Info on machine. Looks older and huge.

[bigsig11010]

This machine is for sale in my area. Could anyone tell me anything about it? What kind of leather projects is it used for. It looks old and huge but then so am I so...

[Wizcrafts]

1 hour ago, bigsig11010 said:

This machine is for sale in my area. Could anyone tell me anything about it? What kind of leather projects is it used for. It looks old and huge but then so am I so...

That is an American Straight Needle harness stitcher. The machine is from the early 20th Century and has a needle and awl. They were made to use waxed linen thread. It was made to sew along the edges of harness and saddle straps. If you remove the edge guide, it has a depth of about 4 inches from the needle to the body. Here is a video explaining how to thread it and operate it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgt0AUp3emU

 

[bruce johnson]

As Wiz said - American Straight Needle. Old, heavy, and no new parts available. The guy who taught me a lot about tools repaired and restored a lot of the old needle and awl machines in this area. His advice to me was to never buy a needle and awl until he was gone. He'd worked on his last one. He said when if I did buy one, get a Landis 3 and second choice a 16, Champion deep throat next, and run away from the Americans. Sam had a shop in Canada for a while. He had a pretty good story about a guy who moved up to that area. He tried to sew some saddle skirts on an "ol' wore out loose straight needle sloppier than the back end of a gummer Holstein cow".  The skirts got chewed up and that guy vowed to hand sew the rest of his life, and according to accounts - did that in fact. You may have read about him doing this.