Melonie

Thank you everyone for the great advice

Thanks for the info!! I haven't made a purchase yet because I am still a little hesitant on buying such a heavy duty machine. I'm afraid that it won't be a good fit when I am only sewing 1or 2 layers of 5 oz leather. Have you used yours on lighter weight projects?

So do you think that the CB3200 would be too much when sewing journals where some parts are just one layer of 6 oz leather and a layer of canvas together?

I actually have one more question. What would the difference be between the CB3200 and the CB105 for what I am doing?

Wow thanks! This is exactly what I needed to know to make a decision. I really appreciate it. My next posts will probably be cries for help on how to use my new machine. Thank you again!

Thank you all for the responses, this really helped. It looks like the CB3200 is the way to go. From what I understand I will need a walking foot machine. Do you know of walking foot machines that may not be able to sew with thicker thread but will still easily sew through my layers of leather? I am ready to make the purchase for the cowboy if that is what I need, but I want to be sure that I'm not over-doing it and could get away with spending less money.

Hey there! I am new to this forum and about 3 years into working with leather. Up until this point, I have been sewing all of my leather products by hand but am ready to invest in a leather sewing machine because of the increasing value of my time (and pain in my fingers). I am having trouble choosing the best machine and was hoping to get some great advice here. Let me tell you more about what I do. I have a small business making leather goods such as refillable journals (basically a leather cover for journals) and wallets. Those are my main two products at the moment, but I am really hoping to expand in the future to bags, and maybe even shoes but am honestly not sure if I will head that direction or expand on the types of journals that I make. I use 5-6 oz oil tanned leather and sew 2-3 layers at a time. I also do journal covers that are made by sewing canvas and 1-2 layers of leather together. I don't have photos of these but am attaching photos of my leather journals that will hopefully give you an idea of what I am working with. I have been doing some research on my own and the CB-3200 has really caught my eye with the way it handles the leather. I fell into the "industrial strength" sewing machine trap and purchased a machine that can sew leather but is definitely not meant for the work. I am wondering if there is anything a step down from the CB-3200 in price that will work just as well for what I am doing, since I'm not stitching harnesses and saddles here. One other thing I would like in a machine is the capability to sew with thicker thread. I'm not expecting to get to the thickness that is shown in my photos, but something that looks nice and sturdy and that is nice and sturdy would be great! Thanks in advance for the help! -Melonie