Decent Swing Away Edge Guide?

[Andrew Chee]

Hi ,

If you are a bit handy, buy a drop down guide for that machine brand your machine is a clone of, Adler, Singer, Juki or Seiko. Alternatively, for the one whom is the closest fit. Sometimes you will find something that bolts right on. If not, you must drill a couple of holes in the head, and thread them, to fit the guide. There are companies selling reasonable priced drop down guides. I believe http://www.kwokhing.com/guide/ has some. If you ask the Leather Guru, he knows of a Belgian company who has a lot of stuff too. I know somebody here who has bought attachments from Kwokhing in Hong Kong, and the price was very good (they use Paypal too). Forget the old style guide, this style is the real labor saving device, this is what you need for topstitching, and more. I am in the process of ordering stuff from them myself.

Just a tip,

Trox

Are you ordering a guide? Let us know how their stuff is.

Andrew

[Leather Guru]

Hello Andrew , Actually those guides exist for those big machines & once" you got one you'll wonder how you ever lived without one !

[leatherkind]

My CB4500 came with a different guide but i wanted the "drop down" style.

I got the guide from Bob but had to install it myself. I find it very handy.

Here are the pictures:

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=34113&view=findpost&p=215041

[Andrew Chee]

My CB4500 came with a different guide but i wanted the "drop down" style.

I got the guide from Bob but had to install it myself. I find it very handy.

Here are the pictures:

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=34113&view=findpost&p=215041

Interesting. I have a Toro 3000 in addition to my Brother 797 clone. The swing down guide is cool. How much do they run for? In order to install it, you had to drill and tap two holes? Was that it? I'd be interested in a swing down for the 797 clone but I'm not sure which one of the Kwok Hing guides I could use and how I would install it...

Andrew

[leatherkind]

Yes, i had to drill and tap for two 6mm bolts. Luckily the head is bulky enough at that location to allow enough room.

Bob did warn me not to drill trough any moving parts. So you just need to control the drilling depth.

I also think that I positioned the holes slightly lower then recommended.

I did it on purpose however , it allowed me not to make any changes in the presser foot lever assembly.

[Trox]

Yes, I have ordered some great looking suspending guides (drop down guides) @ some great prices. Great customer service too, I cannot wait to get them. The prices is so low, it almost feels criminal. I will post all about it when I receive it.

Trox.

Are you ordering a guide? Let us know how their stuff is.

Andrew

[Trox]

I received the guides to day. One for my Dürkopp Adler 267-373 and one for my Pfaff 345. On the Adler, it is bolt on, 10 minutes job. On the Pfaff, I have to make a treaded hole. I will post when the job is done.

I bought the guides from Kwokhing.com. Two guides with rollers and extra straight edges for both. Brackets and a set of binding feet’s for my Pfaff. All together 69, 70$ and 31 $ in shipping (Hong Kong - Norway).

Great price, Great service, Great stuff.

Top shelf all the way, very nice people to do business with. You can find the Adler KG 867 guide on Ebay for 90 $, I paid 25, 90$ for it, and 22 $ for the other guide, direct from the manufacturer. Great Deal, now I know where to buy all my attachments. Thank you Kwokhing. I will post the Pfaff guide when it

is done.

Trox

Yes, I have ordered some great looking suspending guides (drop down guides) @ some great prices. Great customer service too, I cannot wait to get them. The prices is so low, it almost feels criminal. I will post all about it when I receive it.

Trox.

[Northmount]

After seeing the different options for roller guides here, I decided to try my hand at making one. I used some 1/2" keystock I had plus 1/4" and 3/8" rod and a piece of 1x1/8" flat stock. Picked up a few screws at a local hardware store. Also a collar for a 3/8" drill bit. The roller bearing is a replacement for a router bit. It is attached with an 6-32 screw. I chucked the screw in the drill press and shaved the head on a taper to a wedge fit inside the bearing, so the bottom of the bearing can be right on the arm or ride on a piece of leather when the item you are sewing is off-set from the bottom piece.

The blocks used to support the guide have to be drilled with very little clearance, else any free motion is amplified at the roller end and it flops around. (That's why that piece of rod is now 3/8") Since my "maching" skills are less than perfect, there is enough misalignment with the support blocks and the 3/8" rod, to produce enough friction to hold the guide where ever you set it. If you manage to have perfect alignmnet, then you will need a spring between the collar and left block (looking from the front) to hold it in place. The other holes for the 1/4" rod all have set screws to take up any sloppy fit. 1/64" oversize makes a sloppy fit.

If you bore the longitudinal holes in the blocks deep enough (mine are 7/8" deep), that will allow you to adjust the length of the rod so it can line up with the presser foot.

I thought the larger diameter bearing was a good idea, but if you have some small radius inside curves to sew, then a smaller diameter bearing will follow the curve better.

Tools you will need include drill with bits to fit your rod size and for screw holes, tap for threading the screw holes, hacksaw, file and wrenches to suit. Drill press is nice but not necessary. Try to keep the drill square to the keystock while drilling. Things will fit better and look better.

If you have a need for a roller guide, and have some disposable time, you can do it yourself and save a few dollars. Else keep selling goods and buy one from your sewing machine vendor. All depends on how much you make per hour!

Have a great day.

CTG

EDIT:

Trox ... I see your post the same time I posted mine. Very nice guide!

Edited February 28, 2012 by northmount

[Trox]

After seeing the different options for roller guides here, I decided to try my hand at making one. I used some 1/2" keystock I had plus 1/4" and 3/8" rod and a piece of 1x1/8" flat stock. Picked up a few screws at a local hardware store. Also a collar for a 3/8" drill bit. The roller bearing is a replacement for a router bit. It is attached with an 6-32 screw. I chucked the screw in the drill press and shaved the head on a taper to a wedge fit inside the bearing, so the bottom of the bearing can be right on the arm or ride on a piece of leather when the item you are sewing is off-set from the bottom piece.

The blocks used to support the guide have to be drilled with very little clearance, else any free motion is amplified at the roller end and it flops around. (That's why that piece of rod is now 3/8") Since my "maching" skills are less than perfect, there is enough misalignment with the support blocks and the 3/8" rod, to produce enough friction to hold the guide where ever you set it. If you manage to have perfect alignmnet, then you will need a spring between the collar and left block (looking from the front) to hold it in place. The other holes for the 1/4" rod all have set screws to take up any sloppy fit. 1/64" oversize makes a sloppy fit.

If you bore the longitudinal holes in the blocks deep enough (mine are 7/8" deep), that will allow you to adjust the length of the rod so it can line up with the presser foot.

I thought the larger diameter bearing was a good idea, but if you have some small radius inside curves to sew, then a smaller diameter bearing will follow the curve better.

Tools you will need include drill with bits to fit your rod size and for screw holes, tap for threading the screw holes, hacksaw, file and wrenches to suit. Drill press is nice but not necessary. Try to keep the drill square to the keystock while drilling. Things will fit better and look better.

If you have a need for a roller guide, and have some disposable time, you can do it yourself and save a few dollars. Else keep selling goods and buy one from your sewing machine vendor. All depends on how much you make per hour!

Have a great day.

CTG

EDIT:

Trox ... I see your post the same time I posted mine. Very nice guide!

Ok That explains it, 22 $ @ Kwokhing.com. ( you can use the Pfaff guide for your machine)

Trox

[Andrew Chee]

Hello Andrew , Actually those guides exist for those big machines & once" you got one you'll wonder how you ever lived without one !

Hi, I was looking back at this old post and I notice that the swing down guide that you have in the picture is attached to a 441 clone. Where did you get this particular guide?

Andrew