GerryR

Something else to check is the foot pressure. If it is too light, and the fabric is lifting as the needle goes up, no amount of tension on the thread is going to help. Making an oversized whole to get the thread to pull up may be a "fix," but I would check for the real problem and get it corrected. JMO.

For edge seams, I use plastic spring clamps in different sizes (like used in woodworking) spaced every 4 to 6 inches, and remove them one at a time as they get near the needle. A little more time consuming, perhaps, but they seem to work pretty well.

I made a "spoked nut" that fits between the clamp jaws that you rotate to open / close the jaws; nothing to catch on, at least on the outside.

The pillow is 3/16" charcoal closed cell sculpting foam. I glued three pieces together for the thickness I wanted I bought a couple of yards of it for another project and had enough left over for this small pillow. Here is the link on ebay where I bought it: http://www.ebay.com/itm/320819556904?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_3336wt_966 Even at my age, I am still flexible enough to "step over it" (the seat part, that is) to mount and dismount.

Well, here is my "home made" pony. I made it to set on a folding steel chair, but the front support is adjustable and can be used with chairs of various heights. The clamp can be rotated to any desired angle; I like it a little offset as shown in the picture. The clamping is accomplished by rotating the "nut" between the clamps, which draws in the moveable jaw. All criticisms are welcomed. Gerry

Interesting tool; are there modern-day versions of it available? Gerry

Any reason not to use a "dead-blow" hammer like the Nupla hammers. They would seem to be more effective than a standard mallet, are available in various weights, and are reasonably inexpensive. They are even available with interchangeable faces of varying hardnesses of plastic, copper, brass and steel. Maybe not as pretty as a maul, but I would think at least as effective. Just a thought.

Nice idea! I guess that any similar-sized trim router could be modified the same way. Did you try using stones to see if they worked, or is the sanding drum the best solution? Regards, Gerry

Thank you Bob. My clutch does not have the slotted eccentric adjustment pin, just a smooth pin. The clutch in the Singer 111 machine has the adjustment. I was trying to find just the slotted pin to make mine adjustable, but have been unable to do so. That is why I was thinking of getting a 111 clutch to experiment with. Gerry

Thanks for the input. The clutch takes a huge amount of force to trip out. In fact, when I got a jam, the clutch never tripped and the hook drive gear on the shaft skipped over the gear on the hook causing the drive gear to slide back on the shaft, disengaging the the hook and throwing everything out of time. Fortunately, the gears survived. At that time, I took the clutch out of the machine and attempted to trip the clutch by hand. I had to put the clutch in a vice to hold it, while I tripped it with a screwdriver between the two pins. With the force required to trip it, there is no way it can protect anything. I assume that there exists a release torque spec for that style clutch as the designers / manufacturers must have had to test them. I did email Singer about this, but do not expect much of an answer, because of the age of the machine. Because of this, it would be nice if I had a clutch on a shaft, as in the video, set up to what an experienced person considers the proper release torque. I could then measure the release torque with a torque wrench, and voila, I (we) would be able to test the clutches so they would actually protect the machines like they are supposed to. Now that my machine is timed and running properly, it is probably not a big issue, until the next jam. That is why I am trying to get a handle on this tripping issue. The machine I have is in good condition, with little wear, and the clutch is clean and well oiled, but it doesn't have an adjustment screw as the one in the video. I may just get one like in the link posted by Constabulary to experiment with. Gerry

Eric, Any luck find a clutch similar to what I have? Gerry

Any input about my remarks above?

Eric, Sorry for my delayed response; our web antenna died, and we just got a replacement. Thank you for the tips and I will appreciate the scan of the machinist's section. Also, I was wondering if there is anyway for you to put a torque wrench on that shaft you used in the video, with the pulley in a vise, to tell at what torque the clutch trips. One would think that there had to be a spec for this, so they could be setup and tested. It would be nice to have a "number" to work to. Just a thought, not trying to make work for you. I couldn't get the machine timed properly and found that by moving the clutch pulley to where the "other" screw was on the shaft flat, everything seems to be in time now (thread take-up lever at its highest point, etc.). Buy the "other" screw,I mean the following: If you look at the face of the clutch pulley with one screw at 6:00 and the other at 9:00, I moved the pulley so that the screw at 9:00 is at the shaft flat. I was then able to get the feed-dog cam and the hook timed properly. But, what still concerns me is if I get a jam ("hit a brick"), I am going to break something with the clutch the way it is now. (This machine was supposed to be "little used," "almost new." Right.) Thanks again; you have been very helpful. Gerry

Eric, thank you for taking the time to post this. Interesting, the clutch on my machine does not have an adjustment screw, just two pins to hold the pieces in place. There isn't any play, but it requires King Kong to trip the clutch. As I stated above, the bevel gear on the shaft was forced to move along the shaft to disengage the hook drive gear when a jam occurred. Fortunately, neither of the gears were damaged. I figured there must be an adjustment / procedure, but evidently there isn't on my clutch. I'm wondering if the eccentric screw(?) pin is available? Thanks again. I'm looking forward to whatever other info you can come up with. Gerry

Ian, Mobil Velocite No. 10 Spindle Oil (ISO Grade 22) is the same as the Lily oil. It can be bought here: http://www.mcmaster.com/#spindle-oil/=o13t0u I don't know the price difference, but it is another optional source. Gerry

I have a manual for this machine, basically a user's manual, with some setup and adjustment information in it. I was wondering if anyone has a complete service manual that explains all the timing relationships between the top and bottom end and a sequence as to how to set the machine up as if one was building it from scratch. Also, any information as to how to check the clutch. The manual states it is there to protect the hook assembly in case of a jam. When I had a jam, the hook bevel gears jumped and the bevel drive gear on the shaft moved away from the hook drive gear. Fortunately, nothing broke, but the clutch never released. There must be some procedures for checking this out, if not for this model, then maybe for a cloan or similar model. Any help will be appreciated. Thank s in advance. Gerry

Ian, it is actually an adjustable height work station table from Harbor Freight Tools ($28.00) (http://www.harborfreight.com/adjustable-height-heavy-duty-workstation-46725.html). It is supposed to support 1000 lbs. I doubled the top and added / welded on the wheels, etc. It was a fun project.

With a pretty crowded shop, I have to be able to move things around pretty easily. I built this sewing center that keeps everything handy and can be moved into a corner to get it out of the way Two of the wheels lock once in place to sew.

Being new at this, I have seen two different approaches to lubricating the thread, one lubes the thread just ahead of the needle, and the second lubes the thread, basically, as it comes off the spool, allowing lubed thread to pass through all the mechanisms, including the tensioner. Having lube pass through the tensioner bothers me, as it seems it would be contrary to the purpose of having drag on the thread for the tensioning. I also read that getting thread lube on everthing is not necessarily good. Like I said, I'm new at this, so where is the best place to lube the thread?

So, I am sewing along on a piece of 8 oz. leather and get about 100 stiches into the work and finish up at the end and remove the work from the machine. I flip the work over and things look pretty good, EXCEPT I see one stitch where the the bottom thread didn't pull up into the leather. What are possible causes of this, how can it be avoided, and how do I fix or repair that without pulling everything apart and trying again?? Thank you for any input. Gerry

The VFD can operate in "constant torque " mode if the motor is designed for VFD operation (because of both voltage and current (heating) requirements needed to accomplish this). However, you can set the VFD to run with a standard 3 ph motor, and you can set it to run just like a DC "servo" with an external (foot) speed control. I have a 1 hp, 3 ph, 230 VAC, 1725 rpm motor to which I added a 5:1 gear reducer, and then did a further reduction through the pulley, giving about a 7:1 total reduction. I made a foot control (could have bought one, but had what I needed to make one) and can vary the speed from 0 to about 240 strokes per minute (which totally suits my needs). With the reduction, the motor is at ample speed at low strokes per minute to prevent any over-heating and there is ample torque to sew 3/8 leather. If by chance I need to go faster, I can reset the upper frequency limit in the VFD and drive the motor in "constant hp" mode (lose some torque) and move along, for example on thinner, garment material. My point is that the VFD is as versatile as a DC drive if set up properly. I am not that familiar with the so-called DC servo's sold for sewing machines, but unless there is some sort of feedback from an encoder (which I tend to doubt because of their low cost), it is not a true "servo" but merely a "variable speed" DC drive. So again, the VFD, I believe, is a viable option, especially if you already have the motor, which the OP does have. The DC servos that boast needle position capability, I assume, do have some form of positional feedback encoder or sensors, and would be more inline with a true "servo" system.

You're forgiven, but yes, mechanically speaking.

I believe the OP bought a machine with the 3 ph motor on it. It may be less expensive to just replace it with the "correct" motor, but these are just some options if he wants to keep everything "original." With the VFD, you don't lose any torque, as it generates 3 ph out from the 1 ph in. Also, if the motor can take it, from the rated RPM on down, it can be set to run in constant-torque mode, so you get good torque at low RPM's. If you want to run above the rated RPM's, it will then run in constant-horsepower mode, and the torque drops off accordingly. But it gives a lot of options, not the least of which is variable speed. The phase converters (not the rotary converters, which generate all 3 phases) just start the motor, and then the motor runs single phase at 2/3 the rated power.

For $117.00 shipped, you can get a VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) that will convert your 220 VAC 1 ph input to 220 VAC 3 ph output to the motor. It will also give you speed control of the motor, I just put one of these on my Singer 153 W... but have been using them for years, installing them in factories and mills requiring motor speed control and 1ph to 3 ph conversion. Here's the link: http://www.automatio...0_VAC)/GS1-20P5 If you decide to get one and need some guidance in hooking it up, contact me. I hope this helps. Gerry pcox, The 4 wires have 220 (nominal) between any two of 3 wires, and the 4th wire is ground; no 120 VAC in a 220 VAC, 3 phase system.

Thanks Wiz. Gerry