Uwe

Just for the record and to keep rumors from spreading, the CB3200 is NOT a clone of the Adler 205. The CB-3200 is a well-loved mutt that incorporates some elements of the Juki TSC-441 design along with other design elements of undetermined lineage. No Adler 205 plans were harmed in the making of the CB3200. The barrel hook may be interchangeable, but that's about it.

Then a proper motorized sewing machine should appear to be a bargain, not "crazy expensive."

Good old Dixie Sewing Machine to the rescue! A website design that predates Google/Facebook/MySpace and hasn't been changed since, but with a treasure trove of manuals. Hard to believe, yet fitting, that Pfaff uses them as their go-to online resource. I've been there many times and have downloaded entire sections of manual because that website may disappear at any time without notice, along with all those manuals. I actually had those file hiding on my own archive. Thanks for sharing the links for future inquiring minds!

Can you please share the Pfaff 337 PDF manual(s) here ? One of the administrators (green username like @Northmount ) can help if the file is too large. Just the link to the PDF would be great, too, if its public.

I'd recommend making a day trip to Keystone Sewing (LW member @Gregg From Keystone Sewing ) in Philadelphia. Having somebody available local-ish for advice, parts and service can make a huge difference. Being able to see and try out a machine in person with your sample materials is a big deal. Online info generally doesn't tell the whole story. I also think the kind of machine you probably want for shoe work is a dual driven wheel setup. Some of those machines belong to a class of clones that often have "9910" in the model number. This is the Highlead GC24618 (HG9910) in Gregg's shop. Once your shoes sell like Jimmy Choo, then you can afford a proper modern machine like the Pfaff 1591:

That speed reducer box alone sells for close to $180, so you got yourself a good deal. It looks very much like a Consew 206RB-? to me. Exactly which model level 1/2/3/4/5, I can't quite tell. With a little luck ,it's a re-badged Seiko STH-8BLD. If so it'll say Seiko all over the place on the inside. Most people in north America refer to that hook as a horizontal axis hook, using the orientation of the hook's axis to classify. Elsewhere in the world they use the hook's plane of rotation as the reference, which is indeed vertical. I'm just now reading a book from the 50's where the German author constantly uses phrases like "horizontaler Greifer (vertical hook)", in order not to confuse "die Amerikaner." I generally add the word "axis," as in "horizontal axis hook" to remove any ambiguity and avoid repeated "your horizontal is my vertical" elaborations.

You should totally buy a machine from a local store if you can. They'll be happy to provide service and parts. The early Consew 206RB-5 and previous 206RB-1/2/3/4 models were Seiko machines. Later, Consew quietly switched the 206RB-5 to a Chinese clone supplier.

My Seiko CW, LCW, NCW Operator's Guide (Seiko CW, LCW, NCW Operator’s Guide.pdf) covers multiple machines. The oil reservoir segments only apply to the LCW version, which, as @brmax already pointed out, actually does have an oil reservoir. The CW version does not have an oil reservoir. Here's the segment talking about the oil reservoir on the LCW:

All in the list except the Consew 206RB design have vertical axis hooks. If there's a rectangular slide cover plate to the right of the feet, then it has a vertical axis hook.

This may be an uphill and loosing battle. Remote crowd sourced support, being new to sewing, dealing with a mystery machine that has experts guessing at the most basic information is not an ideal combination. I predict lots of frustration all around. Post some detailed photos (good luck figuring that out on this forum) of the machine including any markings or brand stamps you can find on it or on parts inside or under the machine. Your only real hope may be to find out who actually manufactured the machine and what the original model is. Consew doesn't manufacture machines, they only put their label on machines made by others (Seiko etc.) - and obfuscate documentation to render it nearly useless. If you can find out the original make and model, you have a chance. Otherwise, you may be better off starting with a different machine.

The Consew 310 looks to be a bottom+needle feed design, based on the Consew 310 parts diagram. Not a bad starting point for leather work. Finding parts and service information for this oddball machine may be hard. The fact that the parts book doesn't even tell you what needle system to use is not encouraging. Hopefully the machine came with a pack of needles or a sticker that indicates the needle system. Since you already have the machine, the best way to find out if it will sew 8-10 oz leather is to just try it out. Get some leather point needles of whatever mystery needle system this machine uses and experiment.

And taking inflation into account, that $2,200 in 1990 is roughly twice that today. So the USD $450-ish price for that LU-563 is roughly 10% of what it cost when new. Sounds like a bargain to me.

Here's a nice heavy-duty table-top sewing machine you can operate by hand - the Consew 733R. It even has reverse. It's also quite portable - if you're quite strong

A Juki LU-563 in good working condition is a steal at CAD $600 (USD $456). That machine may well be gone by the end of the weekend. If I were you, I'd go pick it up NOW.

That $6,700 price tag is likely referring to the new Juki LS-2342, but a typo crept into the model number. It happens . . . a lot.

The modern version of the Pfaff 337 lists a max stitch length of 3mm of the lower feed dog and 6mm of the upper feeding foot. The english version of the manual is plain wrong - the German version talks about 3mm lower and 6mm upper fabric transport. There is only one feed dog. The upper feed can be adjusted smaller to match the feed dog at 3mm max., but you can't adjust the feed dog feed movement up to match the upper maximum feed of 6mm. You could, theoretically, remove the feed dog and only use upper feed, but that's unlike to give satisfactory results. Your type plate also shows "BS N 36". The "S" simply indicates fabric (Stoff). I doubt they ever made a leather version of this sleeve setter. Here's the english (wrong) spec page: Here's the original German spec page: Don't be afraid to start a new topic. This Pfaff 337 info doesn't really belong in a topic about the Pfaff 335.

Thanks for the tip @Pintodeluxe , I'll have to give it a try. There are several machines on my shelves that probably will benefit from this paint.

On some machines, if you change needle size drastically you may need to adjust hook-to-needle distance. I'm guessing that you put in a much thicker needle after your wife broke the thin one - although you haven't really told us yet what size needle you're using now. A thicker needle will simply come closer to the hook because it's ,well, thicker. Some machine designs are more sensitive to this than others. Many industrial machines are not the one-adjustment-fits-all needles kind of machines. It's often more of a one adjustment fits exactly one particular combination of needle/thread/material etc. Some needle manufacturers make specialty needles where the hook-to-needle-scarf distance does not change as you change needle size to avoid the need for hook distance adjustments. As for adjusting needle and take-up lever to reach the high point at the same time, I'm afraid you're out of luck. Both are driven by the main arm shaft and the relative movement/timing is fixed in the design on most machines - and for a good reason. I am curious as to why you'd want to change that.

And you're sure that you have the correct needle in the machine, right? Maybe the needle is simply too short. Installing a needle from an unmarked container or a loose needle you found in the drawer is asking for trouble.

It's possible that the needle bar is simply set too high. If the needle is too high the thick part of the needle just below the eye doesn't ride against the needle guard and this may allow the needle to come too close to the hook. Ideally, the needle guard prevents the hook from touching the needle even if you push the needle towards the hook. Check the safety clutch first, though (assuming the machine has one.) The increased torque from a speed reducer is indeed more likely to trip the safety clutch. Some safety clutches are so tight they keep spinning the hook even after they trip. You have to make sure the safety clutch is properly engaged before you evaluate or adjust hook timing. If there is no safety clutch the hook may have slipped on the hook driving shaft and now arrives at the needle too late.

The Cobra Class 26 is really just a copy of the Juki LS-341, the predecessor of the Juki LS-1341. There's probably nothing wrong with the Cobra Class 26, but there's also no point in pretending it's anything other than a brown copy of the Juki original. Since the Juki LS-1341 is a current production machine, parts and accessories should be plentiful and readily available from any Juki dealer. Hopefully this includes both serrated and smooth feed dogs - your Juki dealer will know. Presser feet of any shape and form are readily available at various quality and price points from many vendors. The Juki LS-341 and LS-1341 use standard Singer 111W style feet which is great if you want to have a large assortment of specialty feet for piping etc. without breaking the bank. I don't have a Juki LS-1341, but my Juki LS-341 is among my favorite designs, and I'd hope the Juki LS-1341 improves that design even more. Binding on a Juki LS-1341 is possible, but the Juki binding parts kit (part# 214-34857) to do it properly runs upwards of $400 and that's before you buy an actual tape folder. Here's a screen shot of the binder options section from the Juki LS-1341 brochure (ls1340.pdf) Here's a picture of the binder kit for the LS-1342 just for reference and to give an idea of how many parts the binding kits contains: The Juki TSC-441 class (and Cowboy CB-4500 and other clones) are BIG machines and they can be downright intimidating when you sit down in front them. Not everybody gets a warm and fuzzy feeling from these monsters and it may limit willingness to actually use one. Best to try it out in person first. Hopefully your local Juki dealer has a well stocked show room. Juki also makes a medium-heavy duty cylinder arm machine that is bigger than the Juki LS-1341, but not as big as a Juki TSC-441. This relatively new machine is the Juki LS-2342 (Juki-LS-2342 flyer.pdf) The Juki LS-2342H version goes up to thread size 266. I saw this machine at a trade show and it is very impressive. This might be a good option if it's in your budget (not everybody is looking for the cheapest option, some folks want the best they can afford.) Here's a picture of the Juki LS-2342 that gives a sense of scale:

If you can get a new Seiko STH-8BLD-3 in a table with servo motor for $1,300 then go for it! They're great machines and certainly capable of doing what you want to do, the rest is up to the operator. The $800 end of the range may still be a good price for a local 206RB-2 setup. Anything is worth precisely what somebody is willing and able to pay at the moment it's for sale. Attempting to answer "what's it worth" questions in a vacuum is almost always pointless and I regret falling for it. I'll be more vigilant in the future.

I have no specific knowledge of the Pfaff 1245 706/08 model, sorry. Maybe it was the eighth time some factory asked Pfaff to make yet another special version of the 1245-706 subclass because the factory couldn't possibly live with any of the seven versions Pfaff already had. Industrial sewing machines in general have a long history of super rare special versions that came without any customized documentation. The buyer knew what changes they asked for, that's all that mattered at the time. They were willing to pay for the machines, but they weren't willing to pay for special documentation. You may be the owner of the only Pfaff 1245 706/08 in existence, for all we know. Some undocumented vintage machine servicing comes down to trial and error, which is hard to do unless you have a warehouse full of donor machines and parts to experiment with. On some machines, if a parts fits and works, it's not important whether it's the correct part or simply a compatible part. Best of luck with your sewing machine project and if you do eventually come across any documentation, please post it here.

I'd peg it between $800 and $1,200 but much depends on the details - and your definition of "good." Just like with cars, some are worth every penny, others turn out to be regrettable money pits.

You can create an Ebay or local CL search with notifications and wait for one of the usual suspects to pop up: Singer 111W155 or 211W155, Consew 225 or 226 or 206RB, Juki 562 or 563, Adler 67 or 167 or 267, Pfaff 145 or 545 or 1245, just to name a few popular ones. All in the list except Singer 111 and Consew 225 have reverse. All in the list can sew upholstery. You can also look at a close-up of the presser feet and throat plate to roughly determine what type of machine it is. Things to look for: three vertical bars (two presser feet bars, one needle bar) and a feed dog are a good sign.