MainiacMatt

Can anyone out there please tell me what the shaft diameter is on the Consew Premier CSM550-1 servo motor?

Thanks for your reply Don. I think both of these guys mean well... but the dealer doesn't appear to have first hand experience with leatherwork, and the YouTuber who makes quite a bit of leather upholstery and has formal training, may not be that well versed on machine mechanics. Either way, I consider myself lucky to have the input, as I'm used to filtering through a lot of differing perspectives to arrive at my own conclusions. I think the Chandler branded Consew 206 is the best option available to me right now, and by buying new from a dealer who services what he sells and will have a sense of responsibility to me as a local paying customer, I'll avoid (or at least be able to resolve) any big issues. I'm quite mechanically inclined and have done some work on my Singer 66, but I need to stay focused on completing my leather upholstery, and not get side tracked into a new sewing machine repair hobby by buying someone else's problem child. That said, if anyone using a Consew 206 (or clone) has experience using 138 thread, I'd love to hear about it.

The plot thickens... I commented on one of the YouTube videos from the channel I mentioned and Willie was gracious enough to reply. I use 92 weight thread for all my upholstery projects. The Consew 206 can handle 135 thread on top. The top loading machines like the Consew 206 and Juki 562 don't seem to like the heavy thread. I'm not sure what he means by top loading, as the 206 has an end loading bobbin. So perhaps the dealer's comment reflects experience and trumps the manufacture's specs. He only sells industrial machines, and appears to spend most of his time on the road servicing his commercial customers, such that his shop is by appointment only. And while New England hasn't been the textile capital of the new world for 40 years, there's still a fair bit around. There's also quite a bit of sail making and canvas cover making for the boat crowd. I think you're right... but my wallet (and wife) doesn't agree. At $1,300, I'm already quite a bit over budget. I can't find a 1541 for less than $2K

Greetings again. My quest for a leather sewing machine suitable for furniture upholstery work is honing in on a conclusion and I'm going to see/test a new Chandler 406 this week, at a local dealer. All indications that this machine (last one remaining of a lot of 10 he purchased in 2021) is a Consew 206RB-5 and it runs 135x17 series needles and M-style bobbins.. And Schmetz advertises these up to Singer size 24. And while I've read accounts of sewers being unable to run size 207 thread on the 206 class machines, I've been operating under the impression that size 138 was well within its capabilities. So, I'm communicating with the dealer about setting up the machine to test sew my 3 oz chrome tanned samples, he states "T135 is a little to heavy for that hook to take". The dealer has been very responsive, and seems like a good guy, so either I'm out to lunch in my thinking about what a 206 class can due, or he's not really familiar with leather sewing with heavier threads. Anyone out there running 138/T-135 on a 206 class? Have you had any problems? Is there something about the hook on this class that can't handle T135? I've been learning a lot from Willie Sandry (The Thoughtful Woodworker/Upholsterer on YouTube). And he does excellent work on an old 226 and a newer 206, so that's one indicator that I'm on the right track here.

Seriously cool!

Looks great! I like it a lot.

Can someone please tell me what I have here? I'm stumped.

Looks a lot like a Sailrite Fabricator to my eye...

Going rate for a new 206RB-5 seams to be -$1,500-1,600 shipped. I’d be very interested in knowing where one can be had cheaper.

I looked into the Sailrite LW and it looks pretty spiffy and their support sure is highly praised. But when I discovered that you can get a new compound feed industrial for the same $ (or less), I moved on with my search. This isn't intended to take away from Sailrite in any way, as service and support have real value. Just adding another factoid to the discussion.

I priced a box style speed reducer today. $240 shipped. I suspect I’ll be buying it at the same time I buy the machine, and install looks like a no brainer.

I know this is an old thread, but I thought it was funny that I just had a dealer in New England tell me pretty much the same thing... "can't change the pulley on Consew CSM550-1 servo motor" & "no need to put a speed reducer on a Consew 206RB-5" Guy seems to only deal with larger commercial outfits and only sells industrial machines. So the mystery continues.

Any one ever heard of an Ikonix KS-5618? I'm guessing this is a clone. Any ideas what model it might be similar too?

Me again... researching my first industrial machine, with an emphasis on leather upholstery work (piped seams, French seams, zippers, etc...). Is sewing flat work on a cylinder arm machine with a well designed and large table attachment just the same as sewing on a flat bed? Or is is frustrating? I do machine design at work and a quite a bit of woodworking, and have access to a CNC router, so making a large, close fitting top is within my capabilities. But I've never sewn on a cylinder arm machine, so i don't know if there are other problems or hinderances using one for sewing panels and seams on cushions. Thanks in advance for all the help, Matt

Thanks for the detailed reply. That's got to be it.... (the guy had a pretty good Massachusetts accent and scribbled down guide in my notes). So now that I know the correct terminology, is it a big deal that bottom bobbins don't have this same style needle deflector/guard? Seems like there sure are a lot of them out there, so it's hard to imagine that it's a huge shortcoming.

His point was that I’d want a “needle guide” to avoid damaging the hook, should the needle flex. I’m visiting to look at machines next week. It’ll probably all make sense then.

Thanks for the reply. I spoke to another dealer, who said front load bobbin machines do have a needle guide, but it’s different. Does any of this make sense? Or is it a non-issue?

In my quest for a leather sewing machine, I spoke to the owner of a sizeable industrial machine dealer that's well regarded in these parts. Guy has been around a long time and sells and services all the major brands. To make leather upholstered furniture cushions, I described the machine parameters I was look for as: needle feed/walking foot up to #138 bonded nylon thread stitching up to 6 layers of 3 oz. leather (4 for sewing piped edges, 6 at the piping splice) servo motor with slow speed As we discussed various machines, he advised me to stay with a top loading bobbin model as they have a needle guide (not sure what a needle guide even is) and that when stitching multiple layers of leather the needle will tend to flex and there's potential to damage the hook in a front load bobbin machine. So, my question to the forum is... how much of an issue is having a needle guide when stitching leather upholstery? I've seen that the needle does tend to flex to the side when I've sewn tight up against the piping. Yet there are a lot of end loading bobbin machines out there being used by leather workers and I'm having a hard time envisioning that they're all getting damaged for want of a needle guide. Inquiring minds want to know...

I'm spying an Adler 67-373 available second hand in my area, and am wondering if this machine is compound/needle feed or just top/bottom walking foot feed. The guy in the video above is blasting through the test stitches so fast, I can't tell. Anyone know for sure?

Yes... The Singer 66 seems to take "standard" foot attachments and I had no problem sewing up the piping . And I could sew the piping to the end panels, but that's as far as I could go, due to the machine stalling when attempting 4 layers. A local guy who specializes in replacing zippers in coats helped me finish it up, but not all of his seams were straight and the top corners of the back rest look funny. I work for an industrial packaging company that has a foam fab. shop, so I'm able to source and CNC wire cut foam on the cheap... So I'm looking for a compound feed machine that could handle the leather sewing, and then I'd have control over the entire process. Next up is a matching Ottoman and Coffee table. Then I may build another set on speculation and see if I can sell it. Sadly, Skipper has since gone to the happy hunting grounds. I miss him every day.

Hi Folks, New member here. I make Mission style furniture and am setting up to upholster my own leather cushions. I sewed up most of my first project on a modified Singer 66, but had to get a local sewer to finish sewing the assembly as my 66 couldn't do 4+ layers of 3 oz. hide. Nonetheless, the project went fairly well. I purchased my hide from an ebay seller, and while I was pleased with the quality of of the material, it had creases from being folded for shipping. Is there any way to remove such creases?