Problems With Tippman Boss

[EasternOregonLeather]

I bought me a Boss several months ago. I have a leather shop and make a lot of gun holsters, wrist cuffs, motorcycle stuff and the like. I use 6-7oz leather for most everything, some 4-5 for a few things. I use my Boss every day .. and it is turning out to be a piece of crap! I have had the arm gear replaced twice and just ordered another. The teeth keep breaking off. Today the gear that drives the bobbin broke on the uptick! Around Christmas .. by busiest month I had to send the entire machine in because a gear broke and to put all the little springs back in after the gear replacement is nearly impossible. Yesterday the bolt that holds the stitching handle on sheared off. Thats the second time that has happened. Tippman says they know about the problem but have no plans to re-engineer it at this time. I drove a pin through the top of the handle into the shaft .. see how that works.

Tippman is very friendly to work with. Great customer service. The gears in this machine however are made with cheap pot metal. This is a machine that is only for light very occasional use.

[rickybobby]

HI,

Sorry to hear about the trouble you have had with your Boss. I had one, used it most everyday, sewed holsters in 7/8 oz, lots of belts (makes my arm hurt just thinking of it!) saddle parts in excess of 14oz when put together. I never had those parts break. Now I did find that it works best when I kept it lubed. I used bearing grease in gear parts and kept everything else oiled.

Maybe this will help keep it going for you,

Rick

[oldtimer]

It sounds like a aluminium Boss. I have had the same problems with two of them before I found a cast iron Boss. The aluminum machines are crap!

[Art]

I had an iron Boss, and it would take any kind of abuse but a short stroke.

Art

It sounds like a aluminium Boss. I have had the same problems with two of them before I found a cast iron Boss. The aluminum machines are crap!

[TwinOaks]

One issue that may be occurring is jamming the machine. If you are sewing close to an edge and have the presser foot pressure cranked up too high, it will squish the leather a bit causing needle deflection. Or, if you are pulling/pushing/twisting the leather to hold it in place you can do the same thing. If you deflect the needle to the point that it hits the plate, then you're effectively using the 'cheap' rack gear to try and drive a steel needle through another piece of steel.

The rack gears are designed to fail if there's too much force put on them. This "weak link" is actually somewhat of a safety device. We had one of the members here mill out a rack gear out of good steel stock because the zinc ones kept breaking or shearing off teeth. The next time he jammed the machine, the steel teeth held up to the extra force and he cracked the housing. Another cause of it jamming are really dull needles. If you have driven the needle into a plate, it needs to be replaced. Otherwise you're trying to push a flat point through the leather.

There's a LOT of aluminum Boss sewing machines being used, mine included, with no problems. Instead of decrying the machine to be a piece of junk, take a look at the operation and the operator. See if there's a cause and effect issue occurring.

If you're still THAT unhappy with it, I'll give you $100 + shipping in it's current condition, broken gears and all, and relieve you of the headache.