get slop in the hook gears. To test the amount of play, hold the hand wheel with one hand and rock the hook back and forth. Rotate the hand wheel towards you until your hook is approaching the needle. Grab the hook and rotate it ccw until it stops. Keep pressure in the ccw direction and move the hand wheel watching the hook point where it moves into the scarf of the needle. That is your true hook timing. Most people tend to set these with the hook timing retarded (late) because of the design. I still have two of these machines in service, using them primarily for binding operations. They are a bit touchy with the hook timing, and Wiz is right about making sure you have enough foot pressure and that your check spring is working correctly. Make sure you oil the hook where the bobbin basket rotates inside the hook. Have fun! Regards, Eric

Thanks for the pictures. The machine should be a needle feed machine, meaning that when you turn the hand wheel towards you, the needle bar and feed dogs move together to assist in feeding the material. These machines are ideally suited for garment sewing. You can sew some lightweight garment weight leather, but you're better off getting a different machine for that. In order to make the oil system work, you'll need to sew at high speed occasionally the make sure the oil gets pumped up to the top of the machine. The easiest way to do that is while winding a bobbin. The oil will drip into the sight glass on the front of the machine. The oil pan has to be full enough to submerge the intake screen on the pump. You have to use sewing machine oil made for that purpose. It's commonly known as lily white mineral oil, and you'll need a couple of quarts. These machines are really versatile and are highly adjustable. We use a close relative, the 281-22 in our training school with clutch motors. Honestly, once you get used to to clutch, they are a really smooth machine. I'll gather up the appropriate manuals and copy or upload them for you. They use needle class 135x7 for cloth, sizes 12 thru 18. 135x6 for lightweight leather. It will leave marks on smooth leather, especially the bottom. If you're sewing a liner that gets turned, it won't matter. On suede it will be less. The machine is designed for fabric, so you'll be happiest sticking to that. It will tension T60 thread properly way down to T24. The manuals are pretty good with lots of information. Parts are easy to come by and most parts from the more common 281-22's interchange. If you want to go the servo route, Wiz has all the secondary market ones figured out. I don't use any in the factory. Regards, Eric

As long as you are sure you have the correct screw in the V groove on the shaft, you should be good. If you remove a set screw, you can tell by its markings if it were in a groove, or on the round part of the shaft. This is sometimes the only way you can tell if you didn't do a good marking job. Once you know you have it correct and it's sewing good, I always go back and take a small cold chisel and mark the hole in the belt pulley that lines of with the V groove. Regards, Eric

Your shaft timing is only correct if you didn't remove either shaft and change the orientation of both the upper and lower timing belt cogs. If you did and you don't have the correct set screw in the V of both shafts, you may be out of time, (these should always be marked if removed). After that, if you don't want to pay an expert, now is the time for discovery. We all had to start somewhere, for me it was 1980. The apprenticeship for an industrial machine mechanic is 3-5 years, full time in a factory. I have been impressed over the years I've been on this site at the determination of folks. Very few things in life are free. The people that offer advice and technical expertise on this site do so as a service to the site. I wish I had the time to walk folks through the various machine issues, but it's difficult on a project like yours and I don't have near enough time. That being said, there are several threads of mine if you search our site where I get pretty in depth on 111's and 211's. Invest your time, it's your machine. Don't just ask what's next......... Regards, Eric

You have to start with the upper and lower shaft timing. If that's not exactly right, everything else will be a waste of time. Have fun! Regards, Eric

I have an extensive file on all the 2281's. There are a lot of variations. If you could post some close-up pictures that would help me sort through all the info I have. Also, does this machine have a regular clutch motor? Regards, Eric

When you start using your new Juki, if you have thread breaking issues or skips, don't panic. We bought 30 or so of the new Juki 3578A's and I had to reset the hooks in all but a few of the machines. Also, if you need a really nice needle feed single needle, their new 9010's are about the strongest needle feed machines I've seen. They have direct drive motors as do the 3578A's, a huge increase in torque. Regards, Eric

No worries. That screw on the side of the foot in that picture allow you to adjust the foot front and back, really a nice feature. How is the split needle bar on your machine? Are you finding yourself using it? My mainstay split bar double needles were the Consew 327 RB1's. We ran about 20 of them for 25 years. The company I work for now doesn't use that function much, so I haven't been replacing them. They all eventually fail if you try to sew too heavy of fabric. (We were a Levi's contractor for 10 years) I have a couple older Mitsubishi's with split bars that I use for sample making and the occasional odd production piece. We sew primarily 24 oz. Pendleton wool and heavy oil cloth. Regards, Eric

I have several Juki 3578A double needles. The only guide feet worth buying are original Juki. The part number for a 1/4" gauge, RH 1/8" compensating guide foot is 40094776. Perhaps if one of our sponsors can get them you can help support one of them, if not Universal Sewing Supply sells them for $69.13. Don't use their online store, call them at 1-800-325-3390. They will sell you 1 foot, no problem. These are really nice guide feet, you won't be disappointed. Regards, Eric

Yep, wrong model in my head. Regards, Eric

I would check the hook timing. Different sizes of thread form different size loops. The best way to ensure easy transitions using multiple sizes is to set the timing as perfect as you can. Pay special attention to the hook to needle setting. At proper needle rise, your hook point should be centered in the deepest portion of the needle scarf. Also make sure that the needle guard on your hook is preventing the hook from contacting your needle when you push it towards the hook. "Touch but not deflect" was drilled into my head during my apprenticeship. From there, check your latch opener adjustment. It gets tighter with larger thread. Use a 21 or 22 needle. Regards, Eric

I have a few of those motors kicking around the factory. The one I use drives the 7' long blades in my down blowing box for filling down jackets. The shaft is 8' long, 1 3/4" in diameter. The torque even the little ones generate is amazing. I've got another smaller one that drives a conveyor belt on a Swiss made fuse press. Cool find Uwe. Regards, Eric

I had the good fortune to be apprenticed by two journeyman mechanics. They both had different styles of teaching. The first, a jolly soul who enjoyed life to the fullest. The second (and actually the better of the two), could be a real jerk. I learned a ton from each of them. I don't know what their problem was, but they both had to take me down a notch on a regular basis. I started training in 1980, by 1985, I was a head mechanic for a contractor with 300 operators, and I was on my way to a very lucrative career. Sometimes things are laid out for us but that's not good enough. This thread could have been ended after post #2 by Wiz. LoveToLearn, take a step back, realize how much solid advice you've gotten and save your money for a new motor. You'll be glad in the long run. I wasn't paying attention, but by the time you sent me a PM on the 22nd (I advised you get a new motor) you had several folks that I have a lot of respect for, already give you really good advise. I realize now why Art got frustrated. If you truly love to learn, then put yourself in a position to do so. I wouldn't spend a penny on that motor. Regards, Eric

Nice job Uwe. I do the same thing except I cut hand holds on each end. Regards, Eric

The cloth belts last good long time. However, your 153 isn't going to like t207 thread. It best works with t135 and smaller. Regards, Eric

It's true that the garment industry is making a comeback in th US. But make no mistake it's a fraction of what it was 30 years ago. Cheap overseas labor followed by cheap overseas raw materials and eventually cheap overseas sewing machines. I used to buy parts from Singer and Union Special, quality original made to spec parts. You could install them without regard to if they were identical to what was removed. Those days are long past. The oldest machine in use at the moment is a Singer 112, early 50's. I'm using it with an 1 3/4" gauge set to sew 2" webbing on the sides of utility bags made with our oil cloth. My newest machines are Juki 9010's, a pretty decent needle feed machine with a motor mounted to the top shaft. They are less than a year old. I'm long over the reasons why my industry went overseas. I make a really decent living keeping everything running smooth in the factory and apprenticing a young mechanic. I don't want my now unique skills to just pass on when I'm done. That's probably why I spend time in this forum. This site overall has really improved my leather work to, which I'm really thankful for. Good luck in your endeavors. Regards, Eric

I purchase most of my parts from one company. I can choose from original or generic depending on the part. For my single needles we mainly use topstitch feet from 1/16" to 1/4", both right and left. I buy generic because I can run 2 stacked #402 Dremel cut off wheels in between and they'll fit most of my machines without adjusting the presser bar. These cost $3-$5 each and I buy a lot of them. For my double needles, I buy only original presser feet. They have a compensating guide. They are about $55 ea. You have to decide what you're willing to live with. On some older machines, original parts are no longer made. I purchase extra as Wiz referenced so you get some good ones and so so ones. It's simply the way it is. Even though my main supplier has an online store, I prefer to talk to a sales person. As for needles, both Groz Beckert and Schmetz are discontinuing certain needle classes. They start with limiting the tip selection, then poof, they're gone. For a buyer that has never experienced this variation in parts, it can be a rude awakening. Regards, Eric

This is a double needle needle feed machine (needles and feed dogs move together to feed fabric). It's easiest to compare it to a Singer 112 and 212. It performs best on fabric. You can sew lightweight canvas. It's not really suited for leather except perhaps garment weight. Without a walking foot, it will be very limited for leather. Being a double needle machine, it does have the ability to sew two parallel lines whatever the gauge is set up for. I can't tell from the picture, but it looks like either 3/8" or 1/4" gauge. If you want to sew with one needle, use the right needle which works better with the very common left twist thread. In factories, we use left twist thread on the left side, but I set the timing different to prevent thread untwisting. It will be really happy with T69 thread, T90 will require more needle tension. Size 16,18,20 needles are what it will work best with. It will handle denim with no issues. Mitsubishi machines are well made and usually come with Seiko hooks. I keep a couple in my storage area for overflow work and the give me little trouble. I wouldn't sink a lot of money into it. Set up with a clutch motor in a decent table it's worth about $250.00. Parts are easy to get. Regards, Eric

No worries BigMatt, I didn't take it that way at all. It simply reminded me of all my factory years and how many times I've said it, even reminding experienced operators, supervisors and apprentice mechanics.

A quick search in the forum would have found several references...but more to my point was I've been saying the same thing for the last 36 years. Regards, Eric

I'd love to have $1 for every time I've said you have to put your finger on the bobbin on vertical hook machines while you pull on the bobbin thread.....

I set it just far enough in so that it stays. Most people set them too tight which can throw loops on the bottom of what you're sewing. Unlike a vertical hook machine, there's no latch opener to create a gap. The needle thread has to snap past that point with only the help of the thread. As for your hook oil, there is a break-in period for a new hook. Even the high speed Jukis I buy, not only do I turn the hook oilers up all the way, they get extra with an oil can until I feel they are broke in. A final note on that positioning finger. You know you have it set right when you don't have to keep adjusting it. Now if you ever need to move your hook left or right, check the finger. That and after a substantial jam. Regards, Eric

Glenn is correct, many times the spring can be bent back. With the right small screwdriver, you don't need to remove the basket from the hook. In fact, I usually remove just the adjustment screw, clean out the area, then place a small screwdriver vertical between the end of the spring and the adjustment hole. Push in with the spring over the screwdriver and reinstall the adjustment screw. It's easier to start if you loosen the anchor screw just a bit. Just make certain to re-tighten it. Regards, Eric