Uwe

No smell at all from the phenolic resin. It's all cured by the time I get my hands on it and carving it is fine, too. The material is hard to find, actually. Normally it's used to make router tables, jigs, and table saw tops, where you need something very hard and slippery to withstand material being dragged across it all day. I discovered it by chance at my local WoodCraft shop, where it's rather expensive. For my actual production work stock, I ended up driving an hour one way to Toledo where a specialty wood supply store carries this stuff at a more reasonable price and in the sizes I need, albeit in only one color.

A few more shots for the LW archives:

I just had to try it, I'm like a little boy who can't resist a dare! I carefully turned the wheel by hand and my Consew 225 (twin to a Singer 111) actually sewed 1/8" (3mm) plywood wrapped in 5oz (2mm) oil tan leather without skipping stitch. Who'da thunk? This was sewn with a size 207 bonded polyester using a size 140/22 regular point needle:

After searching for "sewing plywood" on youtube, there's a guy sewing plywood on his Pfaff 545, which is essentially identical to the Singer 111. So, depending on how precious your Singer 111 is to you, go for it!

I highly doubt a Singer 111 will sew through 4mm of plywood. If it does, not for long. Consider sewing the panel leather material to a softer support material (thin gatorfoam or cardboard etc.) and then glueing the whole affair to the plywood, wrapping the edges. It'l still look it's been sewn right through and be just as durable and rigid in my mind. The only machines I know of that are designed to sew through plywood and similar materials for suitcase, prosthetics and similar applications, are certain Needle & Awl machines. My Puritan advertises being able to sew through plywood and aluminum sheets, and the promo video of the Campbell Lockstitch machines sews right through a copper penny at the one-minute mark. Of course some of these machines may cost more than an old MG car. If you have access to a laser cutter, consider cutting the plywood door panel shape including the stitch holes along the edges right on the laser cutter. I've made templates for hand stitching that way. Then you can just hand sew the leather to the plywood using the pre-cut stitch holes.

I've come across some dimensioned CAD drawings in various manuals. The attached example of a table with a U-shaped cutout is from a Pfaff 335 manual (the view is of the underside of the table). Interestingly it has no dimensions for the actual cutout (approx. 11" wide and 12" deep) or how far the machine sits from the edge of the cutout. There are no hard rules for the overall shape or size and the actual mounting hole pattern will vary by machine, as TinkerTaylor said (thanks for the shout-out :-) This is as good a starting point as any for making your own table. I had downloaded a manual for an Adler 669 machine simply because it had nice drawings of the table options: I personally really like this convertible option where the left side folds down and out of the way when not in use:

I'm finalizing details on my all-new and actually affordable design for a flatbed table attachment for Durkopp Adler 205-370 sewing machines and their copies. Version 1.0 was machined from a big chunk of solid aluminum and cost a small fortune to make. It'll also take off a toe if you drop it on your foot. This version 2.0 uses more affordable, yet extremely durable materials and I'll make a few extras for sale. I discovered phenolic plywood a few weeks ago and love it (say "Phenomenal Phenolic Plywood" ten times really fast, haha!) Anyways, phenolic plywood and stainless steel metal hardware make a great combination for functionality, durability, and good looks - in my mind at least. I'll post proper glamour shots and add it to my ebay store over the weekend. Here are a few preview shots for now:

Sorry, I don't know where to get just a shuttle, but I stumbled across this complete Landis 1 machine in Ohio recently on Ebay for $399 with no bids yet: http://r.ebay.com/7RxqOH I'm not an expert in Landis machines, but I have a feeling the shuttle by itself from a dealer will cost about as much as this entire machine. Love the table and pedal setup on this one and you're gonna need a parts machine anyways. I was at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machine earlier this week and I they had one of these in their used showroom, so they may have parts.

Here's a DXF export I did earlier today. It'll take some tweaking but it's a good starting point. Let's hope this works: http://uwe.net/CAD/Consew225_v2.dxf

That Singer model number and factory history shure looks messy, after reading up on it a little. According to the Sir Sewalot web page, the W after the model number (as opposed to after the serial number) would indicate the factory in Wittenberge, Germany. Either way, it should be the same machine, just from a different factory. With compound feed and generally nice specs, this machine should work well for sewing leather. I'd check it out in person and sew with it to make sure it works as well as it looks before committing to buy. Sometimes tired old machines with worn-off paint just get a quick paint job to squeeze a few extra bucks out of them. I'm not really sure what the parts supply picture looks like for this model or if it shares components with other, more common machines. If it just looks pretty but doesn't work right, you may have a hard time finding replacement parts. If it looks pretty AND it works well, you should be good for a long time unless you abuse it.

It sure looks like a 153K103 to me. Often the people posting the ads just make typo. Seems like a nice machine in good condition. There's a User Manual for the Singer 153K103 with specs and other details.

A photo of what you're looking at (especially the name/model plate) would really help us gather information about the machine.

The big C-shaped distance rings in the video are used to adjust hook-to-needle distance. The number of shims required for proper hook-to-needle distance will vary from machine to machine. Your machine may be fine as it is. You may need to add some shims to get the hook-to-needle-distance just right. In hook timing position (needle has risen 4mm from bottom) "the hook should be as close as possible without touching the needle." The distance rings are available from Weaver. You probably only have to do this adjustment once, because it's very unlikely to go out of whack with normal use. The little spacer shims with the numbers on them are used to adjust needle guard position relative to the needle. The number on the shim corresponds to the needle size in NM (Number Metric). You'll need a full set of these little spacers (also available from Weaver) if you plan to switch needle sizes. The needle guard actually IS supposed to touch the needle without pushing it out of the way. If the needle guard is not touching the needle, it's not protecting the hook. If it's pushing the needle too far away from the hook, it will cause skipped stitches. If you're off by just one size, it's probably not a super big deal or problem. The Adler 205-370 uses needles up to Singer size 28. Here's how to match up the sizes (based on Singer info): Singer size = Number Metric Singer 23 = 160 NM Singer 24 = 180 NM Singer 25 = 200 NM Singer 26 = 230 NM Singer 27 = 250 NM Singer 28 = 280 NM I do plan on making an Adler 205 use and service video over the next month or two, once I get comfortable making the adjustments myself.

You should not be afraid to adjust presser foot force. It's an easy one, helps minimize marks on veg tan leather, and you can't do much wrong. The presser foot needs to have enough downward pressure to hold the material in place and keep the material from lifting up with the needle as it ascends. If the material lifts up, the thread doesn't form a loop for the hook to catch and skips a stitch. There's nothing to go terribly wrong here. The only real potential issue with that adjustment is if you loosen that screw way too much so it comes out of the threaded hole and the spring sends it flying across the room. Give it one turn at a time and hold on to it.

The "safe" thing to say is "Don't turn the wheel backwards," because it may cause stitch problems and can indeed break something in certain situations. It really varies by machine. In general, sewing machines are designed to spin only in one direction to do actual work. I think it's okay on most machines to turn the wheel backward to adjust needle position a little while it's above the material. It depends on where you are in the stitch cycle. Don't turn the wheel backwards to bring the needle up from the bottom position. If you turn the wheel backwards while the needle is down, you may cause it to skip a stitch because the thread loop formation for the hook to catch is tricky enough as it is going forward. Also, don't turn it backwards more than a quarter turn, and certainly don't try to "undo" a stitch you already made by turning the wheel backwards because that's just not how it works. If there's no thread or material in the machine, some machines will spin happily in either direction, others, not so much. It really depends on the machine and how it's designed. Some parts (e.g. needle guard vs needle) may slide past each other on one direction, but catch in the other direction. So it depends on how your machine is adjusted, too. If there's thread in the machine, you can cause trouble by thread catching on something and binding things up, then if you push too hard some fragile part might break or go out of alignment. If you feel any resistance at all, stop.

If your machine doesn't want to get started, it's likely because it's geared for speed and doesn't have enough torque at low speeds. What's under the table? Ideally you'd have a servo motor with a small pulley and a speed reducer. Worst case is a clutch motor with a big pulley.

The shims are available from Weaver for $12/ea. Adding reverse to 205 machine that doesn't already have it does not seem like a financially feasible undertaking in my mind. You'd be better off selling your MO and buying a 205-370 instead. Compare the Parts list for Durkopp Adler 205-MO version to the more common Durkopp Adler 205-370 model to see which parts have the same part number and are thus interchangeable. It does not look like the presser feet are interchangeable with other 205 models, for example. The MO model is kind of a one-trick pony (i.e. mocassins), whereas the 205-370 is a more versatile, general purpose type of machine.

The presser feet in the belt video have special ridges at the bottom that help press the thread into the leather. The harness feet are skinny and have a very small footprint - they're more likely to leave marks, just like high-heeled shoes on a wood floor. Other feet styles with bigger flat/smooth bottoms are available and yes, you can adjust the foot pressure (see manual for details) to dial in the least amount of pressure that still holds your material securely in place. There'll be a fair amount of trial and error involved to find settings and accessories that work for your specific application.

cjsamples: Bummer about the file incompatibility. You could try downloading a trial version of V-Carve Pro to at least open the file and look at it and perhaps export to different format, but I'm not sure how limited the trial version is. I could send you the ShopBot code text file, but it's not really editable. I created the file in V-Carve Pro, so I don't really have another CAD version. Perhaps I can export to some standard AutoCad style DXF file, but I doubt it would not have the pathing info, which is important. DrmCa: Yes, I do have access to very cool and wickedly expensive tools, but only if I pay my $150/month membership fee at TechShop (which I can afford only once every couple of months, unless people actually start buying stuff I make there, haha).

You can download PDF versions of the Durkopp Adler 205-370 Owner Manual and the Durkopp Adler 205-370 Service Manual from my website. I haven't seen the Weaver DVD, but heard comments that it doesn't go into great depth. Reading the manuals will get you started on the right path. I've used size 415 bonded polyester thread without any trouble using size 27 needles. I made a little sewing demo video using this combination some time ago: I took the bobbin area apart for a different video on changing out the presser foot: This machine uses little spacers for different needle sizes to adjust hook-to-needle spacing. Make sure you use the right combination to get good results (e.g. use the "250" spacer for the 250Nm/27 size needle). The spacers are available from Weaver and other retailers here at LW or online. $500 is a total bargain for that machine if it is serviceable. I have a few presser feet and accessories for the machine in my ebay store and I'm finalizing work on a flatbed table attachment, just in case you're looking to spend all that money you saved with your initial purchase.

thesergeant: Those are beautiful tables! Love the veneered table to make use of the leftover pieces - you have some serious shop skills and a great eye for design and color! Now I'm all motivated to give my own Pfaff 130 a nice, permanent home like that rather than being hidden away in a cabinet. Nice photography, too. cjsamples: I've uploaded the V-Carve Pro file for my Consew 225 table top here: http://uwe.net/CAD/Consew225_v2.crv You'll have to tweak it to fit your hinge design and corner pads. You'll also have to separate out the top and bottom cutting paths for two shopbot runs.

Great little winder setup! Very inventive and great use of existing parts and materials. I especially appreciate little details like the paint can cap protective cover and the little tool holder. The skull-and-bones cover for the hole is a nice, touch, too :-) Well done!

Thanks for the additional pictures and manual graphics. Amazing how many different models of that class of machines exist that are 90% identical! I was able to make my Consew 225 sew 9mm of veg tan leather after I adjusted hook timing and needle guard. I did not go into presser foot timing since mine seemed fine. I documented my little adventure in three videos:Hook Timing, Needle Guard, Sewing Demo: For some reason it won't embed this third video of the sewing demo: The adjustment details for your machine may vary by a fraction of a millimeter here and there. Use the numbers from your service manual if you have it (if you do, please post a PDF here - we're always looking or manuals it seems!). Otherwise, the Consew 225 number are a great starting point.

Yes, in general the inner presser foot is supposed to get to the material before the needle enters and let go of the material only after after the needle exits. Your machine may be able to sew reliably with those materials, but it will need to be timed/adjusted very well. Breaking needles means something is off, and it may be more than just the inner presser foot timing. I'm not really familiar with the 239 model and online documentation is very limited. The walking foot mechanism looks a lot like the Singer 111 and Consew 225 class of machines. Chances are good that the inner (vibrating) presser foot timing adjustments works the same. Look at the "Timing of the vibrating presser foot" section on page 8 of the Consew 225 manual and see if your mechanism on the back looks/works the same. You say the rest of the timing is great. Do you know it's great or do you just assume it's okay because it makes a nice stitch when it's not breaking needles? If you need to sew at the limits of what the machine is capable of, timing and adjustments really do have to be "perfect", not just "good enough to make a stitch." Post some pictures of the back and underside (hook area) of the machine when you get a chance. It'll help figure out what's going on.

So while I'm waiting to get my hands on some needles and awls I decided to make a new throat plate for my Puritan. The original showed a fair amount of battle scars and the little blade inserts needed to be replaced. It turns out the WaterJet at my TechShop can do incredibly detailed work with great precision on its huge 6'x10' work table, cutting the three 0.07" wide slots quite nicely. The new throat plate made from 304 stainless steel should last a while. I'm also guessing that the cost of the replacement inserts of the original is higher than my entire throat plate. I'll find out this week when they get back to me a with a quote for several Puritan parts.