Brother DB2-B763-3

[Helpme]

Hi does anyone know much about this machine? 
 

I’ve been offered one at a relatively attractive price and am considering taking it if it’s what I need. 
 

I’d like to sew thick leather and maybe a bit of cordura too. According to the internet an upholstery machine is my best bet for doing both? 
 

lady selling it says it was used for upholstery and saddle making but obviously can’t verify that on the good ol’ internet so hoping someone here knows something about it? 
 

 

[dikman]

I would say no, it's not what you need. This is basically a high-speed lockstitch garment machine, not an upholstery machine (I can't see it being much use in saddle making).  How thick is the leather you want to sew?

I forgot to add read the sticky above about what machines you need to sew leather, it's probably the definitive article on the subject.

Edited June 8 by dikman

[nylonRigging]

3 hours ago, dikman said:

I would say no, it's not what you need. This is basically a high-speed lockstitch garment machine, not an upholstery machine (I can't see it being much use in saddle making).  How thick is the leather you want to sew?

I forgot to add read the sticky above about what machines you need to sew leather, it's probably the definitive article on the subject.

Ya it meant for garment semi-high speed. I could only find one Vid. on internet of that exact DB model, and it looks like garment 'needle-feed' lockstitch .

The ( -3 ) of ending I am not positive but just 'maybe' needle-feed . I looked at the manual for the -B763 minus/No  '-3' , and it just a drop-feed . 

. edit add .

This Only Pic. I could find of this exact OLD DB- model DB2-B763-3 . So it most likely just a plain Drop-Feed .

-

Edited June 9 by nylonRigging

[Wizcrafts]

You should

5 hours ago, Helpme said:

I’d like to sew thick leather and maybe a bit of cordura too. According to the internet an upholstery machine is my best bet for doing both? 

You definitely need a walking foot machine to sew Cordura, seating and sign vinyl, webbing and upholstery leather. There are single feed, dual feed and triple feed walking foot machines, as outlined below.

1. Patchers are single feed cylinder arm machines that are meant to sew patches onto garments and mend boots. They have teeth on a rotating foot that drag the material in any direction as you sew. The teeth will mark veg-tan leather. Bobbins are usually tiny or small in comparison to other standard sewing machines. This is due to the narrow noses on these patching machines.
2. Dual feed machines have synchronized top and bottom feed. They almost always have teeth on the feet to grab the material on top and pull it firmly. They will mark veg-tan leather, badly. They can typically be had with medium G and big M size bobbins. A flatbed machine is best for upholstery, with a 20x48" table.
3. Triple feed, aka, compound feed machines have synchronized top, bottom, plus needle feed. As long as the feet are smooth, they won't mark veg-tan leather too much, unless there is too much foot pressure being applied. These are made to take bobbins from G (1x) through U (2x), and even larger in some makes and models. For instance, the huge harness and holster stitchers use cylindrical bobbins that can hold magnitudes more thread in any size than a standard walking foot machine that takes a G size bobbin (e.g., Singer 111 and 211). A flatbed machine is best for upholstery, with a 20x48" table. 

You need to know that old Singer and other older makes may lack a reverse lever. I can tell you from experience that sewing upholstery without being able to reverse, to lock in the stitches, is an inconvenience. You'll either have to spin the work 180 degrees, lift the foot and pull it back a few stitches, Pull the top thread down and tie a knot, or sew all the way around and cover the starting and ending stitches.

Note, that most upholstery machines work best sewing medium temper materials. They don't do well with thin cloth unless there are multiple layers. I have hemmed denim jeans on my walking foot machines. The compressed thickness was over 1/8 inch, so it had enough firmness for the heavy duty mechanism. But, soft/thin linings tend to get eaten in the feed dog slot. Those need to be sewn on a home style machine, or a gentle industrial garment sewing machine.

Note 2: Most upholstery machines come with high speed motors, or large motor pulleys that may be geared at 1:1 with the machine pulley. Why? Because in the upholstery business, time means money. I know this first hand. I've taken on sewing jobs where the business owner timed me as I sewed three identical items, from start to finish, then used the average time to quote the client on the labor charges. Time is money if you go into business!

If you plan to sew veg-tan leather that exceeds about 1/4 inch, get a different machine that's in the harness stitcher class. This includes the Cowboy, Cobra, Techsew and Adler machines many of us use to build holsters, saddles, sheathes and other extra thick leather items. My Cowboy cb4500 can sew up to 7/8 inch of shaped and dyed veg-tan holsters without any strain. However, it eats narrow, soft, or thin leather unless I dumb it down.

If you have time to put into researching various sewing machines, read my lengthy article about the type of sewing machine you need to sew leather.