Sewing Machine For Golf Bag

[Pinsplitter]

hiii there, found you all.

complete and utter newbie here but i have seen cows in a paddock.

so if i wanted to attempt to make a leather golf bag,

what type of machine would be best.

my first day's research seems to say a walking foot barrel/cylinder arm thing would be best.

a flat on bench machine would make some of the stitching difficult to do i think.

i am Australian BTW but in Thailand for 2 months, i don't know much about what's available in these countries.

mainly , if i did buy a machine i don't want to make a mistake buying something that won't really do the job.

Thanks in advance.

[Trox]

Hi, To help you I need to know the answers to this questions; do you want to produce golf bags for sale or make one for your self? Material size/weight and seams in construction?

Trox

[Wizcrafts]

Golf bags are usually sewn on Puritan chain stitch machines, with 36 inch high posts. The mechanism is needle and awl. The thread is usually linen and run through liquid wax, but bonded polyester will do fine. Puritan machines are made and sold in the USA..

If a Puritan is not in your budget, a long arm, big bobbin, Adler 30-70 patcher will do.

It is also possible to sew golf bags on a 441 clone, like a Cowboy or Cobra. You would want at least a 16.5 inch arm, but the 25 inch arm would make it easier to sew along the center of the bag. The length would have to be sewn together, wrong sides out, then inverted to have the bottom plug sewn on with a French seam.

[Wizcrafts]

I just read on the Puritan website that they make chainstitch cylinder arm machines that sew up the arm! The longest so far is a 36" arm!

[Pinsplitter]

hii

thanks for replies.

i would like to make them for resale - a small (very small) business.

but also make them well and looking classy.

I have been looking for a craftsman or small factory here in Thailand to do them for me,

this is seeming much more difficult than you might think, plenty of large factories who have no interest in small orders of special fabric and design.

so Plan B is to set up my own "factory" (one man in a room!) and i would have to supply the sewing machine

and learn a lot about the construction of the bags myself to make sure its done right.

$2000 or more is a lot to invest for such small quantities but i do understand the need for a proper machine to do it well and efficiently.

i will have to think hard about it (hmmm.. where's that business plan again??).

sourcing the leather should be easy, there are literally hundreds of tanning factories just 45 minutes away from where i am now.

and hardware should be ok as soon as i can find a supplier.

the largest bag would be about 36 inches x 8 inches diameter with fairly simple pockets,

and possibly a smaller even more simple one as well.

at the moment i don't know the actual leather thickness needed,

it would be fairly light designed for on shoulder carrying as well as on a trolley/buggy.

that's about all i know!

it would be similar in style to this pic (its vinyl and fabric of course).

[Pinsplitter]

errr gosh..here we go... all the things i don't know.

Lockstitch - is that the type of stitch i need?

Stitch length - do the machines have variable stitch length?

Lining - could they sew a lightweight fabric to leather?

thanks again

[Wizcrafts]

It looks like the golf bag in your photo was sewn on a Puritan Alligator, with a 36 inch arm. This machine sews up the arm, as opposed to around the end. A second machine is used to sew the ends around a vertical post or the end of an arm.

Puritan machines are chainstitch machines, used in professional factories to make bags, luggage and work boots, where the chain is invisible. They are capable of sewing through aluminum and plywood. All normal leathercraft work is sewn on lockstitch machines.

If you want to duplicate the results of professional golf bag manufacturers, you'll need at least two machines (up the snout and across the snout). The $2000 you mentioned might be a down payment on just one of them! You might be advised to contact Puritan for their recommendations.

Keep in mind that these bags are sewn up the arm and across the arm. This requires two different machines. If they are lined with wood, heavy plastic, or wood, you should use a needle and awl machine. Puritans meet these requirements and are the standard machines used in the golf bag industry.

If it was me, I'd figure out a way to sew them on a standard cylinder arm machine.

[Pinsplitter]

great thanks,

that helps to clarify a few things.

you are right about finding a way to do it all on one machine.

i assume a cylinder arm machine can sew a straight line down a flat piece of material.

and do the around the sleeve as you said.

that would leave only one long joining stitch along the sleeve length, just need to figure out how to do that. By hand!!?? haa haa..

there are a lot of cheap chinese made cylinder arm machines i have looked at,

i guess its a risk, whether they work well enough and don't break down.

thanks again

[Wizcrafts]

i assume a cylinder arm machine can sew a straight line down a flat piece of material.

and do the around the sleeve as you said.

that would leave only one long joining stitch along the sleeve length, just need to figure out how to do that. By hand!!?? haa haa..

I think you have misunderstood me. The Puritan Alligator machine and its shorter arm brothers are designed to sew up the arm (left/right). The machines known as shoe patchers have 360 degree feed (18" arm max) and the old Singer Class 11 includes a model that sews up the arm. Unless somebody makes another machine with this capability, all the rest sew across the arm (forward/backward). All of the 441 machines sew across the arm.

While there are other chainstitch machines made for sewing garments, only the Puritan is strong enough to sew leather bags and luggage. It uses an awl to pierce the material, then a barbed needle comes up to feed the material. As the needle descends below the material, a bottom lever loops the thread around itself, forming a chain. These machines have no bobbin.

All standard leather sewing machines have bobbins and the top thread gets pulled around the bobbin, grabbing the bobbin thread and pulling it into the material, to form the lockstitch. Both sides are finished in lockstitch machines. They are the standard in most industries.

You should visit some industrial sewing machine dealers and describe your project to them. Keep going until you find one who knows how these bags are sewn. Or, contact our member-dealers who advertise on this website. I suspect that Toledo Industrial Sewing Machines might have something you can use to sew up the arm.

[Trox]

Hi, Wiz has described the different kinds of seams and how they are made in factories. The best set up for a small one mans shop, would be two long cylinder arm sewing machines, one with feeding across and one with feeding off the arm. Long arm lock stitch machines, types; Juki 441/ Adler 205-370 with 37-inch arms. You can also use Chinese clones of this two models, Cowboysew.com makes them (so does many other Chinese manufacturers too) But this are expensive machines even in China. 2000 $ is just the first down payment also here. You could find a way to do all seams on one long arm, across the arm feed machine, but this will give you few options on designs.

You most first make drawings and a prototype, for this job you need a professional artisan. This is the first step in the production of the bag, when this is done, you can find out what tools you need for the job.

I advise you to read up on the topics here on LW net. This way you can get an idea of how much money and work only the first step is. This will help you make a budget. To find a small shop that will make this bag for you in Asia, Thailand is not the place. You are 20 to 30 years to late for this kind of shops in Thailand, I lived in Thailand in the beginning of the 1980`s and at that time there was small productions sites there. Now you must look at other countries, maybe in Vietnam or Cambodia, you will find what you looking for, I do not know. However, if you think you will save money renting a Crafts man in one of those countries making the drawings and prototype, think again. Do not waist time and money thinking you can make those first steps yourself, making drawings and prototypes is a very complicated and time-consuming process, even for a trained saddler. If you find this craft man in Asia who knows the ways of making models, drawings the Western way, the drawings a craftsman or factory need to make the production, he or she sure cost money, also there.

Save your self time and money, read up on other people who wanted to start up making bags, search the forum. I hope this was at some help. Good luck.

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

Cowboy make a version of the 36" OS that Wiz linked you to but two grand won't go far.

There was a 36" arm machine sitting in Lefflers in Melbourne that belonged to a customer. He wanted over 3k for it.

[Trox]

Cowboy makes a verson of the Juki 461 feed up the arm. Compound feed lock stitch machine with 37 inches arm that uses the Adler 204 shuttle, same as the Juki does. The machine is called CB 7461-37 http://www.cowboysew.com/product5.htm

Wiz was talking about chain stitch machines. This machine is also very expensive, you can contackt Cowboysew direct true their website for buying machines in Asia.

Trox

Cowboy make a version of the 36" OS that Wiz linked you to but two grand won't go far.

There was a 36" arm machine sitting in Lefflers in Melbourne that belonged to a customer. He wanted over 3k for it.

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

The cowboy 7300 is not in the website but it is in the catalogue and is basically the Puritan OS36.

[Trox]

Hi Darren,

I apologize, I have not seen that one.

The catalogue, does that include more stuff that is not in their web site? I have not talked to them lately, they once asked me to be their agent in Norway. I told them I could not make many sales here and turned the offer down.

There is no customers for that stuff here any more; every thing is made in China.

What about your machine, is it not a bigger version that sews heavier materials? If that could be stretched, or maybe it comes in a longer version? That will be an inexpensive golfbag sewing machine, it will do all seams. However, not without making some marks and scratches in the leather I am afraid.

It maybe in his budget limits.

If you are dealing with Vietnam, you might be able to tell him about the possibilities with small workshops there. In Thailand that is ancient history, the best thing for him is to have it made by a small workshop.

Pay an experienced Australian saddler to make him a good (easy to make) model of the bag, and tell him about the machines and possibility's the production site has. He only asked us about the machines, but I feel obligated to warn him about the process. It is lot more to it than buying a sewing machine. He had better visit a saddler's workshop to see, he is welcome to visit my workshop. I have a lot of machines but not the ones he will need to make that golf bag, and I am located to far away.

The maybe is some Australian member that will be able to help him, tell him a bit about the saddler's workshop and the tools needed to do the job.

quote name='Anne Bonnys Locker' timestamp='1337163596' post='248035']

The cowboy 7300 is not in the website but it is in the catalogue and is basically the Puritan OS36.

Edited May 16, 2012 by Trox

[Pinsplitter]

Thanks all for the interest in my "problem".

i am approaching it like you say.

- a small workshop with one skilled worker is all i need.

- design made as simple as possible.

- pattern made to work from.

if i do happen to find the worker i still think i would have to supply a machine or two,

unlikely they would have the right type of machine.

i really need to learn how to do it myself as well so i know if the worker guy knows what he's doing or show him how.

(you can't trust anyone not to take shortcuts or do a near enough good enough job in Asia).

unfortunately Thailand suits me as a location, but i take your point about it not happening here anymore.

at least i know how to deal with the people and what to expect (i.e. not much).

Vietnam maybe yes, or even Burma , but i don't know about getting the leather there.

i am thinking i might not need one of those sew down the arm machines,

the material will not be rigid or reinforced until after most sewing is done.

so the long seams can be done when it is all still flat, until the very last seam to make the actual sleeve/cylinder shape.

a pain to think i might need a whole machine to do just one seam.....hmmmm...

i would happily spend the money if i knew my brilliant idea was going to work!!

but i need to go slowly at first to test the market and feasability of manufacturing this way.

those chinese machines are pretty cheap, $1200 for a long cylinder arm and under $400 for a 30cm arm (not inc shipping).

anyhow my next step is to look at some leather suppliers here in Thailand for costing that part,

and look around Bangkok sewing machine suppliers,

and ask about any leads to find a leather worker and other supplies like hardware etc.

this is actually a very difficult country to get anything done or to find anything.

[jimsaddler]

Hi Pinsplitter

One of the comments was right. Start with a prototype and then work out what is required to produce the end Product.

If you are back in Australia you can come to to Qld to my Workshop and Fiddle with the Cowboy range of Machines and I have a good stock of Leather. Its a service I run for other Saddlers and Harness Makers to improve their Skills. (I'm semi retired but can't let go of My Trades of Saddler & Harness Maker). So this is how I keep my Brain active, by sharing.

I made a number of Golf Bags over the years, utilizing the normal Shop Machines like the 45K25 and a bit of Hand Sewing for closing. Nowa days we have such beaut Machines to use like the 441 class, the Bags can be made and turned with ease. My experience with the places you mention is not good as unless you can be there watching every day. You'll end up broke like the many who went before you. I spent 19yrs in the Pacific and was called the Survivor because I was able to survive the Shrinkage (Theft) that is naturally occurring.

The offer is there if you want it.<gsaddler@bigpond.com>

Kindest Regards.

Jim Saddler.

Thanks all for the interest in my "problem".

i am approaching it like you say.

- a small workshop with one skilled worker is all i need.

- design made as simple as possible.

- pattern made to work from.

if i do happen to find the worker i still think i would have to supply a machine or two,

unlikely they would have the right type of machine.

i really need to learn how to do it myself as well so i know if the worker guy knows what he's doing or show him how.

(you can't trust anyone not to take shortcuts or do a near enough good enough job in Asia).

unfortunately Thailand suits me as a location, but i take your point about it not happening here anymore.

at least i know how to deal with the people and what to expect (i.e. not much).

Vietnam maybe yes, or even Burma , but i don't know about getting the leather there.

i am thinking i might not need one of those sew down the arm machines,

the material will not be rigid or reinforced until after most sewing is done.

so the long seams can be done when it is all still flat, until the very last seam to make the actual sleeve/cylinder shape.

a pain to think i might need a whole machine to do just one seam.....hmmmm...

i would happily spend the money if i knew my brilliant idea was going to work!!

but i need to go slowly at first to test the market and feasability of manufacturing this way.

those chinese machines are pretty cheap, $1200 for a long cylinder arm and under $400 for a 30cm arm (not inc shipping).

anyhow my next step is to look at some leather suppliers here in Thailand for costing that part,

and look around Bangkok sewing machine suppliers,

and ask about any leads to find a leather worker and other supplies like hardware etc.

this is actually a very difficult country to get anything done or to find anything.

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

You won't get a better offer than that!

[Pinsplitter]

yes thanks very much.

that is a lovely offer.

is Queensland dangerous? I haven't been there for 20 years.

I won't be back in Aus for a month and then will be busy but I will see how my plan unfolds.

Q. do you think it might be good to find a leather supplier here in Thailand to export to me in Aus?

would that be a reasonable cost saving compared to buying retail in Aus.

Thanks all for your help.

[jimsaddler]

No Qld is safe as long as you stay out of the Big Cities like I do. See what you can find in Leather there as all of our Leather is imported now unfortunately. It may be a cost advantage, if reliable.

I look forward to helping.

Kindest Regards.

Jim.

yes thanks very much.

that is a lovely offer.

is Queensland dangerous? I haven't been there for 20 years.

I won't be back in Aus for a month and then will be busy but I will see how my plan unfolds.

Q. do you think it might be good to find a leather supplier here in Thailand to export to me in Aus?

would that be a reasonable cost saving compared to buying retail in Aus.

Thanks all for your help.

[Pinsplitter]

kidding about QLD ...

saw a Juki LS 1341 secondhand machine just now in Bangkok.

asking $AUD 1350.00 approx.

i see they are about $4300 new.

guess it would be a good buy if i really needed a machine that serious.

man its enormous!! not what you call portable.

i guess i could do a lot of a golf bag with it.

and use it for the smaller bags / head covers and things like that.

was hoping not to spend that much on what is really the second machine,

money is never wasted on good quality tools they say.....

hmmmmm....

anyhow doing some more looking around tomorrow.

[Trox]

Hi, That is to small. Juki 1341 is a machine for medium thickness up to 3/8 of an inch, you need a bigger machine.

kidding about QLD ...

saw a Juki LS 1341 secondhand machine just now in Bangkok.

asking $AUD 1350.00 approx.

i see they are about $4300 new.

guess it would be a good buy if i really needed a machine that serious.

man its enormous!! not what you call portable.

i guess i could do a lot of a golf bag with it.

and use it for the smaller bags / head covers and things like that.

was hoping not to spend that much on what is really the second machine,

money is never wasted on good quality tools they say.....

hmmmmm....

anyhow doing some more looking around tomorrow.

[Pinsplitter]

Hi, That is to small. Juki 1341 is a machine for medium thickness up to 3/8 of an inch, you need a bigger machine.

ah ok thanks for that.

gawd i know nothing i better be careful.

[KeepItSimple]

Hi PinSplitter,

Sorry to drag up an old thread, Around 20 years ago a friend and I designed and made a golf bag for an Australian Golf Professional I knew - Scott Barr.

http://www.flickr.co...08/11696115344/ Sorry, tried to add photo but failed.

This bag was a one off and took us 3 months to design it and make it. The machine we used did the job was a Singer K6 and a singer patcher for the lettering. But as others mentioned there are far better machines on the market for making golf bags. We started off by making it out of cardboard and going from there.

I am planning to design and make another smaller bag this year for myself. I have drawn up several different plans in AutoCAD for variations of a golf bag but have not made it and no doubt will want to tweak it. At the moment I only have a hand crank patcher from Anne Bonnys Locker but may be getting hold of an industrial sewing machine soon.

There are only a few good resources I have found on making leather golf bags. One is How to make a leather golf bag by Jerry Killinger. But a better one is in The art of making leather cases Volume 3 by Al & Ann Stohlman. which can be downloaded from https://www.leatherc...l-stohlman.aspx for about $10. Both these books are old and so are the designs but the techniques can be adapted easily. It is also worthwhile getting some old golf bags and pulling them appart to see how they have been made.

How have you progressed? I would like to know if you are still planning to continue making some.

Cheers

Paul

Edited January 1, 2014 by KeepItSimple

[cjcolbyjack]

I just read on the Puritan website that they make chainstitch cylinder arm machines that sew up the arm! The longest so far is a 36" arm!

i believe the puritan you are talking about is what i have for sale? do you know the value? thanks!!

[cjcolbyjack]

does anyone know the value of the custom golf bag machines i have and where to sale them? thanks my blog is "custom golf bag business" value?