Help choosing the right sewing machine

[craftsman827]

I'm looking to purchase a sewing machine.

I've been working with leather for over 40 years.

Now full time, I can't keep up with the hand sewing.

I make a lot of dog collars, leads, & harnesses.

Problem is which machine to purchase, that can stitch close to the edge.

A lot of the collars have spots on them. I enclosed a photo so you can see what I mean.

Do I need a special foot to get around the studs, & sew on the edge ?

 Two layers of 8/10 oz.

Edited July 3, 2017 by craftsman827

[Wizcrafts]

The 441 clones all accept a special Cowboy brand presser foot set that is inline. The footprint is about 1/8" or so, depending on how precisely the back foot lines up with the front foot. I use this set to occasionally re-sew boot soles, or to sew next to hardware, like your example. The way the feet are built reduces the thickness that can be sewn somewhat. But, since most of these machines can sew at least 3/4 inch, it doesn't matter that much.

Here is a photo of the Cowboy inline foot set.

[Uwe]

That HighTex/Cowboy foot set shown above may prove hard to find in real life. 

You may have to make your own custom feet for specialty applications like yours. I ground down a standard Juki TCS-441 class blanket foot to achieve something similar to the in-line foot pictured above:

 

 

If you don't need all that oomph and thick-thread capabilities of a Juki TSC-441 class machine, a standard flatbed walking foot machine (e.g. Pfaff 545, Adler 167, Juki LU-563) may be all you need.

I made an in-line foot for narrow-edge stitching on a Pfaff 545: 

Here's the demo video I made some time ago:

 

Edited July 3, 2017 by Uwe

[Joon1911]

9 hours ago, Wizcrafts said:

The 441 clones all accept a special Cowboy brand presser foot set that is inline. The footprint is about 1/8" or so, depending on how precisely the back foot lines up with the front foot. I use this set to occasionally re-sew boot soles, or to sew next to hardware, like your example. The way the feet are built reduces the thickness that can be sewn somewhat. But, since most of these machines can sew at least 3/4 inch, it doesn't matter that much.

Here is a photo of the Cowboy inline foot set.

Wiz,

 

Do you know if Toledo Industrial carries these feet in stock?

[Wizcrafts]

4 hours ago, Joon1911 said:

Wiz,

 

Do you know if Toledo Industrial carries these feet in stock?

Probably. That's where I got mine.

[LumpenDoodle2]

10 hours ago, Uwe said:

If you don't need all that oomph and thick-thread capabilities of a Juki TSC-441 class machine, a standard flatbed walking foot machine (e.g. Pfaff 545, Adler 167, Juki LU-563) may be all you need.

I made an in-line foot for narrow-edge stitching on a Pfaff 545: 

That shape would be a very handy addition for me.     Are there any problems regarding grinding down the feet.    I've filed flat the bottom of presser feet, but wondered if there are things I should be avoiding if I tackle making a set of in line feet myself.

Quote

 

 

Edited July 4, 2017 by LumpenDoodle2

[Uwe]

I started a separate topic on how to make in-line presser feet: