Tippman Boss

[charlescrawford]

I have been a member for a while but this is the first time posting. I mainly work with thicker leather mainly 5oz and above. I do a lot of dog collars, leashes, spur straps, holsters etc. I want to do more with tack and stuff like that down the road. Finances are fairly tight I am trying to take this from a hobby to possible business. I am disabled from MS and started the hobby as PT for my hands. So cost is a major factor since I am on disability.

I have heard a lot about the Tippman Boss. I know it's a manual machine which is fine but I am curious as to what other users think of it. Do they love it or hate it is it even worth the money? One thing I like is that the Boss will go through thick leather easily and being manual I can control the speed better. Sometimes the legs don't cooperate as well as I would like them to with pedal machines.

Is there other machines in the same price range or cheaper I should consider? I have just wasted so much money and time thinking metal sewing machines from the 50-70's or earlier would work only to find they don't event make it through a wallet let alone what I need. I have only been doing leather work for about a year. Thanks

[PappyUSA]

The Boss is an excellent machine, I used one for 12 years and passed it off to my son. I use an electric machine now but regret getting rid of the Boss. For someone one a budget that needs a manual machine that is versatile this is the one to get. The machine does have a learning curve but once you learn to use it and adjust it I think you'll love it. It can do belts but it'll wear you arm out. For me it was the “perfect” holster machine and tech support from Tippman is the best and friendliest there is. AND it's American made.

[Denster]

I agree with Pappy. Great machine. I have two and have sewn over four thousand holsters and assorted other accessories with very few problems.

[Dwight]

I'll be number 3 to say I like mine. I've had it several years, . . . been to the shop twice, . . . easy fix for them both times, . . . Ben is as good a phone tech rep as you will possibly get, . . . and he speaks fluent English (just a little friendly sarcasm there folks).

I do belts with it, . . . dog collars, . . . holsters, . . . knife sheaths, . . . gun bags, . . . sandals, . . . armor, . . . chaps are a challenge but they can be done.

May God bless,

Dwight

[charlescrawford]

Thanks for all the info it's been great hearing everyone's impressions. Now will this machine also do tack sewing or repairs? I know that it will go through almost 3/4" thick leather ( I think if I remember right)

[Dwight]

Most of the saddle work I've done has not involved stitching with a machine, . . . but I did have a guy bring me a really pretty (but old) award saddle he had gotten back in the late 60's / early 70's. He wanted me to stitch up the tear in his wool on the skirts.

It was shot, way beyond any repair, . . . just falling apart.

I removed the skirts, . . . took off the old wool, . . . pulled out the old stitches (talking about tired fingers,.............ohhhh,......) and glued in the new stuff.

My Tippmann just "happened" to be set perfectly for the stitch length to sew that wool back on, . . . trimmed it up afterwards, . . . he was as happy as a Easter Bunny on Sunday morning.

Wish I could be more help, . . . but that's about all I got, . . . far as horse tack is concerned. I regularly sew 2 7's or 2 8's together making belts and sometimes 4 5/s plus when doing a holster that is lined.

May God bless,

Dwight

[TwinOaks]

#4 for saying it's worth getting.

You won't want to do a lot of belts or long stitch lines, but if you can take your time on projects it'll do pretty much anything you want.

The only real drawback is the lack of space under the arm, but most projects can be planned to accomodate that.

[charlescrawford]

That's good to know Mike. Now when you are using the machine to stitch how hard are you pushing or pulling the arm? Granted I know leather oz will be a major factor in the equation. But it is something I have been wondering since MS is a factor with me and things could change from where they are now.

[supercub]

That's good to know Mike. Now when you are using the machine to stitch how hard are you pushing or pulling the arm? Granted I know leather oz will be a major factor in the equation. But it is something I have been wondering since MS is a factor with me and things could change from where they are now.

Not too much tougher than pulling the arm on a slot machine - not that I've had any recent experience doing that....... Actually the Boss is pretty easy. I find it much easier and less fatiguing than punching holes with a diamond awl and sewing with harness needles. You will probably need more effort to pull the presser foot up with the hand grip. As long as your needles are in good shape (sharp) the leather thickness doesn't seem to have much effect on the effort required to cycle the handle.

[Dwight]

Charles, . . . the effort needed to sew would be similar to the effort needed to pull up a 43 inch venetian blind (the size of mine).

That is the down stroke, . . . there is virtually no effort to the up stroke.

AND, . . . if you have a friend who is mechanically inclined, . . . it would be no trick at all to put a small air cylinder on the arm, . . . you could make it work with a pedal. I'm actually thinking about doing that to mine, . . . but I have to wait until my new shop is built. We just put the poles in the ground a week ago.

For what it is worth, . . . I'm 68 yrs old, . . . have had some arthritic problems, . . . but I can still knock out a 44 inch belt (at 5 stitches per inch) in about 20 minutes. That is just shy of 500 individual stitches, . . . works out to about 25 stitches per minute average.

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited August 18, 2013 by Dwight

[charlescrawford]

It sounds like this would be the perfect fit then because if I ever have arm issues at can be doctored which is a good thing if that time ever comes. Now Its just coming up with the money.....lol Never an easy task on disability. I met with the Voc rehab people but they want advertising plans and all that and no thank you. I live in Cowboy country in western CO and the area I live in there is no one/very few people doing sheridan style within 30 -45 min drive . Heck the local saddle shops don't even carry local saddles! All made over seas or fake leather stuff. I will be just fine doing stuff word of mouth. I know too many guys in WY and MY that did ads and these poor guys are working 70 hrs a week. I like my wife and kids and I love what I am doing now I just need something to make life easier and look more professional then my hand stitching.

[supercub]

I bought a Boss when they first came out. After a couple of years I sold it and bought a Ferdco Pro 2000. While the Ferdco was a lot quicker on long runs like belts and saddle scabbards, it had a few faults - not least of which is the learning curve. I eventually bought back the original Boss and still use it for small projects like holsters and knife sheaths. You can't beat it for getting into tight places and placing stitches exactly where they need to be. The slow speed is actually an advantage for precise stitch lines. I use the Boss on about 50% of my projects and the Pro 2000 on about 40%. The rest, I hand stitch. The only downside to the Boss is the need to pay attention to technique and watch your thread tension. If I had to keep only one machine, it would probably be the Boss.