Pintodeluxe

Yeah, mine have the springs with tabs. The 226 knob is the top picture. The split rod looks terrible. The bottom picture is the 206rb. Nice and neat.

Constabulary's post also made me realize a couple things... 1. The knee lift wasn't swinging freely, so I checked the adjustment. Turns out the knee lift linkage was contacting the undercarriage a little early. This, combined with my tendency to ride the lift with my knee a little while I sew seemed to contribute to the issue. 2. I was judging the tension adjustment by the amount of threads sticking out beyond the tension nut. Well, I looked closely at both my machines tonight, and the 206rb has a wider knob. This "double wide nut" (see #16 in diagram above) shows less threads even when the position is similar with both machines. The 226 has a single threaded nut and shows a longer length of threads. Maybe that's why it looked so unusual to me. 3. I don't have part #15 on my tension mechanism. Maybe that's why the threaded rod looks bent or distorted. I'll try to post pics tomorrow. Thanks again.

Yes, I like the idea of a heavier spring for the tension assembly. I'll have to find a source for that. Thanks for chiming in, it's much appreciated.

Just wondering why my Consew 226 needs so much upper tension to sew a balanced stitch? I just finished dialing in my other walking foot, a Consew 206 RB-1, and it needs very little upper tension to sew well. The 226 on the other hand, must be cranked down pretty good to sew well. The adjustment knob on the upper tension mechanism is nearly maxed out by the time the bottom side of the leather looks good. The threaded, split rod on the tension mechanism was splayed a little. I noticed that the nut would jump a thread on the split rod occasionally. In other words when I tighten the tension knob, sometimes the nut will strip on the threaded rod. So I ordered a new tension assembly and installed it today. The spring on this Chinese made tension assembly seemed very weak. I gradually increased tension and checked the stitch quality, but no dice. The tension was maxed out and the bottom stitches were still showing a bit of the upper thread. Not big loops or anything like that, just not a pretty and balanced stitch. With the tension maxed out on the new assembly, the tension discs were still pretty easy to move. So I put the original tension assembly back on, and it works, but the tension is really cranked up. Here are some additional details... 1. Bobbin thread pulls freely, with no significant tension. 2. I'm using #138 nylon thread. 3. #22 Schmetz leather point needle. 4. Sewing samples are two layers of 2oz. goat leather. It is soft and supple leather. 5. Tension releases normally with either presser foot lift or knee lift. So... any ideas why my 226 needs so much upper tension? Should I buy a quality Japanese made tension assembly or? Thanks

I wanted to re-mount my Consew 226 walking foot sewing machine in a better table, and I had access to a replacement top. The new top didn’t have the required recess to mount the head unit, so I needed to rout one out. I started with a full-sized template of the shape I needed. Building the Template The corner diameter of the template needed to be 1-3/8”, and since I didn’t have a router bit that large, I used a Forstner bit to cut the holes. The template is made from 1/2" MDF. Then I completed the opening of the template with a router and spiral bit. A clamp-on straightedge guides the router in a straight path. Next I made removable corner inserts for the template. I’ll explain the reasoning for these little triangular pieces in a minute. They are easily made my marking the curve on some scrap, and sanding to the line. Then I cut them loose at the miter saw. These small pieces were 1-1/4” on the smaller sides, and 1-3/4” on the hypotenuse. Milling the Main Opening Then I used the template to pencil the shape of the opening on the sewing table top, and roughed it out with a jigsaw. At this point I was ready to clamp the full-sized template to the table top. The corner blocks were carpet taped in place, and I routed the opening flush with the template using a 2” long bearing-guided template bit (rout clockwise when inside a frame). Here you can see how the corner blocks protect the corners, which will eventually support the weight of the sewing machine head. Routing the Ledge Next I switched to a 3/4” long bearing-guided template bit and removed the corner blocks. Then I was able to follow the template’s radiused corners to mill a small ledge. This cut was 5/8” deep, which allows 3/8” for the lip of the sewing machine, and 1/4” for the rubber bumpers that I’ll install later. The 226 is a top loader, so I am shooting for a flush fit here. If you have a side loader like the 206rb, you might want to make the ledge slightly shallower so the bobbin access plate clears the table. Bumpers and Hinges The rubber bumpers are just some rubber mat that you can buy in bulk at the hardware store. They are tacked in place, one at each corner. Then I drilled holes in a scrap of MDF with a 1-1/2” Forstner bit. I then used that as a template to rout holes for the hinges. I could have simply used the Forstner bit to drill out the hinges, but I find the router cuts to a more consistent depth. Then excavate a little spot for the hinge mechanism. This is easily accomplished with a trim router and 1/4” spiral bit. Final Fitting The fit looks good, and the router bits cut the laminate cleanly. It took me most of a Saturday to accomplish, but it sure looks nicer than the old table. If anyone is contemplating a sewing machine table build, I found this full-sized template method with corner blocks worked quite well. I'll hang on to the template, and if I need to do it again it'll be a snap.

That's great info Uwe, thanks for the pictures and post.

Okay I'll check with the calipers to see what the actual dimension is. Thanks Bob.

Many good ideas here. Thanks for the link to the split sleeve Andy, that would be a quick fix. Grainger lists a 1-1/2" pulley with a 5/8" bore, but the picture is just a stock image of a 4" pulley so I'm not sure if it would work. Thanks again for all the helpful replies.

Does anyone know a source for a small motor pulley that will fit a Rex 550w Servo? I recently installed Rex servos on a Consew 226 and a Consew 206RB-1, and the new motors came with 3" pulleys. As expected, they ran a little faster than I wanted so I went shopping for some smaller motor pulleys. Techsew sent me a 45mm O.D. pulley that they said would fit, but it had a 3/4" shaft. My Rex servos have a 5/8" shaft size. All of the 1-1/2" to 1-3/4" pulleys I can find have 3/4" bores. I did find 1-3/4" x 5/8" standard Chicago Pulleys at the hardware store, but they needed to have the set screw "knuckles" ground off before they would fit against the motor. These actually work pretty well, but it would be nice to have a source for a direct bolt-on part. Also, the Chicago pulley is a tad too wide for a 3/8" V belt. Another idea that came to mind is adding a bushing to make a 3/4" bore pulley fit the 5/8" shaft. Then you would have to cut a slot in the bushing to allow the woodruff key be inserted (or perhaps use a set screw instead). Any easy answers out there? I would love to find a 38mm O.D. pulley that fit a 5/8" shaft. Thanks so much.