Buying First Sewing Machine...need Help!

[signaturetack]

I have only been doing leather working for a year and have only been hand stitching and with my hobby growing into a business I realllllllllllly need a sewing machine. The biggest thickness of leather that I will sew will be around 14oz, usually its 9-10oz leather. I have no idea where to even start, I have an incredibly low budget of around $200 so I don't expect anything fancy. Can anyone direct me...?

[Constabulary]

$200 is not very much. I´d say almost impossible to find a suitable leather sewing machine in that price range.

I´d check Craigslist (in case you are in the US) but be aware that you probably have to restore or adjust the machine. That may take some time and in worst case some extra $ for spare parts.

Check this link

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=25239

it will help you to find out what kind of machine you will need.

[Yetibelle]

You need to save up at least $1000 for a decent used leather machine, I will explain. You will be tempted by the "great deals" that can be found on Craigslist. Sometimes they are great deals however buying a 50-100 year old walking foot sewing machine can be tricky. Most of the parts are probably good but you may need a few new parts, and you will need the correct needles and thread (they can't be found at Jo-Anns). This process is not unlike getting a classic car be prepared to invest time and money. I have found that used machines typically cost 2x the purchase price to get in working order. So if you pay $300 for a Singer walking foot machine like a 153, or a 111 expect to pay up to another $300 to make it work perfectly. Typically there are plenty of parts however they are not all cheap and then you have to figure out how to replace the part and then readjust the whole machine, sometimes without the manual. The next issue is the old used machines typically come with a clutch motor. The clutch motor while super strong and fast is a nightmare. Sure there are tricks to slow it down, swap pulleys, add pulley speed reducers, add bungee cords, it will drive you nuts. You lightly tap on the pedal and zoom the machine takes off and your project looks like Frankenstein. So you will need a servo motor. They will give you control over your project. So now you have your $300 machine that needs a new bobbin case ($40.00), new servo motor ($150) , few packs of needles and thread ($50) a six pack of beer for your buddy who helps you carry all this ($10) since it weighs almost 200 pounds. Now your up to $500 and you still have not sewn anything.

I recommend looking for a machine that already has the key features you will need, servo motor, extra bobbins, needles, bobbin case (shuttle), thread and extra feet attachments. Bring a few test scraps of leather with you so you can test sew. If it is set correctly you should be able to walk up power it on and sew a line without issue. If you hear anything grinding, the thread getting tangled in the bobbin or breaking, the stiches look bad or very loose I would walk away and keep looking. However if it has all this then you should be in good shape. Bring a flashlight with you so you can look the machine over. You can't see all the little parts without good light. If your missing a few tiny screws in the wrong places the machine will kind of work but not exactly work well. They you will be so angry when you have to order .89 cent screws and pay $10 in shipping to get them.

Also because this bothered me when I started- Why do they all look the same?

The new machines are practically all based on the old machines and this is why they all look similar. If you look at similar model lines from Consew, Techsew, EconoSew, Cowboy, Juki they are appear at first glance to be the same machine re-branded. Adler and Phaff also fit into this but they have a few features and parts that are unique to them. All of them in the correct model machine and configuration servo motor can be setup to sew leather, plus the have probably have reverse. Just like the 75 year old Singer they can run almost forever. However because they are new or slightly used they will not have the issues I described above with the 75 year old Singer. You get a clean machine that is ready to sew. Expect to pay $800 plus for a used system like this, up to 4k for a new one. I can't recommend a one brand over the other, what I can recommend is that you visit you local industrial sewing store and see them for yourself. This will also help you narrow your search because you may want a post machine over a cylinder arm machine, they will have all the machine variants to look at.

Good Luck

[signaturetack]

Thanks so much for all of your input, after a lot of consideration I have raised my budget to $1,000 and believe that I have found a great sewing machine. Its the Juki DU-1181 by everything that I have read it should be a great machine to sew with. It has a servo motor a walking foot, only concern is that the rpm is 2,000 but it says that it can be controlled and the videos that I have seen on it makes it look like a fantastic machine. Unfortunately I do not have any local industrial sewing stores anywhere near me so the only help I get is online.

[Constabulary]

I don´t think you will be happy with this machine. It is not "that certain type" of walking foot leather workers are talking about usually.

The Juki DU-1181 has top and bottom feed but no needle feed. When Leather workers are talking about a walking foot machine then triple feed, compound feed or unison feed is meant.

That means the material is feed by feed dog (bottom feed), the needle (needle feed) and a presser foot (top feed) synchronized all at the same time.

Toledo Sewing Machines explains this system on their website:

http://www.tolindsewmach.com/walking-foot.html

My opinion is that you don`t have to spend $1000.

You CAN find good used machines for way less on craigslist or so. Often enough older machines are not too badly worn but you of course can`t be sure. There are many examples in the forum where member have bought good used machines for fair money. But here are of course members who had less luck with their machine but as far as I remember the majority have not failed with their used machines. Most of the time the needle hook timing is off and that often enough is an easy fix.

I´m one who never has bought a new machine. I bough all machines used and have restored them (more or less) and they all work very well and I´m not a sewing machine mechanic! My oldest machine is from 1932 and sews absolutely perfect! But it is true that you have to invest $250 -$300 for a new servo motor and a speed reducer and maybe some extra $ for some parts. But I´m convinced that you can save money when you buy a used machine but be aware that it often enough means that you have to rework them a little bit before they work properly.

You will get a a lot of support in the LW forum when you have problems with your machine (no matter if bough new or used).

Anyway - if you don´t feel comfortable with the idea of reworking a used machines by your self you should buy a machine from one of the dealers who have their banners on top of this website. They all have a good reputation and I think they all have new and used machines to choose from. They will guide you when you tell them what you are planing to do.

Edited March 6, 2015 by Constabulary

[Colt W Knight]

I watched the used market for a year to find a suitable sewing machine in Tucson. I gave 400$ for a used consew 206rb-1 ( one helluva deal), but I still had to invest in new needles, new thread, a servo motor, and some hardware to get everything up and running again. My 400$ machine ended up being 650$ machine. I still consider that a good deal.