dikman

Chris, no sew-off. Thinking about the "binding" it could just be that I've never had a machine that can exert such pressure on the material so I may be over-thinking things. NylonRigging, based on your description I'll have a closer look at the manual (and machine). Sort of makes sense? On the other hand Brian could be right but because I only bought a head I have no way of confirming it. As for Christmas - I already have my (early) Christmas present as I bought a Dillon reloading press a little while ago , but yes, I guess Santa has been pretty good to me. And my wife reminded me that with all the machines I've bought (and sold) this is my first NEW machine.

The good news, got a call this morning from the transport company that my 4500 was ready for pickup. The bad news, because it was on a (small) pallet they have to use a forklift and will only load it on a ute (pickup to you Yanks), truck, trailer or van, none of which I had. After some head scratching I remembered a mate had a ute, which I borrowed. Now, I would call this a "farm ute" because it looks like it's spent all its life bush bashing on a farm! It's also been a long time since I've driven a manual gearbox, no power brakes and no power steering. To say the steering was heavy is an understatement and it had the turning circle of a big truck!!! It did the job and I managed to get it unloaded and down into my shed. I was wondering how I would get it onto the table but once I unpacked it and discovered some of the weight was the (heavy) flywheel I found I could just lift it onto the table! It's a beast!! Tomorrow I will fix it to the table and connect the motor but in the meantime I turned it by hand and found it had a tight spot, which I'm pretty sure is the inner foot pressing too hard on the feed dog. Also, being a Cowboy it came with additional feet and in the bag with the blanket feet was a slotted bracket and I have no idea what it's for. It doesn't show up in the manual. Speaking of which, it's a pretty poor manual. If someone bought one of these, didn't have much experience and had to rely on the manual they would be in trouble. Threading has been discussed here recently and the manual is badly lacking in detail compared to what's been said here. Fortunately, because of this site the poor manual doesn't matter. Photo of the bracket, just curious what it's for.

Err Jimi, that appears to be a link to your C drive?

Sounds like a good "buy". It shouldn't be too hard to work on one of these (unless you're a complete mechanical numpty) and I would think any manuals covering models from the 31 series in general should help. As for the needles, if you can't (easily) find the correct size then just find the closest common modern needles and adjust the needle bar to use them.

Well done guys, waste not want not, as they say.

This is quite bizarre. Consew don't list a CSM3000 on their website when I searched for manuals. I found references, via google, to the 3000 being an upgrade to the 1000 but only showing it as a 2-button unit. I found one post from someone who bought one but didn't get a manual with it and had to contact Consew for it. All very strange. Did you get a manual with yours?

Donkeykong, yes, that is a saddlestitch, and like most things there is more than one way of doing it regarding where the threads come out each side. If you've figured out what works for you then .

Gymnast, there's no doubt about it, you are a nerd extraordinaire!

nylonRigging, which model Consew do you have? I can only find 2-button models on their website, the OP picture is a 4-button?

These codes are are usually different from make to make. Do you have a copy of the manual or instructions listing the codes? JJN 's suggestion makes sense, it has to be something simple.

Put another rivet in there, you already have one so it won't look out of place. A good start for a first holster, after a while you'll think "hmm, I can do better so I'll make another" and before you know it you're hooked!

Using a BIG pulley is equivalent to using a reducer, only simpler to make! Ignoring the forging he did (which is not necessary and he obviously only did it because he could) the only possibly trick part is making a new shaft, unless you have a lathe. Should be an interesting exercise Frodo.

I agree with kgg, while bells, whistles and pushbuttons might be nice I think that for most of us hobbyist/small-time producers a simple basic machine will be cheaper and easier to maintain. If the electronics fail on a complex machine you are faced with either a potentially big bill or ripping it all out to try and make it a basic machine - if indeed it can be done.

Looks like a fairly generic Chinese servo, similar to one I had but recently sold with a machine. There's no manual, the instructions are printed on the side of the control box. On mine the speed could be adjusted from the front panel using the +/- buttons. I didn't have the needle positioner but the motor worked fine.

Hi, my name is Bert and I have a problem......

So how much is it, $150 or $300?

Thanks for that. I collect manuals, I'll add them to the collection.

Thanks mate. The place it's coming from is halfway to the middle of nowhere (Emerald, Queensland) and a looooong way from me! I'm expecting it by the end of next week. It appears there is no "right way" to wrap around that lower tension assembly as there are a couple of factors to take into account including, as Wiz pointed out, the type of thread. A matter of trying it to see which way works for me.

That's exactly what Hightex do! As I said, it must create a lot of tension on the thread. It just seems pretty excessive to me? Bert, I've got rifles significantly older than me and they definitely work better than me, given their age!!

I recall reading earlier posts where this subject was raised and 1 1/2 wraps was said to be the correct way, which is why I was surprised by the Hightex method. It must work (for them) but it's got to be putting a lot of tension on the thread. Does anybody out there actually do it this way?

As I'm getting one I thought I'd do some homework before it arrives. I watched two videos on youtube about how to thread it - one from Hightex (Ryan) and one from Bob Kovar. Hightex do two full wraps, coming in via the wire guide above the lower tension assembly and then out via the same guide, Bob just does 1 1/2 turns. Hightex has the bobbin thread coming off anticlockwise, Bob runs it clockwise. They can't both be right?

The link worked for me in Australia. Interesting site, some of those could be worth it for the table and legs alone! Mark, until you have a lot more knowledge about machines I'd suggest you give places like that a miss, too easy to get caught out. You are going to be faced with the same unpalatable truth that many face when starting out - to do what you envisage you'll likely need more than one machine. For the lighter stuff (and might include the chaps, I'm not sure about them) the usual upholstery class machine with 3/8" under the foot and up to #138 thread should suffice. If you intend doing horse tack, which sounds highly likely, then you'll probably need a harness stitcher too (heavy duty sucker!). Having said that, a Cowboy 3200 might come pretty close to doing almost everything, depending on how heavy the horse tack is likely to be. Unless you want to invest a lot of time to learn how to adjust and maintain an industrial machine I'd suggest you consider buying from a reputable dealer who can give you support, whether you buy new or used. There's lifetimes of knowledge and experience on here (not me!) so you've come to the right place to point you in the right direction.

Obviously not a matched set. The one on the left is larger, with rounded corners and is aligned at the top of the frame, the right is a smaller frame and aligned to the bottom. Chuck 'em out and buy a new set.

And the reason they take so long to stop is because they have a massively heavy flywheel in them.