My attempt to enter the machine sewing world

[Tio]

Bought a cheap walking foot machine, built a table and tried to sew a wallet.  Didn’t work so good.

[Tio]

Bought a table with servo motor, better results.  Still wants to run away from me.  Ordered a 45 mm pulley for the motor and a 6 inch pulley for the machine.  Hopes this gives me the slow speed control I’m looking for.  I’ll try and post pics when I’m done.

[toxo]

Getting there. Could go a lot bigger than 6" on the pulley. Mine is almost twice that at 270mm and gives one stitch at a time if I want. You can make a new belt from a strip of leather to get the size for a new one.

[Tio]

I thought about a 10 inch for the machine, but the 45mm and 6 inch gives me about a 3.37:1 reduction.  Everything I’ve read says 3.4:1 is the number I’m looking for.

[Wyowally]

If they started a forum for "first time attempts" yours would be one the better ones. I'm not sharing mine......

[toxo]

2 minutes ago, Tio said:

I thought about a 10 inch for the machine, but the 45mm and 6 inch gives me about a 3.37:1 reduction.  Everything I’ve read says 3.4:1 is the number I’m looking for.

That would of course depend on the speed of the machine in the first place but I'll leave the numbers to you. Not my forte but I've done this on two machines now and I know what works for me.

[toxo]

Take no notice of the sewing but check the speed.

 

[Tio]

Got the pulleys installed and man what a difference!  It doesn’t run away from me.  I shot a video, but it’s too big to upload.

[Tio]

On 3/15/2022 at 7:22 PM, toxo said:

Getting there. Could go a lot bigger than 6" on the pulley. Mine is almost twice that at 270mm and gives one stitch at a time if I want. You can make a new belt from a strip of leather to get the size for a new one.

It’s waaay better, but I should have gone 8 inch on the machine.  It will work for now, but I definitely see a larger pulley sometime in my future.

[Dwight]

I sewed for years on a Tippmann Boss . . . and did not realize how really slow I did sew with that thing.

I finally figured out how to make my Cowboy 4500 go REALLLLLLLY slow . . . and we are doing a lot better together now.

I doubt if I'll ever get it up to the fastest setting . . . my sewing ability is just not there.

I can watch the needle go down . . . down . . . down . . . down . . . and finally contact the leather . . . then down and down and down . . . 

I like that kind of control.

May God bless,

Dwight

 

[RockyAussie]

On 3/16/2022 at 11:02 AM, toxo said:

Take no notice of the sewing but check the speed.

Good speed demo @toxo. I have to ask what size thread you are using there? The biggest I ever used on mine is 138 (20M) Just noticed ...I think your electronic needle positioner may be not working where it is at the moment. You planning on putting it on?

 

[toxo]

5 hours ago, RockyAussie said:

 

Thanks Brian. To be honest I don't know  what size thread it is. It's one I use a lot but I don't get hung up on thread sizes. Obviously the thread has to be of a size to suit the job but I go primarily for colour and then I'll choose a needle. If it slides down the thread we're good to go. I think 138 is the biggest I've used also.

Your eagle eye spotted the NP. I did this video after installing the handwheel but it is on now. I wouldn't be without it.

[JayEhl]

That's the problem I'm having.  Admittedly, I overbought and the danged machine goes way too fast even on the slowest (servo motor) setting.  I have three projects and a list of other projects I want to get started on but I'm having to wait for a speed reducer pulley system from the vendor which are on back order.  I'm assuming from the pandemic/supply chain/Ukraine/inflation/ issues.   

Hard to wait for it!

[Tio]

14 hours ago, Dwight said:

I sewed for years on a Tippmann Boss . . . and did not realize how really slow I did sew with that thing.

I finally figured out how to make my Cowboy 4500 go REALLLLLLLY slow . . . and we are doing a lot better together now.

I doubt if I'll ever get it up to the fastest setting . . . my sewing ability is just not there.

I can watch the needle go down . . . down . . . down . . . down . . . and finally contact the leather . . . then down and down and down . . . 

I like that kind of control.

May God bless,

Dwight

 

I think my next purchase will be either a Tippmann Boss or a Cowboy Outlaw for knife sheaths and holsters.  I will use this to sew up my wallets.

[Dwight]

1 hour ago, Tio said:

I think my next purchase will be either a Tippmann Boss or a Cowboy Outlaw for knife sheaths and holsters.  I will use this to sew up my wallets.

Before you buy either . . . check em both out first.  I'm not sure I would have bought the Cowboy . . . never used it . . . but have seen them . . . would have to be seriously impressed with the Cowboy and it's sewing before I would buy it.

Either way . . . have fun . . . and remember one thing about the Tippmann . . . they are really good people to deal with.  I've been there . . .  done that.

May God bless,

Dwight

[suzelle]

Tio,

Looks like you are having fun and you are creative, that's for sure! I love your hand built table, I have totally done things like that. Built myself a portable table (doubled as a box) for a walking foot machine. Had to add a portable motor too. It got the job done when I needed it. I learn as I go!

[kgg]

22 hours ago, Tio said:

I think my next purchase will be either a Tippmann Boss or a Cowboy Outlaw for knife sheaths and holsters.

Also there is a third option in the one armed bandits the Cub by Weaver.

kgg

[Tio]

Well, we learned about stitch length and presser foot tension on this little project.  Learning something with every project!

[kgg]

On 3/18/2022 at 12:30 AM, Tio said:

Got the pulleys installed and man what a difference!

Your setup now is basically the same as the $1400 Sailrite Leatherwork (www.sailrite.com/Sailrite-Leatherwork-Sewing-Machine-Package-110V ).

If you need / want to get the speed even slower I would suggest a speed reducer pulley combination. A good reference for sizing pulley combinations can be found at www.blocklayer.com/pulley-belteng.aspx .

kgg

 

[Constabulary]

On 3/18/2022 at 4:21 PM, JayEhl said:

That's the problem I'm having.  Admittedly, I overbought and the danged machine goes way too fast even on the slowest (servo motor) setting.  I have three projects and a list of other projects I want to get started on but I'm having to wait for a speed reducer pulley system from the vendor which are on back order.  I'm assuming from the pandemic/supply chain/Ukraine/inflation/ issues.   

Hard to wait for it!

You can DIY speed reducers

• 45mm Pulley
• 130mm Pulley
• piece of 15mm shaft (15-20cm long or so)
• 2 pillow block bearings for 15mm shaft
• some wood from crap box
• some screws, nuts & bolts
• some DIY skills

Shaft, pulleys and pillow block bearings are from Ebay.

I made one for my Singer 51w setup. But there are many other samples for DIY speed reducers in the forum.

Edited March 20, 2022 by Constabulary

[Tio]

4 hours ago, kgg said:

Your setup now is basically the same as the $1400 Sailrite Leatherwork (www.sailrite.com/Sailrite-Leatherwork-Sewing-Machine-Package-110V ).

If you need / want to get the speed even slower I would suggest a speed reducer pulley combination. A good reference for sizing pulley combinations can be found at www.blocklayer.com/pulley-belteng.aspx .

kgg

 

Yes it is, but I’m only in for $750.  I’m thinking about buying the box speed reducer, but I’ll play around with it for a bit to improve my skills.

[Tio]

On 3/19/2022 at 10:23 AM, suzelle said:

Tio,

Looks like you are having fun and you are creative, that's for sure! I love your hand built table, I have totally done things like that. Built myself a portable table (doubled as a box) for a walking foot machine. Had to add a portable motor too. It got the job done when I needed it. I learn as I go!

Me too!  I enjoy working with my hands.  I’m going to get the top back on that table and mount a Tippmann Boss or Cowboy Outlaw on it.

[suzelle]

14 hours ago, Tio said:

Me too!  I enjoy working with my hands.  I’m going to get the top back on that table and mount a Tippmann Boss or Cowboy Outlaw on it.

Oh Boy, a Tipman Boss or Cowboy Outlaw! I'd love to have one of those, or some sort of cylinder arm to do some of the heavier stuff. Looking forward to seeing what you get.

[Tio]

Well, I just bought a new Tippmann Boss!  I think it will be perfect for my needs.  I'll post pics when I get it setup.

[Gulrok]

57 minutes ago, Tio said:

Well, I just bought a new Tippmann Boss!  I think it will be perfect for my needs.  I'll post pics when I get it setup.

Hopefully you found a killer deal on it. I played with the Tippmann Boss for a few projects and founded out that I absolutely hated it. Your mileage may vary, and there are people who swear by those machines. So who knows. Their resale value also have a wide range. I see them from $450-$900, it really just depends.

For your next machine, or if you also find that you're not into the Tippmann Boss - consider a powered machine. https://www.tolindsewmach.com/cb2500.html Is just a bit more and might be a better setup if you're looking to do more production work on a budget. 

 

Edited April 5, 2022 by Gulrok