Rapid Repeater

[BearMan]

Hi Everybody,

Here is something that I've come up with, to help with making stitching holes. It's basically the same action as a drill press, except that nothing turns. The "throat" area is about 13", so that I can reach most things that I stitch. The "awl" part is an old Osborne, that is just the right size when using a 517-1 needle, that I use a lot of the time. As you can tell, it's pretty basic construction. The only partially challenging part was making the pivot hole placements correctly, so that the awl would go straight without any angles. The area where the awl goes through, is covered with cork, & that whole section is replaceable. That section can be lifted out & turned to reposition a good area, so that they wont have to be replaced as offten. I've only punched about 2 feet of holes with it so far,,, so far it's working great. I'm going to be putting in a "stop", to keep the arms from going too far, & pushing the awl through the base,,, that will be easy. Well,,, there it is,,, what do you think?? Ed the"BearMan"

P.S.,,, please don't pay any attention to the background,,, it's been one of those weeks,,,

[dirtclod]

Nice wood working !! It look like it will do the trick and you'll have a straight hole evertime.

John

[wvcraftsman]

Very Nice!! I would say you could make them and sell them too. A very creative and inventive product. Good Job.

[Studio-N]

Very nice idea. I'd buy one.

[gtwister09]

Ed,

As always you are busy making things.....

Many years ago ('96-'97) when I was helping someone who struggled with hand sewing after many hours/weeks of "attempting" to do it what most would consider correctly. Anyhow he could barely see and his hands trembled some but he was determined to hand stitch. He didn't want to purchase a machine either. So we took a small tabletop drill press that had a dead motor and made a larger table base for it from baltic birch plywood. It was only a 10" drill press instead of 13" like yours. We mounted the awl in a 3/8" dowel; slid a ferrule over that end and chucked it up. We did exactly like you did with the cork inserts. We had the added benefit of using the drill press to have the stop built in. We initially had a ring magnifier with light and have since changed it to a Full Spectrum 6X ring magnifier to it for him as well. He also uses a bendable full spectrum ring 3X magnifier over his stitching tree as well in order to see well.

One thing that he has added over time was taking off the handwheel and making an attachment for a foot pedal so that he could keep his hands free. He says it makes his hole punching go about 40-50% faster. Of course he didn't like standing and modified it for a sitting position and a knee board instead of a foor pedal.

Since that time many people comment on how well he hand stitches. It certainly does make sure that the holes are straight from both sides of the project for sure. It was a great aid for him to be able to overcome his issues of seeing and trembling.

The great thing was that it cost almost nothing to create. It was also a pretty quick project to convert the drill press. We picked up the dead drill press for $5. He had tons of 12X12 cork left over from his grand kids wall project and he has only broken one awl blade in all this time.

Good design!

Regards,

Ben

Edited February 22, 2010 by gtwister09

[UKRay]

Ed, I'm always delighted by the quality of the things you make but this one really takes all the prizes. The original 'hand sewing machine!'

Lovely workmanship and a great design; very 'Swedish' in appearance - and that is a compliment!

Ray

[BearMan]

Hi John, Ben, Ray, & everybody else,

Thank You all for such wonderful comments!! I made this because I was tired of having holes that didn't line up perfectly, front to back. After using it , I realized just how much easier it is punching holes now.

Ben, I had thought about making a foot operated lever,,, but I just don't have the room for a stationary machine right now. That would be Very "handy" though! Once I get a chance, I'll post all the dimentions,,, if anybody is interested. Thanks for looking,,, Ed

[CitizenKate]

That's a cool idea, Ed! What do you think of possibly adding an adjustable gate to serve as a feed guide? Kind of like on a routing table... I think some leather sewing machines have some kind of guide for the leather, too. Just a thought, though.

Kate

[gtwister09]

Ed,

That is one of the disadvantages of doing the knee board...it does become a stationary machine then.

Kate reminded me of the roller guide that we added for him as well. He needs all the help with making it easier for him to perform the stitching. By having the guide all he has to focus on is the stitching marks from the wheel.

Regards,

Ben

[BearMan]

Kate, You & Ben are just too sharp!! I've got a roller type gate planned, that would be adjustable, with the roller small enough so that the work could pivot around it. I have some little bearings that would work just fine for that, they are about 3/4" around, & I could mount it on an adjustable post. That will be handy.

Ed

[CitizenKate]

I've got a roller type gate planned, that would be adjustable, with the roller small enough so that the work could pivot around it. I have some little bearings that would work just fine for that, they are about 3/4" around, & I could mount it on an adjustable post. That will be handy.

That sounds even better than what I was thinking of.

Kate

[gtwister09]

Ed,

Not smart...as you know it's just standard jigs, fixturing and mechanisms. Keep up the good work.

Regards,

Ben

Edited February 23, 2010 by gtwister09

[Petros]

Hi Everybody,

Here is something that I've come up with, to help with making stitching holes. It's basically the same action as a drill press, except that nothing turns. The "throat" area is about 13", so that I can reach most things that I stitch. The "awl" part is an old Osborne, that is just the right size when using a 517-1 needle, that I use a lot of the time. As you can tell, it's pretty basic construction. The only partially challenging part was making the pivot hole placements correctly, so that the awl would go straight without any angles. The area where the awl goes through, is covered with cork, & that whole section is replaceable. That section can be lifted out & turned to reposition a good area, so that they wont have to be replaced as offten. I've only punched about 2 feet of holes with it so far,,, so far it's working great. I'm going to be putting in a "stop", to keep the arms from going too far, & pushing the awl through the base,,, that will be easy. Well,,, there it is,,, what do you think?? Ed the"BearMan"

P.S.,,, please don't pay any attention to the background,,, it's been one of those weeks,,,

Wow, my hats off to you for such a nicely executed machine. Looks to be quite affordable to construct as well, for the budget minded individual. Good job!