Screw Threads On Cowboy 4500

[amuckart]

Can anyone tell me what thread standard is used throughout the Cowboy 4500? There are various tapped holes on the machine that are neither M6 nor 1/4" and it's driving me nuts trying to figure out what sort of machine screw I need for them.

Thanks.

[CowboyBob]

You aren' tgoing to find hardly any sewing machine screw in a hardware store.You have to get them from a sewing machine dealer.All the screws from a Juki 441 will work when ordered by the correct part# from them.

Here's some more info showing threads pr in & dia of some singer screws so you can see what your up against.

http://www.singersewinginfo.co.uk/screw_threads/

[daviD A Morris]

You aren' tgoing to find hardly any sewing machine screw in a hardware store.You have to get them from a sewing machine dealer.All the screws from a Juki 441 will work when ordered by the correct part# from them.

Here's some more info showing threads pr in & dia of some singer screws so you can see what your up against.

http://www.singersew.../screw_threads/

So, having said that. Do the Juki, Cowboy and other 441 clones use the same set of thread diameters and pitches as Singer, or is it "hit and miss" , some are same and some are outside of all other standards?

dam

Edited April 9, 2013 by daviD A Morris

[amuckart]

Thanks Bob.

I guess I was hoping that since it's 2013, not 1913, that the screws were an actual standard standard. I was aware that Singer screws were almost all weird and proprietary but that's not universal in sewing machines - my Seiko and Pfaff machines seem to have standard threads in the various holes they have.

I'll just drill out the three holes I want to mount things on and put metric helicoils in them. It'll be easier than finding a source for Juki screws just to build a sensible table mounting.

Cheers.

[CowboyBob]

The 441's use alot of the old Singer type of screw threads,the problem is some screws interchange between some machines & some don't? So the best way we have found most of the time is to get the screws for the # for that brand when in doubt.There are some that we know will interchange.Another problem is the length,some screws might have 3-4 different # & be the same dia.& threads pr in. but when they're used on different parts of the machine they need the different lengths.And then some have shoulders & head diameters on them,so it goes on & on.

[amuckart]

Yep, I'm coming to realise that the threads in this machine are a bit special. That really surprises me because I figured that at the point where you're cloning a machine it would just be easier to use a common thread standard instead of having to replicate whatever weird ones the original manufacturer used. For that matter I'm a bit surprised that a late 20th century machine still uses all those weird threads.

I've got a parts list for the TSC-441 and it's a mix of metric and imperial and god knows what.

[Art]

The thing about clones is they are clones. If you need a clone part, you can order the part for the "real" thing from Superior or other large supplier. Nowadays, I don't think many manufacturers cut their own screws. Their are companies that live to cut screws and can produce quality product far cheaper than the sewing machine manufacturer. Singer, on the other hand, MUST have had a screw division (not sales but it is tempting), remember they were in Scotland and the US, last bastions of the English system.

Art

[tnawrot2]

The thing about clones is they are clones. If you need a clone part, you can order the part for the "real" thing from Superior or other large supplier. Nowadays, I don't think many manufacturers cut their own screws. Their are companies that live to cut screws and can produce quality product far cheaper than the sewing machine manufacturer. Singer, on the other hand, MUST have had a screw division (not sales but it is tempting), remember they were in Scotland and the US, last bastions of the English system.

Art

Does "Superior" have a website. When my computer crashed, I lost all of my contacts. I am looking for an industrial sewing machine parts company that offered a smooth feed dog for a 111W155. They even had different feed dogs for different size needles. I believe they were headquartered in the Tennessee or Georgia.

[CowboyBob]

There used to be a rubberized one but it's been discontinued,you could have Tennessee Attachment make one or you can mixup some JB weld & fill in the grooves with it.

[Art]

Any sewing machine repair can get you whatever you need. Most suppliers don't service the general public, Superior is not exception, you'll have to fill out a full credit app.

Art

[Massive]

It is a ton easier to deal with some of these parts over ebay, if they have it...

I know what you mean about screws. I had to replace a serpentine belt tensioner on my previous truck and I went nuts, nothing I had would fit the cap screw. I went to the dealer, and they sorta shruged, and said is was either something like an 8.3 mm cap screw, or an 8.7. It is kinda crazy, but then what if the 8mm is too light, and the 9mm multiplied out over every part decision on the truck would make it miss it's EPA slot?

With sewing machines I think it is more a mater of their being pretty complicated compared to say a table saw. And there are a million parts going 100 mph, they build to the design and not the convenience of the home tech. Much of the tech in sewing machines looks really bad, stuff held to shafts by grub screws, really nasty. But they have to be that way, and they have them so at least those old SIngers would run for ever. Pretty amazing stuff. One has stuff running at 4000 stitches a minute, all day, and it does not shake loose, though everywhere there are just screws, no keyways or other structure.

I am currently trying to make some new knibs for my Sailrite sewing machine. The knobs it came with are cheasy, and they are not accurate, the stitch length control is very sloppy though it works because it is always loaded. But who know what kind of thread they are, they don't even match pitch keys .

[Anne Bonnys Locker]

As I read on another forum - the best thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from!

The variety of threads in machines is confusing and they are often a mix of metric and the Singer modified UNC.