Singer 2281D362

[Rebelwork]

Looking at several machines and this one popped up tonight. Cant find anything on it. Anybody have any information? Thx Jack

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[gottaknow]

Singer made a bunch of variations on the basic horizontal rotary lockstitch. I'll look it up at work tommorow and see what I can find. The 281 series includes both drop feed and compound feed. They are work horses for medium/duty work. If you can find a 281-22, those are the compound feed ones. They work well with up to size 20 needle and will sew lightweight leather. The tension springs and take-up springs are not heavy enough for larger thread.

Regards, Eric

[gottaknow]

I had suspected this was the machine head Singer used to produce their 2281F series which featured a crude needle positioner system (photo cells) and underbed trimmer. The head is identical to the D series. I have about 6 of the 2281F's and double checked that they are drop feed machines. Ok for woven goods, but not great for leather.

Regards, Eric

[Rebelwork]

Thx for the reply. I've been looking at several machines. I don't do any leather at the current time but i always consider the "what if" in any machine purchase. A guy has a Singer 111w155 machine not too far away but is selling it as a antique rather than a usable machine. Says it works just doing a lot research before dig my pockets. thx again Jack

[gottaknow]

The 111 is a workhorse and we still use some of the 112's (a 2 needle version). I own a 111 and it's great. It's a compound feed so it will handle leather up to a point like a champ. I've hemmed my Levi's for years which is 8 layers of heavy denim. I've used up to a 21 needle, but it's really comfortable with size 14-20. For cloth, the 281-22 would be a great find for you. It will sew lightweight fabric with ease and because it's compound feed, lightweight leather. The difference is the 281-22 has a horizontal rotary hook and the 111 and 211's have a verticle hook which will handle more thickness.

Regards, Eric

[Rebelwork]

Looking for the machine mainly for sewing upholstery pleather but don't want to get myself locked into a machine that wont properly handle 6 layers. I can probably get the 281 for $275-300.

Edited November 18, 2012 by Rebelwork

[brandyb]

I just bought one of these machines, looks exactly like the one in the photo in the first post. I could hardly find any info, but it was too good of a deal to pass up. Looks like it just needs a thorough cleaning/oiling and hopefully not much else. Though I'm having a hard time finding any information about it online, no manuals or even any references to it, just this post. I'd love to know more about them, and also have a basic manual. Does anyone have access to a manual or have an idea of where I could find one? The model # is 2281F362

[gottaknow]

I have an extensive file on all the 2281's. There are a lot of variations. If you could post some close-up pictures that would help me sort through all the info I have. Also, does this machine have a regular clutch motor?

Regards, Eric

[brandyb]

Eric,

Great! Thanks so much! I'll have to wait til I get back to my workshop tomorrow to take some photos. I'm not sure if it's a clutch motor, but I think so? The person I bought it from also didn't know. I know how clutch and servo motors work differently, or at least how they operate, though I'm not sure how to tell the difference without running the machine.

[Wizcrafts]

Brandy;

You can tell the difference between a clutch and a servo motor simply be plugging it in and pressing/throwing the power button/switch. A clutch motor will begin spinning with a whine and blow warm air out of the cooling vents as it reaches its rated full speed (either 1725 or 3450 rpm). It will power the machine as you engage the clutch with the floor pedal. The only real control is a large hex head bolt that positions how far the pedal has to move before the brake lets go and the clutch engages. It will also have an adjustable spring that determines how much the control arm hanging down resists the floor pedal's weight.

A servo motor won't make a sound or spin when you simply switch it on. It will only turn over and make a sound when you press the floor pedal to power the motor. It may have lights and buttons, or a rotary knob to limit its speeds.

Both types of motor will also have a threaded bolt, with over and under locknuts, used to control the slack in the drive belt.

Edited March 3, 2016 by Wizcrafts

[brandyb]

Wiz - Thanks for the explanation of clutch v. servo! That helps a lot. The Consew I have has a servo motor, but I have no other experience with industrial machines. The Singer I just bought has a clutch motor. How difficult is it to switch it to a servo motor?

Eric, I will upload a few photos, let me know if others may help.

Edited March 4, 2016 by brandyb

[gottaknow]

Thanks for the pictures. The machine should be a needle feed machine, meaning that when you turn the hand wheel towards you, the needle bar and feed dogs move together to assist in feeding the material. These machines are ideally suited for garment sewing. You can sew some lightweight garment weight leather, but you're better off getting a different machine for that. In order to make the oil system work, you'll need to sew at high speed occasionally the make sure the oil gets pumped up to the top of the machine. The easiest way to do that is while winding a bobbin. The oil will drip into the sight glass on the front of the machine. The oil pan has to be full enough to submerge the intake screen on the pump. You have to use sewing machine oil made for that purpose. It's commonly known as lily white mineral oil, and you'll need a couple of quarts.

These machines are really versatile and are highly adjustable. We use a close relative, the 281-22 in our training school with clutch motors. Honestly, once you get used to to clutch, they are a really smooth machine. I'll gather up the appropriate manuals and copy or upload them for you. They use needle class 135x7 for cloth, sizes 12 thru 18. 135x6 for lightweight leather. It will leave marks on smooth leather, especially the bottom. If you're sewing a liner that gets turned, it won't matter. On suede it will be less. The machine is designed for fabric, so you'll be happiest sticking to that. It will tension T60 thread properly way down to T24. The manuals are pretty good with lots of information. Parts are easy to come by and most parts from the more common 281-22's interchange.

If you want to go the servo route, Wiz has all the secondary market ones figured out. I don't use any in the factory.

Regards, Eric

[brandyb]

Eric,

This is great! Thanks for sharing your knowledge, this is all super helpful. I've got it all cleaned up and almost ready to sew. I'm excited to have a machine that's better for more lightweight materials. I mostly use a Consew 226 and a Sailrite Ultrafeed for rubber & vinyl, and have been relying on an old home machine for lighter tasks, though it's always a bit of a struggle. Sounds like this will be just what I've needed. I have no plans to sew leather with this machine, probably mostly nylon packcloth & similar materials. The clutch will take a bit of getting used to, I will try it out for a while before considering whether or not to look for a servo.

I've found plenty of the parts marked for the 281, I'm assuming those will also fit. I did finally find a manual for the 281-1, 281-3, & 281-21, I'll include a link. Do you know if a specific manual exists for the 2281?

https://wiki.artisansasylum.com/images/b/b6/Singer-281-1-service.pdf

Thanks again!!

[gottaknow]

Eric,

This is great! Thanks for sharing your knowledge, this is all super helpful. I've got it all cleaned up and almost ready to sew. I'm excited to have a machine that's better for more lightweight materials. I mostly use a Consew 226 and a Sailrite Ultrafeed for rubber & vinyl, and have been relying on an old home machine for lighter tasks, though it's always a bit of a struggle. Sounds like this will be just what I've needed. I have no plans to sew leather with this machine, probably mostly nylon packcloth & similar materials. The clutch will take a bit of getting used to, I will try it out for a while before considering whether or not to look for a servo.

I've found plenty of the parts marked for the 281, I'm assuming those will also fit. I did finally find a manual for the 281-1, 281-3, & 281-21, I'll include a link. Do you know if a specific manual exists for the 2281?

https://wiki.artisansasylum.com/images/b/b6/Singer-281-1-service.pdf

Thanks again!!

Yes, I have manuals for the 2281's. I'm thinking I'll scan them and save as PDFs. And yes, a lot of the parts are interchangeable with the 281's. There are a ton of sub classes in this series as it was very popular garment machine. I'm going to try and get the pages that are unique to your machine scanned this weekend.

Regards, Eric

[brandyb]

Hey Eric, it's been a while but I thought I'd check just in case. I was able to find a manual for the 281 series which has helped, but unfortunately it is missing the parts list! AGGHH! I'm on the hunt to replace some clamp screws for the feed bar carrier & crank but I haven't been able to find a parts list. Do you by chance have one for the 2281?

[gottaknow]

18 hours ago, brandyb said:

Hey Eric, it's been a while but I thought I'd check just in case. I was able to find a manual for the 281 series which has helped, but unfortunately it is missing the parts list! AGGHH! I'm on the hunt to replace some clamp screws for the feed bar carrier & crank but I haven't been able to find a parts list. Do you by chance have one for the 2281?

I still have the parts diagrams, I'll see if I can get them to you in the next day or so.

Regards, Eric

[CowboyBob]

There's some 281 parts manuals here http://parts.singerco.com/IPpartCharts/

[brandyb]

CowboyBob - Great, thanks!! I was on the Singer website looking at those lists, but never saw that whole list. Perfect! Thanks so much for pointing that out