15mules Report post Posted September 30, 2012 Who makes a double needle machine. I have a big toro, but I am in the market for a smaller table top for lighter leather work. I only need a single needle for that, but I have also been making some canvas products that require double row stitching. My question is, who makes a new double needle machine that could also be used single needle when needed. I really hope I can find one machine to do both, as I really cannot justify two seperate machines for the amount of work I do. Thanks for any info you may have. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gottaknow Report post Posted September 30, 2012 My 2 needle machine is a Singer 112w, made in the 50's. I also have it's single needle brother, the Singer 111w. Those designs were the basis for most of the modern machines. Verticle hooks, compound feed, (needle bar and feed dawgs move in unison). The older machines are readily available. This class of machine does a nice job on lightweight leather, as well as many other materials. You can certainly use any 2 needle machine and just remove either needle for small jobs. The problem you run into is that the feed dawgs and presser feet are made to control material for 2 needles. Don't let that scare you, I do it all the time and we do it in the factory. I've been an industrial mechanic for 32 years, I've been sewing that long as well. The newer servo motors are great for learning because of the speed control. However, there's still nothing wrong with just learning how to sew and control the machine. You can easily slow down an AC clutch motor by getting it with a 1750 rpm motor and putting the smallest pulley on it you can get. I have rubber feed dawgs for my 111w when marking the leather is a problem, most of the time it's not. I just purchased a new Juki 2 needle for our factory (we make tactical gear and American Internment flags for the VA). The machine was $5k complete with needle positioner, underbed trimmer and many programmable features suitable for factory use. On the other hand, you can buy an old Singer 112 (50's) or a newer 212 (60's) for a couple hundred. Our factory uses 220v 3 phase so when I sell a surplus machine, (I'm not advertising) I convert it for home use. Those motors are between 100-150. There are manuals available online now for setting these old machines, which really are no different than the new ones. Parts are readily available. If you're somewhat mechanical and patient, I've always believed most people can learn the basic settings to keep the older machines purring along. Singer, Consew, Juki, Brother, Mitsubishi all have industrials that will sew lightweight leather because they are all based on the original Singer designs. Many of the parts are also interchangeable. We use size 19-22 needles on the flags. There are many other sources of used industrials besides Ebay. There have been so many factories closed in the last 30 years and the machines are just sitting around. Best of luck. Regards, Eric Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CustomDoug Report post Posted October 1, 2012 .... I have rubber feed dawgs for my 111w when marking the leather is a problem, most of the time it's not... Regards, Eric Hi Eric and welcome to the forum. Now that rubber feed dawg sounds handy! Can I get one for my 45K machine? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gottaknow Report post Posted October 2, 2012 Hi Eric and welcome to the forum. Now that rubber feed dawg sounds handy! Can I get one for my 45K machine? Well I'm just curious enough to see if they're available. I have also made them using 1/8" rubber epoxied onto an old set of dawgs milled down flat and then grooved with a dremel to help the epoxy grip. The rubber wears and new pieces can be glued on. A common problem with old machines is the feed dawgs get dull. Dull dawgs mark fabric and leather because they slip (like spinning your tires). Many new mechanics make the mistake of buffing feed dawgs that mark, making the problem worse. Brand new dawgs will often decrease marking because they don't slip. I also on occasion use teflon presser feet to prevent drag on the top ply with allows less pressure on the foot which decreases marking. On a flatbed machine, anything you can do to decrease drag will make for better feeding=less foot pressure=less marking. In the factory when sewing very heavy rubberized webbing on tactical gear, I use very thin sheets of teflon that are self adhesive. I cover the table and machine where every there's drag. And yes, I do ramble. Oh, and thanks for the kind welcome. There's a lot of great information here. Regards, Eric Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shannonH Report post Posted October 13, 2012 For leather or canvas i bought a Juki LU1560 great machine later i bought a Kingmax GC1560 great machine too but alot cheaper for the same machine! The reason we bought this type of machine was i had a very high foot lift. All the double needles out there have knee lift bolted under the table. If you used them they go out of position alot. The Juki/Kingmax have the knee lift built in the machine, what a difference. I also like the Pfaff 1246 but you can buy 3 Kingmax for the price of one. Also its like a porsche for parts are very expensive. I buy my equipment and supplies at Ralph's in Denver. Call them they have alot of used equipment as well 1-800-525-0330. There website is www.powersew.com. Juki web site is www.juki.com and Kingmax web site is www.kingmax.us.com. I don't have Pfaff website sorry. Good luck on your search. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
