Hard To Turn Consew 206 By Hand.

[chris989]

I just bought new consew 206. I searched but could not find a post about this so I am sorry if this is a duplicate. I bought it online and not local because my local shop wasn't very professional and I did not trust it. I call back to were I bought it and I am told all machines are hard to turn.

At first the machine was so tight it could not roll pass the timing marks (when the needle and presser foot is on a down stroke) when running slow. it would bind and the belt would just spin. I noticed the presser feet were only rising about 1.5 mm so I adjusted that to the max height.

Next I loosened the presser feet adjustment six full turns. I cannot rotate the machine by hand with the belt not in place. Prior, I could not rotate the machine without a full grip and a ton of effort.

My biggest issue is, with the belt installed, ( I have a family 550 servo and a 5-1 reducer) I can barely turn the machine to position the needle. I am a semi novice so sometimes I still hand crank that last stitch at a corner.

Question, Is this the nature of all servo motors to actually feel like it is braked when not running? It is hard to turn just the servo by hand not even hooked to the machine.

I have not tried it without the reducer,,, I am guessing it is making it that much harder to turn the tight servo motor.

Is there an accessory wheel that is larger?

At my fabric store they have a 206 and it is super easy to turn but it is a clutch motor.

Would a sew quiet 5000 be the same?

This is only my second machine so sorry for the simpleton question.

Thanks in advance,

Chris

[Constabulary]

slip of the V-belts off and try to turn the hand wheel again if it goes easier then the fault is not the machine. Any try if you can turn the motor pulley and speed reducer pulley easily so you can narrow the fault. Beside of that oil the machine according to the manual.

[Constabulary]

sorry - seems I did not read carefully...

Maybe the hand wheel too tight. The Hand wheel should be attached to the shaft with 2 set screws (one screw sits in a V notch or a flattened spot) and at the end of the shaft in the middle of the hand wheel there should be an adjustment screw which presses the hand wheel toward the machine body. Loosen the two set screws and the adjustment screw and try to pull back the hand wheel may 1mm or so and then see if it goes lighter. If yes adjust the screw the way that the hand wheel is as close to the machine body as possible but should be still easy to turn.

Thats what I´d try at first at the machines beside the oiling.

I dont know this particular motor but mine is easy to turn by hand.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Constabulary

[chris989]

Thank you for the suggestions, The machine was set up from the dealer and oiled well. I am not sure how well they tuned it?

With zero belts installed the machine cranks easily unitl the presser foot touches the feed dog. Then it takes a full grip to and effort to turn the machine. Almost like it is binding somewhere. I only have a floor model to compare it to but mine is harder to turn than the floor model withe thread, fabric and belts installed.

THe wheel is already moved back as you suggested. My only other machine was a small Sailrite. I never noticed this kind of binding in that machine, but then it had a much larger wheel on the machine that was easy to grip and the size gave me a mechanical avantage over the motor.

Can a larger wheel be installed? the belt are could remain the same but something larger for my hand to grab?

[Ferg]

From your description, you probably need to do some adjusting in the height of feet on the "full" down motion. You should not be tight on the feed dogs.

When you have the head "UP" from the table so you can see the underneath works, there is a set screw toward the left side making it possible to adjust the fed dogs. You can loosen the screw and see the dogs move up and down. Only move a slight bit to see if that helps your situation. With that problem you need to do a little experimenting to get the proper adjustment.

Wiz may step in here for you, he knows this machine forward and backwards. I have a 206 RB5.

ferg

[Northmount]

In addition to the comments above, servo motors normally have a brake. When the pedal is completely released, the servo motor's brake is on, so yes it is even harder to turn against the brake. Press the pedal slightly to release the brake.

There is another thread of posts about disconnecting or removing the brake if it is not needed. Typically for most of us, we go slow so don't really need the brake.

Tom

[Wizcrafts]

First of all, the Family Sew 550s motors have a brake that stops the motor when the control arm is fully up. You have to barely touch the pedal to release the (cork) brake. I actually removed the brake from one of my FS-550 motors, to make hand cranking easier. Just watch out for motor run-on if you sew fast.

The Consew 206RB should turn freely when you spin the hand wheel. Something is mis-adjusted on yours. As Ferg suggested, it could be the feed dog raising up and hitting the throat plate. Check that by unscrewing the throat plate and pulling it off. Rotate the wheel and see if the binding is gone. If so, lower the feed dog at its highest point. You'll need to flip the head over on the table to get to the bolt that adjusts the lift of the feeder. Use a large, flat blade screwdriver and lots of arm. When the dog has been lowered enough that it doesn't hit the bottom of the throat plate, tighten it back down.

If it's not the feed dog that's binding, it could be that you have set the lift of the outer presser foot too high. There are two places I know of that the crank arms for the presser foot can hit and cause binding. One is against the alternating foot shaft, inside the head. The other is against the opening on the back of the head, where the crank protrudes. Try lowering the lift on the curved slot behind the head. If the binding stops with less lift, the machine needs to be readjusted to allow the normal full alternating lift to happen. Contact your seller for an adjuster's manual to assist you. Or, ask them if they can email the instructions, or talk you through it. This is not a trivial adjustment and damage can happen if it's done wrong.

Was this sold by an eBay dealer? They are usually sensitive to feedback and problem reports.

[chris989]

Here is a short video of what i am talking about. If anyone can comment on this i would appreciate it. With it this way it is impossible to control the needle position.

http://s1338.photobucket.com/user/cecil989/media/7781%20radcliff%20st%20las%20vegas%20nv%2089123/consew/MOV06625_zps1f1769f0.mp4.html

[chris989]

Wiz,

I bought from a brick and mortar shop in southern california. When i called him, and sent the same video, he said all of his machines are like that. .. I was going to buy at my local shop but the man insisted that no one makes a speed reducer pulley. It was at that point i thought i better look elsewhere.

I removed the throat plate, it is not that, It is when the presser foot strikes the feed dog. If i leave the foot raised, I can turn the machine easily. Foot down,,, it binds at the moment they touch. I am not sure what the downward pressure on the foot should be. I already loosened the setting, not sure if i should keep going. I do not want to go to far and have something pop put of place????

Thanks,

Chris

[Ferg]

I think from your video the feed dogs are too high in relationship to the presser feet. I definitely would not continue to force the rotation of the the machine until this is properly adjusted.

BTW: The man telling you this is normal is full of it.

You can actually adjust the dogs until they are not above the throat plate at all without doing any harm. Do this adjustment then test until it is correct for your material. You can easily return adjustment to original position.

There are several other things to try. I feel more info is needed to keep you from doing something to the machine.

ferg

[Ferg]

i am including in this post information Wiz gave me when I first obtained my Consew. I am sure he won't mind my inclusion.

Quote:

When you get your new Consew 206RB set-up, rotate the hand wheel towards you (CCW direction) from the top and watch the action of the pressor feet very closely. If the machine has been properly adjusted by the shipper or seller, you will notice that as the inside foot and needle come down, just as the needle reaches the plane of the feed dog, the inside foot makes intimate contact with the top center of the feeder. As you continue to rotate the wheel (slowly), the feeder will move backwards, as will the inside foot and needle. When the feeder reaches the end of its travel, as determined by the stitch length setting, the needle and inside foot will begin to lift up. At this moment, the feed dog moves under the throat plate surface and is brought forward, to begin the next cycle.

If the feed dog is lowered to avoid marking the bottom of the leather, the inside foot will push the leather down into the now basically evacuated, rectangular slot in the throat plate. The leather will tend to stick down into this gap and will fight the action of the needle and inside foot. This will either result in broken needles, or stitches that vary in length. You will immediately lose a good portion of the preset stitch length, due to drag.

Further, since the leather will give at the bottom, when the inside foot comes down under pressure, the timing of the lifting will be thrown off. The inside foot may not lift when it reaches the back of the preset stitch length; it may in fact lift late, and less than normal. You see, the inside foot depends on the solid bottom provided by the steel feed dog to perform its lift and move action.

If the inside foot stays on the material too long, the outside foot will also stay down too long. This will further reduce your available stitch length, due to pronounced drag of the double sprung pressor feet.

Lastly, you will lose any semblance of an equal reverse stitching action, as the timing of the lifting and lowering of the alternating pressor feet are tied to the feed dog being at the correct height, at the necessary time in the cycle.

If the teeth on the feed dog present a problem for critical jobs, I would recommend purchasing another dog and have the top milled or ground flat, then polished. Then, raise the height of the feeder to match the original setting above the throat plate. This will give you the bottom feed and support needed to both move the material and actuate the alternating pressor feet. This assumes that there is enough material inside the feed dog to grind off the teeth and not cut through to the underside of the oblong hole, enlarging it to a ludicrous size.

End Quote:

ferg

[chris989]

I think from your video the feed dogs are too high in relationship to the presser feet. I definitely would not continue to force the rotation of the the machine until this is properly adjusted.

BTW: The man telling you this is normal is full of it.

You can actually adjust the dogs until they are not above the throat plate at all without doing any harm. Do this adjustment then test until it is correct for your material. You can easily return adjustment to original position.

There are several other things to try. I feel more info is needed to keep you from doing something to the machine.

ferg

The feed dog appears to be < 1mm above the surface. I turned the presser foot adjustment out one more turn. I will test sew some scrap i have. I sew mostly heavy fabric not leather.

[Wizcrafts]

At this point in the adventure, I recommend removing the face cover plate from the front left end of the machine. Do this with the thread removed, top and bottom.

With the face plate off and feet lowered, slowly rotate the hand wheel towards you (always rotate counterclockwise). When you feel the unusual resistance, look inside the head. Pay particular attention to the position of the crank arm that connects to the outer presser foot, where it is inside the head. See if it is making contact with the shaft for the inside presser foot. If not, see if the arm is hitting the top edge of the cutout on the back of the head.

Report back here if you find that the presser foot crank is hitting something inside the head. This must be rectified or the machine will be destroyed in a short time.

[chris989]

Wiz,

I forgot to mention one other issue. The tolerance to install or remove the bobbin is a few thousandth. maybe more but i find it almost impossible to remove the bobbin let alone install it. I have yet to get the bobbin in with the head down, I have to lift it and visually install it.. It is so close to the feed dog arm it takes incredible finesse to slip it in or out.

Could the feed dog lever be bent or a poor casting causing both of my issues? Or is the 206 bobbin super finicky?

Thanks again for helping me, I wish i could just take it to a shop but where i live that is like playing russian roulette.

[SARK9]

If your "new" 206 is a 206-RB5, one thing you might try when removing the bobbin case is to match the dot on the handwheel with the dot on the body casting and remove or install it in that position. Some of the 206 manuals have a different set of instructions concerning the position of the needle bar and feed dogs.

This position seems to make it easier for mine.

-DC

[SARK9]

Quick diagnosis for your hard to turn issue: Remove both presser feet and rotate handwheel; report back.

-DC

[chris989]

Thanks Sark,

I am not sure of that exact mark now as I have made my new Ghetto wheel. When i find what works best i will mark my wheel. But is certainly has a sweet spot or there is no way to get it in. I guess i will get more use to it in time.

As for the binding, As of now I can not find anything visually. It is much easier to turn with the foot pressure lessened. With the feet up there is zero binding. I will see if it sews better when i get thread this week. All i have now is 207 and 22 needles.

Here is my hand wheel for everyone's amusement. With the 10 inch hand wheel it turns effortless

[JLSleather]

It actually sounds like (and looks from teh vid) either the dogs are riding too high, or the pressure is cranked too low. It's only hitting in that spot, like eccentric circles ...

[SARK9]

I couldn't play the video, but from your photos it looks like you have a 4L belt on the machine's add-on pulley, going to the 3L groove on your speed reducer's small pulley. This may not end well LOL. The servo plus the speed reducer alone should provide all the torque and speed reduction for anything I can think of, and when you get the hard turning part corrected, the machine will be very easy to turn by hand using only the original pulley on the machine. If you have the right belts to swap stuff still laying around, I'd consider whether there was a *need* for the wooden wheel and its pulley. 4L belts generate a bunch more flexing tension and friction loss.

-DC

[Wizcrafts]

Just curious if the speed reducer turns freely with the belts disconnected?

Back off the presser foot pressure screw until it pops out. See if there is still any binding with zero foot pressure. If not, reinstall the adjuster and turn it down enough to keep it from popping out, then tighten the locknut.. Also, back off the screw over the inside foot, if you have such an adjuster.

[chris989]

Everything turns freely, The wooden wheel is more for the ease of my hand to grab. I have loosened the presser foot tension screw 7.5 turns and the machine turns easily. Is it normal for there to be so much room to adjust that setting??

I found some 69 thread and ran it through some layers of vinyl i had and it sews nicely.

It is 100% better than when it arrived

I have never messed with foot pressure before but i will continue to feel it out.

[Wizcrafts]

I may be that the machine has an extra heavy coil spring for the presser foot. Backing it off made the machine turn over easier. You only need to apply enough foot pressure to keep the material from lifting with the ascending needle. That's all.

Some walking foot machines also have an adjuster over the inside foot. If your machine has one, there will be a narrower coli spring around the shaft for that foot, plus there will be a screw adjuster on top, directly inline. This spring can also be backed off for easier action. My National 300N has two pressure adjusters as described.

Replace that 4L v-belt with a suitable 3L.

[Wizcrafts]

If you are going to be sewing with #207 thread, the maximum for your machine, a #22 needle makes too small of a hole. Use #23 or #24 needles for easier action. Your needles should be system 135x17 for cloth, Sunbrella and vinyl, and 135x16 for leather.

Needle size becomes much more critical when sewing leather, rubber, wood and webbing, which are hard materials. In these materials, the needle must be large enough to poke a hole that allows the lockstitch "knots" to get pulled inside the material. If the needle only clears the top thread, your knots may sit under the bottom layer, or be visible on the bottom and not fully buried.

Edited September 14, 2014 by Wizcrafts