Box Stitch Using Needle And Awl Machine

[rmr]

this is an item Im tying to sew on a machine- I have the attachments sold by Campbell Randal- just haven't tried them yet

[Trox]

Oltoot, It seems we are not on the same page. I too have a Union Lock and have the single toe feet for stitching right next to an object or edge. The raised bottom plate is great for stitching stirrups, but as you stated, setup requires a lot of adjustment to raise the lock above the plate and to be hidden inside the leather.

What we are referring to is a fixture to allow the machine to stitch the 90 degree corner of a case with the thread passing thru at a 45 degree angle. This requires the bottom of the foot to be angled shallow on the outside of the machine, and a bottom plate that is angled low on the left. This allows space for a square corner of a box to sit under the foot at a 45 degree angle and the stitch to follow around the box. this was popular for binocular cases and camera cases in the '40's. It requires that the leather be beveled at 45 degree angles and assembled to create a square (box) corner. It is quite difficult to do this kind of work well, and nearly impossible without the proper attachments.

The picture illustrates the attachment foot and bottom plate that is needed for box stitching.

Keith

Box stitching .jpg

Now we talking Keith,

I take thats a Union Lock attachment. I am grateful for any pictures and ideas. I guess I have to make this attachment myself, because the Ferdco one is not available anymore. (I have checked with the Hoffman brothers).

I am thinking about making a "hybrid" between yours, the Campbell R and the 441 attachment. I already have a drop down roller guide that I can make a new angled guide for. Then I can make a new angled needle plate out of aluminum (your kind of style) and use a bent right toe paddle foot with an modified inner foot. I do not know if a adjustable lower material support like on the 441 attachment is necessary, I think I will find out with some trial and error anyway. A Ferdco (441) pat. lower needle guide will come in handy when there is no space for a feed dog. There will be allot of outward pressure on the needle; causing the 441 to skip stitches. I cannot afford buying/shipping a CR highigh liftom the USA, so I will give this a shot and see how it works out.

Thanks

Tor

[Trox]

IMG_1208.JPGthis is an item Im tying to sew on a machine- I have the attachments sold by Campbell Randal- just haven't tried them yet

I think you will be able to sew the top and bottom on that case with ease. You would normally need a machine with feed of the arm for the long cylinder case seam. I wonder how the attachment will work on this seam, its not a 90 degree angle anymore. It looks like its been done with the same attachment, thought.

Tor

Edited March 31, 2015 by Trox

[kseidel]

Trox, the pics I posted are attachments on a Randall machine. I have a few other parts that are variations on the theme. I'll post more pics tomorrow. I believe you could modify a set of feet on your 441 clone and you would need to make our modify a lower plate to have at least a 30° angle. You should not need to modify the work guide. Needle deflection will be the greatest hurdle. Joining a steeper bevel on the right our inside side of the needle will help drive it straight through the leather with minimal deflection. Uniform feeding may also be a problem without the assist of lower feed dogs. A larger needle may be necessary for less flex. Good luck!

[Trox]

Thank you Keith, I look forward to see the other attachments too

Thanks

Tor

[kseidel]

I use all of these accessories for stitching box corners. Depending on the application as to which bottom plate or which foot.

Keith

[rmr]

Keith

the foot that is angled- was that something you created- or is that a part Cambell Randall sells?? I also noticed that there is a guide ( to right of needle and awl) - do you feel that is important to have when trying to use the machine to box stitch?? I'm guessing you use it to "push" the work against while stitching

RMR

[kseidel]

Yes, RMR, the guide is a necessary part of the equation. The box being stitched determines how the machine will need to be adjusted. Thickness of leather and thread size/ stitch length will affect how far from the edge the stitch line needs to be. The farther from the corner you move the stitch line, the thicker the material will be at the stitch line. It is necessary to hold the work tight against the guide to maintain uniform border spacing for the stitch line.

The angled foot is a Randall/Campbell part with the center cut away for awl allowance keeping the bottom edge of the foot very close to the stitch line. Attached is a scan of the page from the Campbell/Bosworth catalog showing the available attachments for box stitching.

[Trox]

Thank you Keith,

for posting the pictures and sharing your insight. I think I have enough ideas to start making something for the 441. I think I will try a 30 deg angle first. Perhaps drill/thread a couple of screw holes on top of a slotted needle plate and attach a angled aluminum piece on it. I took a peep at your web page, your work are truly amazing.

Thank you

Tor

[SantaFeMarie]

Keith, what would be the minimum thickness of veg tan you could use to make a box-stitched item with that set-up?

[kseidel]

It looks to me like about 5/6 oz total material on each side to create the box joint would be about as thin as would be possible to make a nice stitch with this set-up. Other variations to get to a similar thickness at the stitch line would work also. Total thickness of material wt the stitch line would be a minimum of about 1/8"+.

[SantaFeMarie]

Thanks, that is very interesting and helpful.

[amuckart]

Here's Singer's patent for a machine for sewing leather cases. It illustrates the setup of the 45kSV mentioned earlier in this thread.

https://www.google.co.nz/patents/US2652014?dq=US+2652014+A&hl=en&sa=X&ei=B5AvVdPYBIbo8AWc34DICw&ved=0CBwQ6AEwAA