dikman

Thanks Gerry, that's what I meant, guess it wasn't clear enough. Without a foot pedal of some sort with a potentiometer the only way to vary the speed of the sewing machine is by using the inbuilt VFD speed control which requires using your hand - no problem if you have three hands. I'm a bit confused, however, as it sounds like some are talking about controlling the existing clutch motor just by adding a VFD? That can't be done with the clutch motors I have had as they were single phase induction motors which can't be controlled with a VFD. If it was that simple then belt grinder manufacturers wouldn't have to use three phase motors on their products and could save money. Bottom line is for most people the simplest option is to replace the clutch motor with a servo, they are relatively inexpensive, are a straight bolt on replacement and use less power than a single/three phase motor.

To answer your original question, no, you can't use an electronic speed control on a single-phase motor as those controllers are designed to work on "universal" motors that use brushes, not squirrel cage AC induction motors like your clutch motor. The advantages of a servo are they're relatively compact, are already set up to connect the foot pedal and are pretty cheap these days. If you've already got a 3-phase motor and VFD then obviously your costs will be minimal but you will need to source/fabricate a foot pedal with a built-in rheostat to control the VFD. I have fitted VFD/3-phase combos to my lathe, belt grinder and drill press but personally I won't even consider it for a sewing machine, servos are a much neater solution.

I forgot to mention that no, there is no list of machines as such. It has been mentioned before that a list would be nice but it would be a very big undertaking and so far no-one has come forward to attempt it. The afore-mentioned article by Wiz is probably the definitive guide at the moment.

Or, if you've got a spare awl bit put that in the drill press and use that to punch your holes. I made a fitting using an awl bit to attach to my arbor press to do the same thing.

G'day mate, welcome to the forum. I'd say you're looking at the heavy end of the sewing machine spectrum, judging by what you want to sew. A 441 clone may be your best candidate as it will punch through 7/8" of almost anything! If fitted with a narrow feed plate/feed dog it will also handle reasonably light work. These are cylinder arms, so more versatile, but can be fitted with a small flatbed attachment. Ok, that's my immediate first thoughts. Being in Australia your options may be limited, particularly being in W.A. Do you want to buy new, do you have a budget in mind (most of us usually do)? I bought a Cowboy 4500, head only, from these people - https://sunvalleytrading.com.au/ - very good to deal with. I'm not saying you should use them because I don't know what options you have over there, but their website may give you some ideas. The CB3200 might also be a possibility. If you're looking at buying used the most commonly available machines are generally upholstery-class, which are usually limited to 3/8" clearance under the feet and #138/M10 maximum thread size. Heavier duty machines are pretty rare on the used market here. Just a couple of idle thoughts to ponder.

Looks cool, nice work, and yes, I was going to ask about the wood too, it is very striking.

Impressive workmanship and very creative!

Normally it would be tooled first but if you tried it and it worked then there's no reason not to do it that way BUT you may find a few small areas where the dye didn't penetrate deep enough. You might be able to touch them up with a fine paintbrush but there is the chance it will show up.

I find it quite believable, after all that's why any company has things made in China - cheaper manufacturing costs. Made in China doesn't automatically mean it's going to be cheap and nasty. The real issue is if the companies are claiming to have made the product locally by "skilled artisans" but haven't (and on face value that seems to be the case).

Never seen anything like it before but it's an impressive bit of gear!

The razor wire is a bit ominous......

Very neat job on the tabletop. The wooden triangle looks well-made, did you make it?

Tigweldor, that is a common practice these days and can certainly mislead people which is no doubt the intention. As soon as a I see a label saying "designed in Australia" I figure the item is made somewhere else (if it was made here there would be no need for such a label!). And to the OP, welcome aboard, I don't know what you're using for translation but it's excellent.

Very nice work and yeah, the buckle is a bit over-the-top!

Yep, you might be a good leatherworker but a lousy photographer.

Looks great, I don't see anything wrong. The "visual" you're talking about is likely a trick of the eye due to a relatively complex pattern, which is straight, next to the outer curved edge, causing some confusion between the eye and the brain. (It sounds good to me ).

Like Chuck I use headband magnifiers, I use them a lot and keep a pair in my garage, computer room, with my lathes and reloading/leather stuff. I find them invaluable.

I don't make loops on gunbelts (no need to here in Oz 'cos we can only use handguns at the range) but we use carrier strips (10 per side) and I use Dwight's method, it's simpler, faster and there's no stitching to break. I thought I'd be clever and used kangaroo for the one I use as kangaroo is thin, very strong and doesn't stretch much. Nice theory but it's a pain as it's too flexible and when pushing the cartridges in/out it moves too much! I need to make a new one with thicker leather.

Pretty fancy work for a machete. Has a sort of Steam Punk look about it.

Thinking about it I reckon you're lucky the head made it to you intact! Glad it worked out how you wanted.

Replacing the clutch motor also reduces the weight loading on the tabletop significantly.

For $120 I reckon someone got a bargain!

Any machine with 335 in its name is likely a clone of the Pfaff 335, it's unlikely this will be suitable for what you want to do. While they can handle #138 thread they're generally happier with #69 and clearance under the feet is around 10mm, might go up to 12mm but not 15mm. Keep looking.

Lowering the AC voltage input to an electronic servo motor won't slow it down, if that's what you're thinking, as many of them are designed to run from 110v to 230v. If you want really low speed then a speed reducer is the only way to go, the trade-off is that it will reduce your top speed but for most of us that is an acceptable loss.

Do you need the belt guard fitted? Most of us don't bother with them (my CB4500 has never been fitted). If my machines came with one I removed it as I consider them a nuisance. It looks like that's not all that was damaged, the tabletop looks a bit "bent" and the speed reducer appears to have ripped off. It's never a good idea to ship a heavy head unit mounted to the table without a lot of extra bracing underneath.