Singer 107W5 Information and perspective?

[BdB]

Hello all,

I've been looking for an industrial zigzag passively for a while and came across a nice Singer 107W5 recently.   This seems to be a less common variant of the 107 based on limited posts here and elsewhere.    Canvas, straps, upholstery and marine are the majority of my fiddlings.   In the manual I noted the following: "Drop feed; positive reciprocating feed slide under presser foot and above the work.    Translation please?   

It seems to be a top side walking foot sort of thing that is sync'd with the feed dogs -- I'd guess.   I'd assume better multi-layer feeding is the big advantage -- which sounds great - but are there downsides to this setup?   does it help/hurt over lumpy bumpy thick seams, etc?    How much clearance can I get under the foot?     Is it a no brainer to setup/maintain?   Parts issues or complexities?   Does it restrict me in some way I'm not thinking about?       

Only other question might be if the stated 1/4" max zigzag width of the 107W5 is the "standard" amongst lower end industrial zigzag crowd  and not worth looking for bigger?  Often see 20U's out there as well.

I'm not in a big rush and can keep looking but it's a good deal.     Does anyone have perspective or experience with the 107W5 and its upper feed that you could share?

[Wizcrafts]

I have a 107w3 and it can be set for a slightly wider zig zag, but the needle might hit the presser foot. I carefully position the throw so the needle just barely brushes the inside of the slot in the foot. It is over 1/4 inch, but not by much. The 20U has a much wider throw.

As for the standard zig zag width, I once had a Pfaff 138 zig zag machine that had less that 1/4 inch width (I think 3/16", but metric).

[CowboyBob]

9 hours ago, BdB said:

Hello all,

I've been looking for an industrial zigzag passively for a while and came across a nice Singer 107W5 recently.   This seems to be a less common variant of the 107 based on limited posts here and elsewhere.    Canvas, straps, upholstery and marine are the majority of my fiddlings.   In the manual I noted the following: "Drop feed; positive reciprocating feed slide under presser foot and above the work.    Translation please?   

It seems to be a top side walking foot sort of thing that is sync'd with the feed dogs -- I'd guess.   I'd assume better multi-layer feeding is the big advantage -- which sounds great - but are there downsides to this setup?   does it help/hurt over lumpy bumpy thick seams, etc?    How much clearance can I get under the foot?     Is it a no brainer to setup/maintain?   Parts issues or complexities?   Does it restrict me in some way I'm not thinking about?       

Only other question might be if the stated 1/4" max zigzag width of the 107W5 is the "standard" amongst lower end industrial zigzag crowd  and not worth looking for bigger?  Often see 20U's out there as well.

I'm not in a big rush and can keep looking but it's a good deal.     Does anyone have perspective or experience with the 107W5 and its upper feed that you could share?

The upper feed helps keep the lightweight shade & curtain material flat so it doesn't pucker as it's sewn,I doubt if it will help in sewing leather as the foot area is rather wide & you'll always be stuck with it unless you take it off & install a standard foot which is available in teflon for sewing leather.So if it's priced cheap enough it might be worth buying & convert to std foot.The 107's are used for sewing up the back of shoes or making leather jackets & vests.

Edited September 12, 2022 by CowboyBob

[kgg]

10 hours ago, BdB said:

In the manual I noted the following: "Drop feed; positive reciprocating feed slide under presser foot and above the work.    Translation please?   

It seems to be a top side walking foot sort of thing that is sync'd with the feed dogs -- I'd guess.

A really good video is one done by Alexander Dyer ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=AH9IStW8aSc ) to show you what this machine is capable of. This is a high speed  (2000 stitches per minute) drop feed machine meaning the material is moved along by the feed dog on the lower side of the material and the presser foot on the top side side basically just adds downward pressure to the material. If you need a walking foot machine maybe a Sailrite LSZ-1 or clone would work with a smooth presser foot.

kgg