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  • Contributing Member
Posted

Here ya go 25b....First one the front, second is the back. This is a thick (16oz) belt. Not as good on the back but more than acceptable.attachicon.gif100_2976.JPGattachicon.gif100_2977.JPG

Did your leather come with the grain crinkled like that, or did the machine do that?

JLS  "Observation is 9/10 of the law."

IF what you do is something that ANYBODY can do, then don't be surprised when ANYBODY does.

5 leather patterns

  • Members
Posted

Did your leather come with the grain crinkled like that, or did the machine do that?

Ha Hee, you noticed the lousy five year old "Tandy Craftsman" leather I used. I wanted a heavier belt for CC at work, figured it was a good way to use it up. Even my machine was sayin "What's this crap you want me to sew?" Just for shit's and giggle's I went by Tandy last week and didn't see anything that impressed me, even their good leather was hideous.

JW

My sewing machines (until I buy another one):

Cowboy CB3200

Cowboy CB0797

  • Members
Posted

Ha Hee, you noticed the lousy five year old "Tandy Craftsman" leather I used. I wanted a heavier belt for CC at work, figured it was a good way to use it up. Even my machine was sayin "What's this crap you want me to sew?" Just for shit's and giggle's I went by Tandy last week and didn't see anything that impressed me, even their good leather was hideous.

I quit buying from tandy, the leather quality is pretty bad at my local store.

  • Members
Posted

I quit buying from tandy, the leather quality is pretty bad at my local store.

I'm gonna distance myself from Tandy. Think I'll try Springfield Leather for my next order.....

JW

My sewing machines (until I buy another one):

Cowboy CB3200

Cowboy CB0797

  • Contributing Member
Posted

It's not just your store.. Last time I was at tandy I went through at least 50 hides (I want to say closer to 100) and just couldn't talk my self into any of it. Left without it... not even good for un-carved innards.

Say tandy and I 'get' it.. I just wanted to know if the machine was doing that!

JLS  "Observation is 9/10 of the law."

IF what you do is something that ANYBODY can do, then don't be surprised when ANYBODY does.

5 leather patterns

  • Members
Posted

l2bravo,

Back to the original question...

I've owned a 3200 for about a year now. I get great results from it and it chugs along nicely. There are only three issues I have with it:

  • My wife asked me when we bought it "Are you ever going to need to stitch something thicker than 1/2 inch?" "No way" I replied. Hmmm. First stacked leather sheath I made was well over 1/2 inch thick. Ate those words.
  • There are no options for a drop-down edge guide. I didn't even know I need this, but I do. Or rather I did, until I decided to go with more hand-sewing. Any time you sew a long strap to something, a drop-down guide would be nice. It can but up to the edge of the strap and not worry about where the leather underneath is. Without this, you have to scribe a line and try to follow it with the pressor foot. Now, I can sew a straight line, but just not as straight as I can get using a guide.
  • There's no option for a flat table. Sometimes it would be nice to have a flat surface to lay my project on and pivot it around the needle as I sew.

The 4500 kit they offered last time I checked out their site is what I would get now if I could do it all again. It addresses all three of these issues with a couple additional options thrown in. Although I think it's a standing machine only.

The only other issue is that the only edge guide they offer for the 3200 covers an oil port, so you have to almost completely remove the guide to oil the machine properly.

Other than that, I love the machine. I like that it's a sitting machine and it's on castors so I can wheel it place-to-place. The motor is plenty powerful and it adjusts for speed and stitch length easily. Tension can be a bit of a bugger. Bob ships it cranked all the way down, so you can see it sew the thickest, densest leather on the planet, then you have to crank it down to meet your needs. I had to spend some quality time with the manual to get it right and figure out how to quickly adjust for different projects.

-Sean

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