Anyone Use A Juki Dsc 245?

[Gamekeeper]

Hi,

just wondering if anyone uses this machine & what feet/feed dogs they use?

Mine currently isn't feeding from thick to thin leather & it's also just slightly marking the face of the leather.

New machine to me & I'm still getting used to it.

Many thanks

Dave

[Gamekeeper]

Here are a few pics of the machine & a close up of the feed area.

Anyone got any info of this at all?

[Trox]

Hi,

I see this machine is a binding machine, the feed dog is only moving back and forth. The special needle plate is designed to attach a rod to the feed dog that again drives a synchronized binder (it also have binding feet's). You can buy a regular feet's, needle plate and feed dog to use it without the binder. From Juki or Kwokhing.com (they sell it cheap, send them an email). For use without binder, lower the feed dog to under the needle plate level ( approx 0,5 to 1 mm under the plate) or else it will disturb your feeding. I do not know much about this machine other that it uses thin thread, it is not designed for heavy threads (over tkt 40 or tex 69) I am not sure about the exact specs, go to the leaflets (data sheet) on Juki web site to have a look. (If you do not know what a binding machine is, try youtube leather binding)

Good luck

Tor

[Gamekeeper]

Hi Tor,

Thank you for your reply, I was beginning to give up hope!!

As you can imagine, here in the UK it's an absolute pain to try to get a good, proper leather sewing machine.

I was even considering taking a grinder to the feed plate & presser foot!

I have emailed Kwokhing to see if I can get a result.

As an aside - Are there any leather sewing machine suppliers here in the UK?

[Trox]

Hi Dave,

I do modify allot of my stuff on a bench grinder to get it to do what I want. However, your needle plate is hard to modify and your vibrating presser foot (last one) has no toes and cannot hold down your material when you start sewing on the edge. The presser foot set costs from 9 to 15 $ with Kwokhing, the needle plate I do not know. They look very similar to my Pfaff 345 feet's, perhaps they are the same. I believe college https://www.college-sewing.co.uk/default.aspx can help you with your needs too. However, Kwokhing sell to dealers in prices. You will find their stuff to three times their price other places.

Ask for Mr. Bosco Ko and explain your needs to him, you can pay with Paypal. Fast shipping and excellent service. If you was asking for part for an old Singer 45K they would not know what you where talking about. Your machine should be right up their alley. If you PM one of our UK members, or starts a topic asking for UK members advice, they will help you for sure. Your machine is very handy sewing bags and such, unfortunately it will not handle heavy threads.

You never see pro hand bag makers using very thick threads on their stuff, thats because its easier to get a professional result with the right size threads for the leather thickness. The modern polyester and bonded nylon threads are very strong today, your machine will work just fine on stuff like that.

If you was looking for a saddle/harness stitcher you must look at Juki 441 / clones, Adler 205-370/clones*,old Adler 105 or old Singer 45K. Only the two first machines has triple feed.

(*clones are Chinese copies of these machines pimped for leather work; like Cobra 3 and 4. Cowboy 3500 or 4500. Click on member dealers banners top of site to have a look and read pinned post about leather sewing machines. You find a lot of stuff about their fine machines in the forum).

Good luck

Tor

[Gamekeeper]

Hi Tor,

I contacted Mr. Ko, without any luck - he could not help at all!!

I'm currently sewing 4mm on it with the same thread that they use on the auto awls & it's handling it fine.

At present I have 3 options:

1 - fit some smooth feet

2 - find a plate the same thickness as the feed then cut, drill & modify & cross cut the feed dog & use smooth feet

3 - Sell the machine & hope I can find a leather machine in UK that will sew heavy stuff & go round tight bends & corners!

Not a lot to ask for, I hope!!

I tend to make cartridge bags, small leather pouches for knives etc, ladies saddle bags/hand bags all in sturdy leather (approx 2mm x 2 for thickness, max 4mm).

Many thanks

Dave

[Trox]

Take of the feet's and take some photos of them. Then send a PM to CowboyBob http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showuser=7185 Bob Kowar, Toledo Industrial Sewing Machine Sales Ltd.

He has a lot of stuff. It is possible Kwokhing has the parts without knowing it themselves. Industrial Sewing machines is a world of copycats, what machine who is a clone of which is hard tell. About the same question as the one about the chicken and the egg.

Have you asked College? To get the answer you want, you must ask the right question. Go to Juki and download the part list, or write down the partnumbers you need http://www.juki.co.jp/industrial_e/webparts_e/partslist2.html . These feet's look exactly like the Pfaff 335. 345 and 1245 feet's, http://www.kwokhing.com/pfaff/ plates look similar too. Take a look at these Pfaff feet's, I am sure you can use them. Or modify them for your machine. Take off the feet's and measure them with a caliper (in 0.00 mm scale) and we will compare them to my Pfaff 345 feet's. The measurements that is important is the thickness of the flat parts of vibrating presser (part of the last foot who goes up in the presser bar), the height of them and the inside measurement of the front foot ( where the feeding foot bar goes in to the foot) and again the height. The height is not that important, because you can adjust the machine to compensate for it.

Then measure the center to center screw holes in the needle plate, width and beam etc, (then the length, screw holes of the feed dog) then you can ask members with the new Pfaff 335 machine to compare it.

There is knowledge and information about this among our members and in the forum. You only have to ask the right questions (and search the forum). I am sure you can use the Pfaff feet's, the plate I not sure about. I think you give up to easy, I had machines before that is obsolete and used more than two years to find the parts for it. Nevertheless, I found them in the end. Your machine is still available new, worst case scenario you have to buy original Juki parts. But you will get the parts you need, no worries.

Let me know.

Tor

[Trox]

Here is the download for your part list https://www.college-sewing.co.uk/JUKI-DSC-245-PARTS-BOOK at College. They have everything these guys.

Tor

[Gamekeeper]

I've had a bit of a breakthrough.

Managed to get hold of a set of plain, smooth feet from TySew, here in UK.

Put them on - no marks on the leather, just need to "adjust" the feet width to get closer to the moulded edges of pouches.

Next thing I need to look at is the feed dog & lower feed plate - these leave marks on the back of the leather, grooves & cross-hatch pattern.

The parts weren't cheap here in the UK - almost £35 including postage "OUCH"

I think I'm going to stick with this machine for a while, make a few adaptations like a roller guide (my straight line work is terrible!!

Although I do have a Seiko TH series walking foot flat bed & the bonus is the new feet I got also fit.

I printed off the feed dog parts list but, as they say, a picture speaks a thousand words & without good pictures & descriptions it becomes extremely vague when you try to get the correct parts. Interestingly, I did contact College but got no answer! I guess business here in UK don't actually need to sell anything (probably why the economy is so bad - but thats another matter).

I've checked through the parts list that you kindly linked to but for the life of me I can't find the base plate, although the 6 feed dogs also cause dilemma!! If you can find the plate on that list I'd be grateful.

Many thanks

Dave

[Trox]

Yes, I got a trained eye in looking at part lists. Pic # two, page three has four different needle plates. I will not list the part numbers, only the number in the pic. # 28, 35, 65 and 66 are different needle plates.

Since your machine is a binder feed and only feeds with the needle and the top feed, you do not need the feed dog. You could make your self a "slotted plate", like the one we use for our 441 clones. It easy to make a flat plate with two screw holes and a needle slot.

Take a piece from a three mm steel plate and drill out the holes (sink the screw heads down with a larger diameter drill bit half the way true the plate) and the slot, then polish it up to a mirror like surface on a buffing wheel (so it does not stain the leather) .

With this plate you will have a very nice leather machine, the needle do most of the feed job on leather machines anyway.

Here is the different leather needle plates who is available for the 441, make something like the slotted one.

A friend of me (Not a member of this forum) has a machine like yours, a bit newer and with a Efka DC 1600 motor. It is a bad picture, however you can see the plate. It should be easy to make.

Good luck

Tor

[Gamekeeper]

Hi Tor,

many thanks for the pics.

Could I be a pain & ask if you could get some pics of your friends machine needle area.

That is the same machine as mine but I think the feed plate & feed dog area is completely different - mine has a rectangular flat plate (the chequered one in my pic) & your friends machine seems to have a curved plate to it.

Sorry to be a pain, you have been a great help so far & it is greatly appreciated.

Dave

[Trox]

Hi Dave, I am sorry but she lives in a other part of the country. In addition she has just lost her mother, so I will not bother her with that right now. A flat plate works much better than a curved plate for leather work. You can angle the side a bit, round it of with the grinder. Or use a thicker plate to get some angles at the sides. I have seen the plate and it look exactly like this Pfaff plate at http://www.kwokhing.com/pfaff/ 91-158 206-04 needle plate

91-059 229-04 feed dog.

Here you see a leather plate for my old Adler class 5-27, it a very good plate because it is flat. The rounded or angled sides is to get it to fit on a cylinder arm bed (or keep materials from been hooked by the ends) Believe me, a flat plate will work best. Then the foot pressure is evenly distributed over the work and it less likely you will have any skipped stitches too. keep it high polished and It will sew leather like a champ

Tor

[Gamekeeper]

Hi Tor,

Thanks for the info & the photos.

It looks like I have a plate for a right hand binder & someone has modified a feed dog to suit (isn't it great when you pick up someone else's modifications).

Time to look through the garage, I'm sure I have some 3mm plate in there, will have to grind off the 'modification' to the feed dog.

I really appreciate your assistance with this Tor, you have been a great help.

Hopefully this info will be useful to someone else too.

Many thanks

Dave

[Trox]

Hi Tor,

Thanks for the info & the photos.

It looks like I have a plate for a right hand binder & someone has modified a feed dog to suit (isn't it great when you pick up someone else's modifications).

Time to look through the garage, I'm sure I have some 3mm plate in there, will have to grind off the 'modification' to the feed dog.

I really appreciate your assistance with this Tor, you have been a great help.

Hopefully this info will be useful to someone else too.

Many thanks

Dave

Take off the feed dog, you do not need a feed dog that only marks up the leather and do not feed.

Its a binding feed, the feed dog is just there to drive the synchronized binder. The plate should have a narrow slot for the needle. Measure the longest stitch length forward and reverse, then give the needle some room to bend, thats all.

Good luck

Tor

[Gamekeeper]

Thanks for the info Tor,

I've just checked my plate & it's 5mm thick (hope I've got something in the garage!).