Budget beginner machine help

[purplefox66]

One other thing is if you don't know what your needs are do not buy a machine o f any kind until you know what you want to sew. I am not saying this to be rude or anything of the kind but trying to help you from making a costly mistake.

[kgg]

5 hours ago, jollyroger said:

I would be interested in more details about your Chinese Patcher so I can try to replicate it. The Cowboy CB2500 looks pretty nice but I don't have $1500 for a machine yet - hopefully one day.

You really should read this article, it may help you decide what would be the best machine to look for. I think most of us have at some point have bought the wrong machine and it ended up being sold or is just gathering dust in a corner. Either way it was a waste of money and effort.

kgg

 

[MarshalWill]

9 minutes ago, kgg said:

You really should read this article, it may help you decide what would be the best machine to look for. I think most of us have at some point have bought the wrong machine and it ended up being sold or is just gathering dust in a corner. Either way it was a waste of money and effort.

kgg

This is great advice. kgg must have been watching me years ago. I converted a treadle machine to electric one time. I spent a lot of time rounding up parts, making a table, adding a slip clutch and a dryer motor. It was great for everything but my intended purpose, which was to stitch holsters and such. The stitch length was way too short on the longest setting and with the 1/2 hp motor, if anything didn't line up, the needle would dangerously disintegrate into shards. It gathered dust in a corner and eventually I got rid of it, having learned a good lesson. All these years later, I still don't have a machine for my intended purpose but do intend to get one later this year.

[jollyroger]

sorry I asked. taken to dm

[MtlBiker]

59 minutes ago, jollyroger said:

sorry I asked. taken to dm

You didn't like the honest and experienced advice you were given here?

 

[purplefox66]

Some people just can't be helped. They ask for advice then when they get advice they know more about everything and have all the answers.

[GerryR]

Here is a "portable" patcher I put together.  It does need 220VAC to run, though.  Much quicker than sewing by hand, and it can be clamped to any bench.  The stitch quality is quite good IMO.  This is the aluminum alloy patcher, not the cast iron one.  The foot pedal speed control is made from a bicycle hand brake.

[toxo]

10 minutes ago, GerryR said:

Here is a "portable" patcher I put together.  It does need 220VAC to run, though.  Much quicker than sewing by hand, and it can be clamped to any bench.  The stitch quality is quite good IMO.  This is the aluminum alloy patcher, not the cast iron one.  The foot pedal speed control is made from a bicycle hand brake.

Love it!

[DieselTech]

36 minutes ago, GerryR said:

Here is a "portable" patcher I put together.  It does need 220VAC to run, though.  Much quicker than sewing by hand, and it can be clamped to any bench.  The stitch quality is quite good IMO.  This is the aluminum alloy patcher, not the cast iron one.  The foot pedal speed control is made from a bicycle hand brake.

Nice work! Let's see some stitches from that beast! 

[GerryR]

Sorry, that unit has been sold, but I can post some pictures from the cast iron version that I have.  It isn't a portable but everything is nearly identical.  I'll take some pictures of a belt I made and post them.  May be a little hard to see the black-on-black, but you should be able to get the idea.

 

Edited to add pictures;  last picture is the backside which is brown but doesn't show it in the picture.  The buckle end pictures shows the beginning and end of a 45 inch long belt done with one bobbin with thread to spear (92 thread).

Edited February 23, 2024 by GerryR