Help Me Learn To Use My Juki Ddl-5550

[Stocksuspension]

How's it going guys. First of I wanna say I'm new to sewing/ leather work and interested in leather upholstery. I just purchased a juki ddl-5550. I already figured how to thread the machine. Problem im having is "threading" the bobbin. How do I getthe thread to come up from the bottom? Also I went to Joan fabric store and purchased so leather needles. Currently there is a size 90 needle In my machine. They sold me 90/14 leather needles. They don't fit? Also is there a way I can slow the machine down?

[dirtclod]

If you have thread on the bobbin put it in. Then thread your needle and turn the wheel by hand and your bobbin thread should come up and your ready to sew.

You can get servo motor to show the machine down. I've never used one personally. There are several sewing machine dealers on here that can get you a servo motor. Plus they can probley help you the right size neddle.

[Wizcrafts]

How's it going guys. First of I wanna say I'm new to sewing/ leather work and interested in leather upholstery. I just purchased a juki ddl-5550. I already figured how to thread the machine. Problem im having is "threading" the bobbin. How do I getthe thread to come up from the bottom? Also I went to Joan fabric store and purchased so leather needles. Currently there is a size 90 needle In my machine. They sold me 90/14 leather needles. They don't fit? Also is there a way I can slow the machine down?

The Juki is an industrial machine, which uses series DBx1 industrial needles, not home style needles. The machine is a very high speed straight stitch machine, designed for sewing denim garments.

[Stocksuspension]

If you have thread on the bobbin put it in. Then thread your needle and turn the wheel by hand and your bobbin thread should come up and your ready to sew.

You can get servo motor to show the machine down. I've never used one personally. There are several sewing machine dealers on here that can get you a servo motor. Plus they can probley help you the right size neddle.

am I supposed to leave some thread hanging out of the bobbin cartrige?

[dirtclod]

Yes, leave 2 to 3 inches of thread hanging out of the bobbin.

Edited July 5, 2010 by dirtclod

[Wizcrafts]

Here is

showing how to thread an industrial machine similar to yours. Note, that if you intend to sew upholstery material, whether leather, leatherette, cloth, or vinyl, you will probably need at least #69 bonded nylon thread, in a # 18 needle. For a better appearance, try #138 nylon thread with a #22 needle.

Get a speed reducer, or a servo motor with a smaller pulley, so you don't burn up the thread when sewing leather and vinyl. And, keep the machine oiled!

[Techsew Ron]

Here's another video of ours showing the thread coming up from the bottom:

You can see this step at about 1:36 into the video.

Good luck,

Ron

[Wizcrafts]

Since you intend to use this machine to sew upholstery projects you will probably need to purchase a special roller foot equipped with steel rollers. Or buy a flip down roller foot conversion set. Most dealers have these items, or you can find them on eBay. The standard foot may not feed properly, depending on the softness or stickiness of the top grain of the material (leather and vinyl) and length of the project being sewn.

Normally, vinyl and garment/upholstery leather are sewn on a compound feed walking foot machine, also known as triple feed. Your machine is single, bottom feed and is designed to sew cloth and denim.

Here is your to do checklist:

• get proper system DBx1 (a.k.a. 1738) industrial needles, in sizes 16, 18, 20 and 22 (regular and leather point), in packs of ten
• if you now have a clutch motor, get a speed reducer, or a 2" motor pulley (will need a longer belt), or a replacement 1/2 hp servo motor with a speed limiter knob (Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines and other dealers)
• get a roller foot pressor foot, or roller foot conversion kit (see
  )
• get #69 and #138 bonded nylon thread, in the colors you want to use, two spools each (1 for top 1 for bobbin). I recommend getting 1 pound spools for most used colors.
• get more bobbins and bobbin cases (with anti-backlash springs)
• get a quart or gallon of industrial sewing machine oil
• watch all of the industrial sewing videos you can find on YouTube
• get the proper long and short screw drivers for the pressor foot, needle clamping screw, cover plate and feed dog screws.

Edited July 5, 2010 by Wizcrafts

[Stocksuspension]

Thanks for all the tips and pointers guys. This week I'm going to try to go to industrial sewing store and pick up an assortment of needles and thread

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

I'm not so sure Juki DDL-5550N can handle 138 (or a 92 for that matter) no matter the needle size. I've been wrong in the past, but I'm pretty sure about this one.

69 of course does work well, of course.