help choosing a machine for veg tan leather

[Boofy]

Hi there.

This is my first post. I have read a lot here on leather sewing machines here and I wish to ask about my situation specifically. I was aiming to get one for my birthday in July but 6 months off work with cancer treatment (going well nearly finished I hope) has delayed that idea for quite a while now, but, I thought I would pick your brains anyway and get my head around what I am looking at.

I DONT want any fighting between cowboy/cobra/silrite/consew/juki supporters as I have a lot of respect for the sellers of all those machines who have given lots of info and free time to help others.

I have hand sewn some light bags and put my poor little Janome Mystyle 18W through hell with a little clutch bag. (I like what Arthur Porter does in Dallas)I cannot hand sew for long as I have a damaged nerve in my arm from dialysis (yeah if I was a sewing machine i would be on the scrap heap by now!). I would also like to incorporate leather in my teddy bear making. I want to use at several layers of least 5-7 oz tooling Veg- tan leather in some products as well as other lighter leather at this point.

(I would include pics of my stuff  but the pc is not cooperating)

I only have a small area (90cmL x 60cm W) so large machines are out of the question. I have looked online at (in no particular order) at the Sairite zig zag/consew CP2064/Cowboy (3200/3500/4500)/Cobra 3/4s/4P machines and have heard of Juki 441 machines as well. Can I also get the size of the tables/pedestals as they will have to be factored in to my little niche. 

I am in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. I have heard of Cowboy and Cobra being in Queensland but not down south (must be too cold down here for them :^} )  So if there is any distributors down this way to deliver and help set it up, it would be really good.

There are other places in Melbourne but they only seem to carry big machines.

Ideally about $800 - $1000 for the smaller Consew/sailrite machines would be good but I don't know if they will suite. I would use that as a springboard to go from there to a larger one like the Cowboy/cobra

or

save up to get the larger machine cowboy/cobra at a later date.

Oh and whoever gets my sale (eventually) I am dyslexic so I will ask a HEAP of questions. For that reason I would prefer new, although I saw a really cute Juki LU-562 with Dayton gear motor on a forum here earlier and thought it looked fantastic!!!!!

Thanks in advance.

 

Boofy

[Union Level Leather]

Save some more $$$ and buy the right machine the first time.

i bought 2 lesser machines and sold them, lesson learned.

you'll have it for a long time.

i have a few machines and I just bought a Consew RB206 added a speed reducer and it sews everything well, you won't need a bigger machine unless your going to sew harness leather 10-12 oz and up.

i like the Juki and some of the consew premier machines look nice but haven't seen them up close.

[Boofy]

Hi there!

Thanks for your wonderful advice Union Level Leather.

I guess I will keep saving my pennies a bit longer and go for a better machine like you suggest.

I found that there is an updated model of the Consew RB206 called the Consew Premier P1206RB Walking Foot Sewing Machine . It seems to be the basically same with a few upgrades. I will look into this one a bit more and see if anyone sells it here. I saw it on Cowboy USA in Toledo for $$995 USD with servo motor and table etc.

http://www.tolindsewmach.com/consew-p1206rb.html

Would you mind me asking a couple of questions?

What size is your table? the niche where this is going is not big so I will have to watch out for the "overall footprint" of whatever I get! 

Was it easy to set up an use? do you think a noob to industrial machines could do it without help?

Is there anything that "annoys" you about it?

Does it leave marks on the leather?

What is the thickest leather you have sewn on it?

Thanks for your help! It is appreciated. I won't be buying for a long time due to finances at the moment but it is wonderful to know what to look for!

I hope you really enjoy your new baby and make lots of awesome gear with it!

Boofy

[Boofy]

Hmmm this seems to be another upgraded version of the Premier P1206RB. Looks good...

http://www.consew.com/View/P1206RB-7

I might have to rob a bank or sell a heap more teddy bears I think!!

[leatherisfun]

The Cobra, Cowboy, Techsew, etc are copies of the Juki 441 and cost a lot less. As a class of machines they share the same needles and attachments are interchangeable. It all comes down to the package that a particular vendor offers, support, shipping cost etc.

That said, it depends on what you plan on sewing. If you are only doing flat items, or close to flat in fabric grade or softer upholstery leather, then a flatbed machine would serve you well but not the one in your post above. The computerized features aren't necessary for leatherwork. The non-computerized version of the same machine would save you some money.

The 441 class of machines are good for sewing multiple layers of stiffer leather like veg tan, chrome tan, etc and products both flat and curved. They will easily punch through several layers of greater than 7oz of whatever you choose.

Given your space limitations, you would need a custom, reduced size table. Tables which come with flatbed machines are much bigger. Standard table size is 119.38 cm long by 53.9 cm wide approximately.

 

 

[Boofy]

Thanks heaps Leatherisfun.

Unless I punch a hole in the wall (hubby would have kittens!!) that standard table is out of the question

I will be doing some soft leather bags, camera bags, teddy bear paws and accessories and eventually larger camera bags with stiffer 6-7 oz leather. So the 441 clones may be the way to go. I will still have to save up though...oh well I am going ok with hand sewing slowly at the moment. 

Cheers and keep crafting!

[leatherisfun]

This has been mentioned many times, one machine doesn't do it all. A 441 clone will be overkill for sewing soft, thin leather. The needles are much bigger and the smallest thread they use is a #69 size. A 794 #20  needle will leave holes in some thinner leathers. So, the ideal is to have 2 machines if the plan is to sew a range from thin to a few layers of 7oz.

 

[Boofy]

Yes I have seen that mentioned elsewhere. I guess we all would like "one with the lot" I do have a brother sewing/embroidery machine that I can get a walking foot for to use on light soft leather.

Not ideal I know but it will do for now for thinner stuff and I will work towards a 441 clone and trade the current machine in on a better one for lighter leather at a later date...

Thanks for your help!

Boofy