Reducer?

[badLoveLeather]

I was discussing sewing machines with a leather worker in Cottonwood AZ this past weekend and he told me about an attachment called a Reducer I could get for my Singer 111 to make it slower.

I'm new to using this machine and its powerful and fast. I've been practicing with the pedal and trying to get a groove goin but its too fast.

Does anyone know about this possible solution?

Thanks in Advance

Travis Poole

Bad Love Leather

[Bree]

A speed reducer is a pulley system which will cut your speed usually in half depending on the sizes of the pulleys.

A better choice is a servo motor. A speed reducer costs about $100 while a servo motor costs from say $120 to $150 for a decent but inexpensive one. The servo motor gives you true variable speed control from 0 to the motor's max speed.

With a clutch motor, except for the friction zone you are basically in an all or nothing mode relative to speed. Even at a reduced speed you get all of it or none of it. There is a fine zone where you can "control" the speed and that is the friction zone. It is a very small area of pedal depression and is not reliable for fine work. I used to grab the flywheel and cause the belt to slip to slow the machine down for fine work. Also not a really good way to do things. When I got a servo motor, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It was the best move in sewing that I ever made.

Hope that helps. Check Artisan's website for several servo motors that you could use.

[JRedding]

I'm the opposite of Bree, I'd rather have a good speed reducer set-up than the servo. We've got them both, the speed reducer if set up right will stitch one at a time, and it actually increases the bottom end torque allowing slow starts with good control. The servo we run will start slow and accelarate slow as long as it's easy sewing, not too heavy and not too dense.But it seems to have no torque at all compared to a speed reducer. Our servo setup has seen a lot of use but it's not that old and has recently started having some heating problems, it gets hot and will not accelerate beyond a snails pace if you run it continuously so I doubt it will last much longer.

[badLoveLeather]

OK. So where can I find either one of these solutions? Also, Is this something i can put in myself or do I need to have a sewing machine technician install it?

[ttownfire]

OK. So where can I find either one of these solutions? Also, Is this something i can put in myself or do I need to have a sewing machine technician install it?

I use the Reliable Sewquiet 3000 for my machine (Artisan 618-1). I agree with Bree, in that you get more bang for you buck with a servo. Reduced energy consumption, dead quiet until you press on the gas and lots of speed options. I tried everything to get the speed down.

I actually went to Ace and bought and installed a pulley that was half the size of the original. It made a difference, but nothing came close to the servo. I highly suggest that you get the optional 50mm pulley and use it.

Here is a link to the one I bought; http://www.acesewvac.com/rel-sewquiet.html

It takes 30 min. to 1.5 hours to change yourself depending on the wiring routing and such. You may need to make a trip to autozone to get a new (usually smaller) belt, but remember that the motor has a LOT of adjustment... basically the entire length of the long threaded bolt that hangs down. The servo doesn't care if its not perfectly perpendicular to the table.

Good luck

Mike.

[esantoro]

I'm the opposite of Bree, I'd rather have a good speed reducer set-up than the servo. We've got them both, the speed reducer if set up right will stitch one at a time, and it actually increases the bottom end torque allowing slow starts with good control. The servo we run will start slow and accelarate slow as long as it's easy sewing, not too heavy and not too dense.But it seems to have no torque at all compared to a speed reducer. Our servo setup has seen a lot of use but it's not that old and has recently started having some heating problems, it gets hot and will not accelerate beyond a snails pace if you run it continuously so I doubt it will last much longer.

I also like the reducer for this same reason. I have a reducer on a servo. I wish I had one of the two speed reducers, as I would like my machine to go even more slowly with more torque.

Ed

[ttownfire]

I'm the opposite of Bree, I'd rather have a good speed reducer set-up than the servo. We've got them both, the speed reducer if set up right will stitch one at a time, and it actually increases the bottom end torque allowing slow starts with good control. The servo we run will start slow and accelarate slow as long as it's easy sewing, not too heavy and not too dense.But it seems to have no torque at all compared to a speed reducer. Our servo setup has seen a lot of use but it's not that old and has recently started having some heating problems, it gets hot and will not accelerate beyond a snails pace if you run it continuously so I doubt it will last much longer.

It sounds like your carbon brushes are going bad. What kind of servo do you have?

[Bree]

I'm the opposite of Bree, I'd rather have a good speed reducer set-up than the servo. We've got them both, the speed reducer if set up right will stitch one at a time, and it actually increases the bottom end torque allowing slow starts with good control. The servo we run will start slow and accelarate slow as long as it's easy sewing, not too heavy and not too dense.But it seems to have no torque at all compared to a speed reducer. Our servo setup has seen a lot of use but it's not that old and has recently started having some heating problems, it gets hot and will not accelerate beyond a snails pace if you run it continuously so I doubt it will last much longer.

Very valid point. With the reducer and a clutch motor you get full torque and right off the blocks. You even get better torque with a reducer and a servo. My new T-4000 LA-25 will have both a reducer and a servo. Unfortuantely it isn't here yet which is annoying.

But because I used a clutch motor alone for such a long time, I became an almost inveterate flywheel control freak. So when I am powering through somnething that calls for heavier torque... I apply it manually.

I was impressed by the control the Artisan guys had over the needle on the T-3000 and I am looking forward to weaning myself off the flywheel!!

[tonyc1]

Very valid point. With the reducer and a clutch motor you get full torque and right off the blocks. You even get better torque with a reducer and a servo. My new T-4000 LA-25 will have both a reducer and a servo. Unfortuantely it isn't here yet which is annoying.

But because I used a clutch motor alone for such a long time, I became an almost inveterate flywheel control freak. So when I am powering through somnething that calls for heavier torque... I apply it manually.

I was impressed by the control the Artisan guys had over the needle on the T-3000 and I am looking forward to weaning myself off the flywheel!!

I have a speed reducer as well as a servo and it's great, you can have both hands on the article and don't need one on the flywheel to start off. It has taken me a while to get used to the fact that I don't have to depress the pedal and let the brake off to turn the flywheel, I've nearly been caught a couple of times especially so since it is so quiet you forget it is live and ready to go. The servo just makes things so much easier.

Tony.

[Bree]

Let me correct something I didn't say quite right. I don't think that a servo and reducer is going to give better torque than a clutch motor and reducer. At the same HP I think the clutch motor will always outperform the servo in torque. What I meant to say is that adding a reducer to a servo should improve the torque of the servo at the needle. It didn't come out exactly as I intended and I didn't want to confuse anyone.

Now I could possibly be wrong about the torque improvement but I think I am on the right track.

[bruce johnson]

I have always had machines with a speed reducer and also put small pulleys on the motors. I noticed more "power" on the wheel when I got the first servo motor and put it on the Adler. I used to "feather" the wheel by hand going into a corner to slow it down, and hand wheel to get it started on some heavier leathers. With the servo motor I couldn't feather it nearly as easily or start it by hand, it would throw my hand off. With the low speed I didn't need to do this nearly as much anyway. It was kind of like breaking a habit of reaching up to the wheel.

Another tip I got for speed control from an old guy. Put your whole foot on the pedal, not just the front half of your foot like you'd do on a gas pedal. Load your heel to stop it. It gave me more control that letting the return spring slow things down.