Need Sewing Machine Advice

[Deanimator]

I'm looking to get a sewing machine suitable for low to medium volume holster making. I'm planning on making pocket, IWB and belt slide holsters, along with a few other items.

I've got around $500 to spend. Used is acceptable.

Thanks in advance.

[Luke Hatley]

I'm looking to get a sewing machine suitable for low to medium volume holster making. I'm planning on making pocket, IWB and belt slide holsters, along with a few other items.

I've got around $500 to spend. Used is acceptable.

Thanks in advance.

Good Luck....not to be a smart A#%, save up some more $$$$$ be prepaired to go $1500.00

for a used one even higher that that.

On the other hand a New one $2195.00 from Artisan.

check the advertizers at the top of the page,

Edited June 2, 2010 by Luke Hatley

[Mongo]

A good $500 dollar machine is a rare item. That is why you have not received many responses to your post. You might find a used Tippman Boss for $700. I bought a new one for $1200, I wish I would have waited until I had the money for a power machine. I still have the Tippman, but I now use a Cobra class 4 (a copy of the Juki 441) from the Leather Machine Company. It was much more expensive, but it is worth every dime. There are other copies of the Juki 441 offered by other companies. If I were able to start all over again I would have hand stitched and saved my money until I could have afforded what I'm using now.

[TwinOaks]

Don't buy into hype from ebay either. The advertisers at the top of the page sell machines set up to sew leather. There are no 'table top' machines (old singers, pfaff, etc.) that will do what you want. You'll want a needle feed (with jump foot), or a unison feed (walking foot w/ feed dogs, and needle feed) to handle the materials, and it will help to have it set up with a speed reducer for increased torque.

[Wizcrafts]

I'm looking to get a sewing machine suitable for low to medium volume holster making. I'm planning on making pocket, IWB and belt slide holsters, along with a few other items.

I've got around $500 to spend. Used is acceptable.

Thanks in advance.

You are going to need to at least double the amount you wanted to spend to get an entry level industrial machine that is suitable for "low to medium volume" production of the holsters you have described. Your least expensive machine is based on the ancient Singer 45K series cylinder arm machines that have long cylindrical bobbins and a flat pressor foot. A Cowboy 2500 is reasonably priced around a grand and can sew up to almost 1/2" of leather, with #346 thread and a #26 needle. It is a bottom feed, straight stitch machine, with a non-walking flat foot, a heavy top pressure spring, plus beefed up thread tension and take-up parts. Such a machine will sew the types of holsters you described.

Contact Bob Kovar, at Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines, at 866-362-7397, for more details and the actual price.

[Cobra Steve]

Hi Deanimator, may I suggest that you call the different Sewing Machine Dealers and gather up as much info as you can get before you make your decision. Remember, the info that you get is free. If you are set on $500.00, then you should call Bob Kovar. Thanks, Steve

[Deanimator]

Hi Deanimator, may I suggest that you call the different Sewing Machine Dealers and gather up as much info as you can get before you make your decision. Remember, the info that you get is free. If you are set on $500.00, then you should call Bob Kovar. Thanks, Steve

Thanks to you and everyone else for your replies so far.

I'm a beginner at leather working and holster making, but am a long time gun owner and shooter. Given the apparent lack of gainful employment these days, I'm hoping to make at least a little money making concealment holsters. I've recently made my first holster, a pocket holster for my 2" S&W Model 36. Despite a trivial mistake here and there, I'm quite pleased with it. I just finished dying it. My next project is a tuckable IWB holster, since those are typically rather expensive.

I'm having to borrow the money for the machine from relatives, so I'm trying to keep the cost down.

Again, thanks for the information and I appreciate any more that everyone might have.

[Wizcrafts]

Deanimator;

The advice you are receiving, about the sewing machines better suited to holster making, comes from lots of experience. We are trying to save you the time, frustration and expense of working your way up to the machine you needed all along. The type of machine I suggested is really only suitable for flat leather sewing, where the bottom can have tooth marks without ruining the job. If you cannot have teeth marks from the feed dog you will need to move up further, to a compound feed walking foot, or needle and jumping foot machine.

If you can gather together a couple of grand, you can buy a new heavy cylinder arm machine capable of sewing up to 3/4". If one thousand becomes your limit, get the strongest machine you can find. It should be a dedicated leather sewing machine, not an upholstery machine and definitely not a garment machine or home machine. If you have never sewn with an industrial machine you may have trouble operating one with a clutch motor. Instead, buy one with a servo motor installed. Some setups have a speed reducer between the motor and machine flywheel. Another type, sold by Bob Kovar, in Toledo, has a built-in speed reducer. I bought one and like it a lot. It really punches through thick leather and is very easy to control with the floor pedal.

Since you are already in Ohio, Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines should be a logical choice. Bob Kovar, the owner, is the US dealer for the Cowboy line of heavy leather stitchers. He also has many used machines (not Cowboy) in stock. Take some leather there and try you out some machines!

[Deanimator]

Does anybody know anything about the Tacsew T111-155? Is $850 a reasonable price?

Thanks.

[CowboyBob]

If that machine will work for you it's about $100.00 more than they usually sell for,are you sure that's the machine you need?It won't use a thread larger than #138 & on Holsters like most leather sewing people want to use larger thread than that,not that it's needed for strength but larger thread really helps to sell your product beacuse it looks better.I'd say you need to use at least #207 or 277 to make them look right & there's no way this Tacsew can sew with it.

Bob