Juki Lu-562/3 And Stitch Regulator Knob....

[leatherworkerforum]

Hi, I am looking to buy an industrial walking foot sewing machine for sewing leather bags and have a question.

Some of the machines I have looked at from Craigslist don't seem to have the knob (or slider) with which one usually use to regulate the stitch length.

*I tested one machine that did not have the knob but you could still regulate the stitch length by pressing down a button on the machine bed and then turning the hand wheel a certain way....the button was hard for me to push down and I could never get the thing to work...so..

My question is: "If I DON'T see a knob or slider, can I assume that the machine way of adjusting the stitch length is the method that I described above*? i.e.. Could there be a dial or slider located elsewhere on the machine (not visible from a frontal shot) that would function similarly as a knob or slider that is normally in the front? What I am trying to say is that I would *not* want to buy a machine if it doesn't have an easy and straightforward way to adjust the stitch length, and by that I mean, just turn the knob left or right. (Or slide the slider up or down.)

I've attached a pic of a Juki LU-562, which does NOT seem to have the knob or slider:

And here's a Singer 331k104 which DOES have the knob.

Thanks for any knowledge anyone can give.

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

See attached. This image above is very common across a large variety of machine makes and models, too many to list. Others, as you mention have the stitch length dial. Others, to add to this, have a stitch length regulator built into the reverse/backtack lever, such as an Adler 267 or Pfaff 1245, or older Consew 206RB-1, -2 models.

[leatherworkerforum]

Thanks Gregg. That's good information.

[Wizcrafts]

If you buy a modern/current walking foot machine, it will have either a rotary stitch length knob, with click detentes, or a a single lift/lower lever that controls both direction and stitch length. The Consew 206RB-5, Chandler 406RB and Juki DNU-1541 all have a rotary dial and a press down reverse lever, plus large bobbins.

I have another system on the long body Singer 139 I recently bought. It has a 1" diameter knob protruding from inside the end of the hand-wheel. Turning the small knob clockwise shortens the stitches, while turning it anti-clockwise lengthens them.

[leatherworkerforum]

Hi Wizcrafts,

Thanks for the info! Good to know about the Singer 139's method of adjusting stitch length. Who would've thunk?

Regarding the three models you mentioned:

Consew 206RB-5

Chandler 406RB

Juki DNU-1541

Do you feel one way another about any of them, or are they pretty comparable? (For sewing leather/cordura/vinyl). I see some Jukis and Consews for sale on Craigslist and ebay, but haven't seen much of Chandler brand machines.

Thank you.

[Wizcrafts]

If the machines are recent models and have not been rode hard and put up wet, any of those 3 will serve you well.

[leatherworkerforum]

Ok. Thanks.