Juki 563 leather sewing

[Voller]

Hi there, I have been looking for a machine to sew leather belts and firefighter radio straps made from 8-9 oz veg tan leather. Can a Juki 563 handle this? What is the max thickness of veg tan I could sew with this machine? 

[Northmount]

16 hours ago, Voller said:

Hi there, I have been looking for a machine to sew leather belts and firefighter radio straps made from 8-9 oz veg tan leather. Can a Juki 563 handle this? What is the max thickness of veg tan I could sew with this machine? 

This is a machine type question, so I have moved your post to Leather Sewing Machines.

[pengkegu]

I think this thickness is too difficult for the 563. You’ll need a 244 or 246 to handle it.

[MarlinDave]

I sew that weight with a Consew 225, which is the same class, does so with difficulty and a speed reducer. Would not do well without reducer.

[Wizcrafts]

20 hours ago, Voller said:

Hi there, I have been looking for a machine to sew leather belts and firefighter radio straps made from 8-9 oz veg tan leather. Can a Juki 563 handle this? What is the max thickness of veg tan I could sew with this machine? 

You will be stressing out the 563, which was built in the 1980s. It wasn't made to sew veg-tan. I had one around 1988 through 90 and found that it struggled to sew pancake holsters made of two pieces of 8 ounce veg-tan leather. If your projects will be in this thickness range, you're better off with a 441 clone, like a Cowboy cb4500. I have one and it will sew anything I shove under the feet, using the heaviest thread sizes, like 277, 346, or 415. It will also sew 10 ounce belts and straps, all day long, using #138 or 207 bonded thread. The bobbins are huge and cylindrical and hold enough #138 or #207 thread to sew several days worth of belts.

The Cowboy can also handle Nomex thread. All of the take-up and tensioning parts are extra beefy and made of hard and polished steel. Nomex lists for about $200/pound. But, I've been able to find it on eBay for much more affordable prices.