Juki Lu 562

[steadybrook]

Is a Juki LU 562 any good for sewing leather and are they a walking foot sewing machine?

[CowboyBob]

Yes,they have a walking foot & can sew up to 20 oz of leather,they are great for chaps,wallets & etc.They use up to #138 thread.

Bob

[steadybrook]

Thanks Bob.

[The Mean Tambourine]

What would be a fair price for a Juki LU-562? I've got a guy with a newer model (within 10 years old probably) asking $1000- seems really high- I'm going to talk him down, but I'd like to know what is fair... Thanks !

Is a Juki LU 562 any good for sewing leather and are they a walking foot sewing machine?

What would be a fair price for a Juki LU-562? I've got a guy with a newer model (within 10 years old probably) asking $1000- seems really high- I'm going to talk him down, but I'd like to know what is fair... Thanks !

Yes,they have a walking foot & can sew up to 20 oz of leather,they are great for chaps,wallets & etc.They use up to #138 thread.
Bob

[Sunnyside Scott]

I had a Juki 562, it is a good machine but it has a small bobbin (size G) and always seems to run out of thread when you need it the most. $1,000 is too much for a used machine, as you can get a used Juki 563 for the same amount, it has a huge bobbin ( size U). Size is everything when it comes to bobbins, most Used walking foot sewing machines in that price range will have a size M, which is the smallest size that you want.

I don't want to sound pushy, but I went down that road before I knew better and will never make that mistake again.

Scott

[The Mean Tambourine]

Thanks Scott, that helps a lot. I currently have a singer211G which has the smaller bobbin- I think size M? Sounds like the G is even smaller!?... eek.. I'll have to just keep looking! If you know of any retailers or resellers (aside from Bob at Toledo- hes been awesome), please do share the info

THanks!

Erin

I had a Juki 562, it is a good machine but it has a small bobbin (size G) and always seems to run out of thread when you need it the most. $1,000 is too much for a used machine, as you can get a used Juki 563 for the same amount, it has a huge bobbin ( size U). Size is everything when it comes to bobbins, most Used walking foot sewing machines in that price range will have a size M, which is the smallest size that you want.
I don't want to sound pushy, but I went down that road before I knew better and will never make that mistake again.
Scott

[needles]

is there a chart that shows what size in mm bobbins are, for sizem, g m z ???

[Constabulary]

M-size bobbins are not small! They are about 1" in diameter.

I have a bobbin guide - don´t know where it came from but I have it on my PC ...

[The Mean Tambourine]

Good find Constabulary, thanks!

[CowboyBob]

Erin,

The small bobbin 211 & Juki 562 both take a "G" bobbin

Edited August 1, 2014 by CowboyBob

[machinehead]

Constabulary,

Your bobbin chart is on the Thread Exchange website. Great place to explore.

[Trevor]

I have a Juki LU 563. Fantastic machine. I would say one of the best walking foot machines around. Don't get the LU562 because of the small bobbin. Find a 563 and buy it.

Cheers

Trevor

"Way Down Under"

[Darren Brosowski]

G bobbin is similar to the L bobbin. L does not mean large as the M is bigger.

Horizontal bobbins are generally G size and have other issues.

Personally I only like horizontal bobbins on twin needle machines so if you only need single needle then go for a machine with an M class bobbin

[needles]

thanks again Constabulary.

[MG513]

The 562 could be a good place to start though right?? I mean does the bobbin run out in the middle of sewing or something? I've been planning to get a Singer patcher 29 series to reconstruct sneakers with but I'm starting to feel like I should just get a flat bed to sew the uppers instead (can't afford a post bed)... Found a 562 in good condition on Craigslist for 700$... Opinions??

[SARK9]

The LU-562 is a nice flatbed machine--a walking foot, compound "triple feed" machine for upholstery to medium leather. It is identical to the LU-563 except for its smaller *G* bobbin.....the smaller bobbins don't hold much of the thicker threads. On the plus side, its super easy to check how much thread remains in your bobbin on the vertical-axis bobbin machines. I'm not sure where you are located, but $700 is pretty dang high for a 562.

-DC

[MG513]

The LU-562 is a nice flatbed machine--a walking foot, compound "triple feed" machine for upholstery to medium leather. It is identical to the LU-563 except for its smaller *G* bobbin.....the smaller bobbins don't hold much of the thicker threads. On the plus side, its super easy to check how much thread remains in your bobbin on the vertical-axis bobbin machines. I'm not sure where you are located, but $700 is pretty dang high for a 562.

-DC

Hey thanks for the reply!... I'm located on Ohio. I wasn't planning on paying the $700, it's been sitting on craigslist for about a month so I was gonna offer about 6,625 and see what he says... I don't think he's in a rush to sell but if I can get it lower that's what I'm gonna go for. I can tell it's been used but it's not been trashed, I will find a pic and post it!

Also thanks for the info that I can see the bobbin... I don't have the money to waste on material sewing something up only to run out of thread at the last second! I've never sewn anything in my life so this is all new to me. I just need a machine to get me started until I can afford a post bed. I will be sewing shoe uppers mostly so I'll be using #69 bonded nylon, but I might do some wallets as well at some point, #138 may be better for that I guess...

Also, I see that ppl use combos of thread sizes, you kinda mentioned it. Using a small weight at the top and larger in the bobbin... Why do ppl do this?? Why not use the same size thread both ways? Does using a thicker weight on the bottom make a stronger stitch or something?? Thanks a lot

[MG513]

Here is the pic of the machine and what comes with it... Guy is like an hour away from me

[SARK9]

I'm showing a Consew 206-RB that seems to be in fair shape at: http://columbus.craigslist.org/art/5262217499.html

Says its missing some parts, and that could be next to nothing, but who knows. It looks pretty complete in the pix. I consider the 206RB to be *very* slightly heavier duty than the Juki (IMO, I have both) and has the larger M style bobbin....the reverse lever on the early 206 would be less convenient for me, but the design also has its fans. I would personally prefer it to an LU-562, especially if you can buy it right. There is another 562 offered nearby also, less money and in a bit better shape.

-DC

[Uwe]

The Juki 562 seems like a perfectly good starter machine to me. Don't let the bobbin size alone rule your decision making. The only difference to the Juki 563 really is just the slightly larger bobbin as far as I know (similar to Adler 69 vs. 169). The 563 will run out of bobbin thread, too, just a little later. Whether you change bobbins four or five times during a project is not a huge deal to me.

I owned a Juki 562 for all of one day, when I was trying to sell my Consew 225 about a year ago. I had taken the Juki 562 in a trade for a Singer 29. The lady who came to look at my then-for-sale Consew 225 offered me considerably more for the Juki 562 which needed some adjusting, so I kept the Consew.

Edited October 24, 2015 by Uwe

[Uwe]

.... Using a small weight at the top and larger in the bobbin... Why do ppl do this?? Why not use the same size thread both ways? Does using a thicker weight on the bottom make a stronger stitch or something??

Usually it's the other way around, larger thread in the top (needle), one size smaller thread in the bobbin. This is done because the bobbin thread path starts freaking out before the upper path does (things are just way tighter down there). You generally can get away with larger thread in the top path than in the bottom. I've never heard of somebody purposely using large thread in the bobbin and small thread in the needle, that's just backwards and doesn't make sense, really.

Edited October 24, 2015 by Uwe

[SARK9]

Here's a quick visual comparison of the popular bobbin sizes. The LU-562 has the *G* style, the 206RB the *M* style, and the LU-563 the *U* style. As Uwe says, the bobbin is not the only thing to consider, but for $700 I would certainly try to get what I wanted.

-DC

Bobbin Style Guide - PDF

[Uwe]

Doing the math on cylinder volumes for bobbins, the U-style bobbin has, somewhat surprisingly to me, more than twice the volume of the G style bobbin (.5 vs .227 cubic inches). It doesn't look that much bigger to me visually. Alas, the U-style bobbin should hold about twice the amount of thread (even if you subtract the same size center hole). Dang, I need an Adler 167/267 after all!

[TinkerTailor]

Usually it's the other way around, larger thread in the top (needle), one size smaller thread in the bobbin. This is done because the bobbin thread path starts freaking out before the upper path does (things are just way tighter down there). You generally can get away with larger thread in the top path than in the bottom. I've never heard of somebody purposely using large thread in the bobbin and small thread in the needle, that's just backwards and doesn't make sense, really.

Disclaimer: Do not try this at home....

On an aside, one time i was sewing some canvas tool rolls with leather accents on a 1910 white rotary treadle machine and i had the idea to thread the machine with 2 different colors of thread at the same time........top and bottom. I spooled both black and red guterman topstitch thread on the bobbin at the same time and ran both through the thread paths and both through one needle and the same eye. Backed off the tension some and it sewed awesome. With 2 guterman topstitch threads on it the bobbin lasted about 2 feet of sewing.........

I am really not sure what was going on under that needle plate (or in my head), but it worked....Wish i had a photo of the finished stitch, Project is long sold however. Maybe i will try it again just for fun...

[TinkerTailor]

Do not be fooled, you WILL waste material on mistakes and empty bobbins. Accept that now and it will help keep you from throwing things when you make a mistake and mess up something you have alot of time and money into. This is part of learning. We all have done it.

Couple things that will help keep the mistake cost down are:

1)Do a test run of every operation on scrap. Make sure the products/techniques/tools/machines you use will give the outcome you want on scrap. Then do it to the real thing. Once you have some experience, you can start skipping this step, but you will still get bit once in a while.

2)Be very careful of changing a design half way through. It can lead to many headaches. Mismatched dye, Unburnishable edges, impossible to reach rivets, etc. In a lot of cases, remaking is easier than fixing/changing if you factor in both material and your time.

If you run out of bobbin in the middle, leave lots of tail, cut the thread on top and bottom. Refill bobbin, then go back and start again 2-3 holes back from where you started, again leaving a long tail of thread top and bottom. After you are done the machine stitch you can go back, and carefully pull the overlapped stitches out until the top looks like you never stopped, then use hand stitching needles to pass the threads into the space between the layers of the material and tie knots there. The goal is to snugly tie off the top and bottom of where you stopped, then the top and bottom of the start, and hide it inside the seam. do not tie top to top and bottom to bottom, won't work as well.

Btw, on sneakers the seams are so short, just check the bobbin more often between seams. You won't have the small bobbin issues some guys have.......