lfab

I do experimental fashion stuff, bags, occasional upholstery sewing. I originally wanted to sell this machine and buy a proper flat bed walking foot, but I didn't have any buyers. Then I had the idea to try this and hopefully get still get use out of the cylinder arm when/if I need it.

Well, it took a while for me to get my laser cutter, then had to get through the holidays. But I finally finished my table for the Adler 69 machine and wanted to post photos here in case it would help anyone in the future. Construction is pretty basic and accommodates the slight side-to-side movement of the plate on the cylinder arm. And it works with even the most unhelpful of table types for this sort of thing. I just attached some aluminum angle to the sewing table and then attached the sides of the flatbed to that. It's as stable as I need it to be, considering the plywood is 1/4", i.e. thin enough to be cut by my 80 watt CO2 laser. I could have doubled-up on the plywood if I wanted it to be more beefy. But I'm satisfied with it as-is. The sides are braced on the inside by hardware store corner braces (the small, four-hole type) and there's about 1.5-2" of sliding room at the side panel thumb screws for quick sliding in & out for bobbin changes. I sewed with it today and so far, so good!

Ah, ok. That's what I have but I don't have any of the parts that are standing up, i.e. those two posts or the bike-rack-looking feeding part on the right.

@Uwe I understand that we wouldn't want to jam up something that needs to move and how one might fabricate certain components to achieve that... but what you think about the mechanic's comments regarding the back & forth motion of the plate being important to how material feeds through the machine? I never really understood what that motion was for and I'm not sure if I buy his explanation.

I had a mechanic come yesterday to fix the pedal attachment. Everything is fine now, so I'll be keeping the table I have for the time being. I asked him about removing the arm plate for a flat table attachment and he advised not to do it. The arm plate on my machine moves slightly forward and backward with the needle/walking foot mechanism, which he said was important for one reason or another (he is Mexican and kind of difficult to understand sometimes). He also said it was difficult to put back together and didn't recommend me trying to take it apart. So in the interest of avoiding another expensive visit, I'll design my table to fit around the arm rather than over it, which means i'm probably looking at some sort of legs for additional support. We'll see when I start prototyping. Anyway, I'd be happy to post back here with progress. I won't have my laser cutter until the end of November so it will be a few weeks before I'll be able to work with anything besides cardboard mockups.

So I successfully lowered the table this afternoon but I think I may have broken it in the process. I can't seem to get the foot pedal to work with the motor in this new position. I'm worried that while I was lowering it one side kind of went down a bit faster than the other (as expected/predicted), and in this lopsided position, something may have bent out of shape that's now preventing the pedal/axle/extender rod thingies from moving properly no matter how they are positioned. Yet another reason why I dislike this table design! So many moving parts. It's also quite possible that I'm just missing something, as I've never done this before. But after literally two hours of tinkering, I gave up and will try to have a mechanic come look at it tomorrow. But in the process of taking things apart and attempting to put them back together I've noticed that whoever put this together in the first place did a careless job. Just little details here and there... I wish I knew better at the time. So if the table is indeed busted, I won't be too heartbroken if I have to find another one. Except for the money, of course. @dikman: nope, no paperwork. Not even a manual for the machine. It was a typical NYC garment district shit-show purchase. Lo and behold, I did end up finding the speed dial on the motor today. It's right on the back! I couldn't believe it. @UWE: thanks for the interesting examples. If i'm able to keep this table I was definitely imagining a leg/legs like the one you pictured. Glad to hear that you're working on an Adler 69 version. I'm actually getting a laser cutter next month (!!!), which will make fabricating a custom-fit flatbed attachment not too difficult, provided I can find a good way to attach it. How did you develop the ring that attaches around the bottom? Was it something you found to fit, custom ordered or even 3d printed? And it seems like a lot of these examples, yours included, involve removing the arm cover and then using the remaining hole at the base of it as an attachment point? @gottaknow: Those tables look serious. 1K is over my budget but I'm glad to now have the Kessler brand to keep in mind for the future. Thanks for all of the helpful feedback.

@Constabulary, that's beautiful but i think I'm looking to get the working surface as flush as possible with the arm, like the examples that @TinkerTailor mentioned.

That sounds great... let me know if I can help at all. Just out of curiosity, is there a go-to source for pre-made tables? I haven't been able to find any retailers online or off that offer any kind of selection, especially for cylinder bed machines.

Ok, thanks for the helpful info. Regarding the table... I understand the counterbalance issue. It still could be better designed -- then again i'm a designer and I think a lot of things in my life could be better designed! Hopefully someone can chime in regarding the motor

Hi all, this is my first post on the leatherworker.net forums, though I've been an anonymous reader for quite a while. Finally I have a question that I can't find an answer to: I purchased my first walking foot machine, an Adler 69, a few months ago. I'm pleased with how it sews but there are a few things about it I would change if I could, now having used it a little bit. If anyone out there knows City Sewing in NYC, they're great but can also be a pain to get information out of and sometimes I doubt their opinions and expertise when it comes to these types of machines. Anyway, here's what I'm looking for: 1. The table is too high. It appears that it could be lowered, but when I loosen the bolts nothing happens. ...? 2. The table design makes it difficult to build/install a removable flat working surface. Ideally I want to be able to 'convert' the working area to a flat bed when needed. Although not impossible with this table, it would be a lot less cumbersome with an alternate table design that includes some sort of surface on the left as well as the right that the removable work surface could then bridge (see attached photo). Also, this table is supposedly called the 'space saver table' but really it's about the most space-wasting I could think of! If I could design & build my own table, that would be awesome. 3. The servo motor speed cannot be adjusted. I've been reading on this website a bit about this. I guess it means I have a 'brushless' motor? Would I be sacrificing torque or anything else if I sought out a motor that is speed-adjustable? I've also been reading about EPS. I'd love to have that feature, too, if possible. Given the wish list above, do you think it makes sense to try to kit out my purchase or attempt to sell this machine and re-buy another package that has more of the features I'm looking for? Also, should it be better to stick with what I have, does anyone have any mechanic contacts in the NYC area who would be willing to help with the work? I'm always willing to learn, but I have to admit that I know nearly nothing about how to lower the table height, let alone install a new motor! Thanks a lot, Lauren