Taking TK-8BL Sewing Machine

[RhodesAveDesigns]

Has anyone heard of/ used/ owned a "Taking" branded sewing machine?

An "Industial Sewing M" was posted locally on Craigslist for very little $$, and it's a 'Taking TK-8BL'. Turns out it was listed because the current owner states they can't find a belt for the machine, and they offered it to me for free (I guess they felt guilty actually taking $$ for something they can't vouch for). As I wanted to move quickly, before they changed their mind, without a truck, I'm getting the head to clean up/ figure out the belt situation. My brother-in-law's company creates individualized assembly-line and automated controls for manufacturers, so he has access to belts and parts not readily available to the rest of us. 

It looks to me like a Consew 206 or Seiko STH-8BLD clone of sorts; the metal label states the company is/was located in Taiwan. There is very, very little info to be found online, so I'm not sure if these machines are of any quality (I understand there would be no comparison to a Durkopp Adler, Pfaff, or Juki, but "free" is hard to argue with). Hopefully I'm not going to have another very heavy/ bulky paper weight. 

Two available pics, one the listing close-up, the other a screen clip of the specs from Taking Corp. 

Any info/ input would be appreciated.

 

Edited December 8, 2017 by RhodesAveDesigns
Sp

[Uwe]

Heck, if it's free just get it and report back!  Don't overthink it. It'll be a great machine to learn with no matter what. Chances are good that it's a really nice machine.

I'm voting for the the Taking TK-8BL being a clone of the Seiko STH-8BL:

 

 

 

Edited December 8, 2017 by Uwe

[RhodesAveDesigns]

Alright, we all may be witnessing a minor holiday miracle. 

Managed to get the machine here, and set it on my vintage Singer table. Called my brother-in-law about a belt; the seller was obsessed with it *needing* a belt that fit down in the narrow wheel well and my BIL has a few suggestions. Got it wiped down, dusted, and oiled.  

Decided "for fun" to try the standard 3L Mitsubishi v-belt I have been using on the Singer (which has issues I will deal with once the semester's over,  along with other things, when I have more patience)... and it worked!?!? It's probably not ideal, but there is enough of a fit/grip to *go*. So I now have questions, will have even more questions later, BUT, if I don't go fulfill my doggie-mama walk and play-time obligations (that were missed earlier), my dogs are going to go crazy. 

(Will post pic later, as it needs to be re-sized).

Edited December 9, 2017 by RhodesAveDesigns
Sp

[shoepatcher]

That is a clone of a Consew 206RB or Seiko  STH-8BL.   Parts and the timing belts should be the same.  Send us a few more pics.

glenn

[RhodesAveDesigns]

Sorry, I have to figure out how to resize the pics on my phone/tablet. 

Anything in particular you would like me to photograph? 

In case anyone is thinking my life is all rainbows and unicorns, I just finished cleaning up a combination of dog vomit and blood- my dogs ate too much snow during an intense game of herding/chase, & as I cleaned it up, I sliced my hand in 2 places on the edge of their placemat. Hopefully that's all the universe has to offer to restore "balance"... I may not leave the house for a while. 

[R8R]

15 minutes ago, RhodesAveDesigns said:

 

In case anyone is thinking my life is all rainbows and unicorns, I just finished cleaning up a combination of dog vomit and blood- my dogs ate too much snow during an intense game of herding/chase, & as I cleaned it up, I sliced my hand in 2 places on the edge of their placemat. Hopefully that's all the universe has to offer to restore "balance"... I may not leave the house for a while. 

Ok where is the popcorn, this story is getting good.

[RhodesAveDesigns]

Sorry for the delay. My cuts were a bit worse than I originally thought, and my blood is pretty thin. All the "excitement" tonight has really stressed my dogs out, they absolutely hate schedule changes, moving furniture, and anything "not right" with me. So I will have to wait to "play" until tomorrow. 

I have taken a series of pictures, including a full photo, the manufacturer plate, pics of the machine pulley & v-belt, the bobbin case and hook. I created a photo collage, which should have resized the photos. The machine is a gear-driven, compound-feed walking foot with reverse, with a small/ standard bobbin and a vertical hook. All the specs and visuals point to it being a Seiko STH-8BL clone. 

The previous owner gave it away/ gave up on it (after having acquired it from a local manufacturing company liquidation) because it needed a new v-belt, and he was "stuck" on the idea he needed a very, very narrow v-belt that would fit tight down in the 1/4" pulley groove (such a thing wouldn't have fit very well in the original clutch motor pulley).  According to my BIL, such narrow belts exist, but would need to be specially ordered (with accompanying wait time)... and I would potentially need to install a new, narrow pulley on my servo. Which is why, knowing I've seen plenty of pictures of similar machines, which seem to work without crazy complicated setups, I tried the v-belt I already have on my servo, a Mitsubishi v-belt I purchased at Ace Hardware for $7.99. And it seems to work Ok.... 

Tomorrow I will see about actually sewing with it, as-is. And I will be sure to share the process, and additional questions/ information. After saying a few more prayers of thanks and gratitude. 

[Gregg From Keystone Sewing]

I've seen a few of these, Hoffman Bros. used to bring this machine in as an EA-106, the quality is good.  

[RhodesAveDesigns]

Sorry for the delay in updating, the wounds on my fingers/hand (dominant) weren't closed enough to use/flex properly. I'm hoping tonight/tomorrow will be better. 

Gregg, thanks for the info, everything I've seen so far seems pretty good. 

I do wonder of there isn't a better v-belt set-up, something maybe to provide a bit more tension, but with some give? My BIL can't come take a look for a while, if anyone has used something different/better? 

- Elizabeth

[mikesc]

Try "bungee cord"..the kind with an elasticated centre..wrap some around the two pulleys, so that you have some tension, mark the length that gives you , cut 10% shorter..hand stitch the ends together when they are butted together, avoiding as much as possible any "bump"..it will look messy..it will work..

HTH :)

this "bodge" would never survive being run fast ( due to the difference between the driven side tension, before the machine pulley and the slack side tension, after the machine pulley ), but, as you'll be running it slow..it will work fine for as long as your stitching ( which joins the butt ends ) holds out..like using panty hose in place of a "fan belt" on a car..only this bodge can last for months if you stitch carefully enough through the braid that covers the elastic part of the bungee cord.

The bungee cord should have a diameter which allows it to fit fairly ( doesn't need to reach the bottom completely ) snugly down into the VEE of the machine pulley..but which also fits "reasonably " into the VEE of the drive pulley on the motor..

Edited December 11, 2017 by mikesc

[Pintodeluxe]

Heck, those belts are available at every corner hardware store.  Nice score.

[Northmount]

Belts don't need to be really tight.  Some users leave some slack so they can use  the right hand to slow the machine down somewhat, especially if they are using a clutch motor.  A little slack is also good if you happen to pull the needle to one side, breaking it, and causing a jam.  Then you don't have to rely as much on the safety clutch to protect your machine.  Generally there is enough adjustment on the motor bracket to allow you to tighten the belt as far as needed.  If the belt is not the right length, you won't be able to adjust it.  Vee belts should not ride on the bottom of the pulley.  The top of the belt should generally be flush or nearly flush with the top of the pulley.  It is the friction on the sides of the belt that transmit the driving force to/from the pulleys.  At the mid point between pulleys, you should be able to depress the belt about an inch with firm thumb pressure.  Should not be hard to do.  It is not like vee belts driving fans, ac compressor and alternator on a car.  They need to be much tighter due to the amount of power they have to transmit.

Tom

[Uwe]

Most motors have an adjustable mount that allows you to move motor position and adjust belt tension. Belts are available in 1 inch increments over a large range. Just get the right size belt so that you adjust belt tension via the motor pivot. That's what everybody else does, or should be doing.

Edited December 11, 2017 by Uwe

[mikesc]

"Most" being the operative word..my singer 211 motor ( original motor, original table, original machine ) bought from new.. did not have that ( or any other means of adjusting the belt ) adjustment available, normal three point fitting to table..but single "pivot" bolt attaching the motor to the mount..if the motor was pivoted to fit available belt sizes, the belts either rubbed against the back end of the belt slot, or was waaay too "slack"( didn't turn the machine pulley )..the belt was badly worn, cracked and splitting, probably the belt that came with the whole set up from new..the "bungee cord bodge" above worked..2 months later I was able to find a toothed belt ( needed 1/2" difference rather than the usual 1" ) that fit.

Edited December 12, 2017 by mikesc

[SARK9]

Most of the 3L belts are available in half-inch steps, at least here in these parts. Its why the size is designated in 3 digits, such as "3L425" being a 42-1/2" belt.

 

-DC

[mikesc]

"Here" I had to order mine from the UK..otherwise 1" steps only..the main market here for "belts" appears to be for lawnmowers and garden machinery..or you can "order" one in half inch increments from a "sewing machine dealer", who will then order it from Germany or the UK , but they'll charge you ( take the money from your credit card ) when you "order"... at double or triple the price they ( or you , if you buy direct from say College Sewing ) are going to be paying..

I now have large stock of belts, ( I prefer the toothed ones ) and bungee cord to "bodge" with while waiting for a belt size that I don't have to get here from the UK.

There is also the weird thing that belt size is calculated as the distance around the circumference of the belt, but the circumference is measured as being through the middle of the "cross section" of the belt ( so it is neither the inside circumference, nor the outside circumference ) , but for some reason, French sewing machine dealers quote the measurements in cm or mm ( despite most belts being sold as in "inches" ) and some of them tell you it is the outside circumference, and others tell you that it is measured from the inside circumference. So to get fewer "wrong size belts", it is simpler ( and cheaper ) to buy from the UK or Germany.

Edited December 12, 2017 by mikesc

[Uwe]

And as soon as we get the perfect belt installed, the "how do I slow it down" saga begins. Perhaps a new servo motor that is adjustable both in position and speed would be prudent investment right now, especially since the whole setup itself was free to begin with.

 

[mikesc]

Yes..what Uwe said :)

[RhodesAveDesigns]

Hey, everybody who's written a reply earlier tonight....

I will read through each post later today, so I can post some cognizant replies/ acknowledgements/ etc. 

Not long after posting earlier (yesterday), I left to drive to the Detroit area to pick up a load of leather ('cause I really do have *it* bad). It was perfectly bad timing, as the east side of the state got hit pretty hard, with quite a bit more snow than originally forecast, and, it seems, not much of a salt or snow plow plan, then the drive home was into a new lake-effect front. So a round trip of about 4 1/2 hrs took nearly twice as long, much of which was truly white-knuckle driving. I'm grateful that both I & my car are still intact, given the number of accidents, slide-offs, etc., I passed (very, very slowly). I swear my life doesn't usually involve nearly this much drama. 

Quickly, I can add that the machine is "temporarily" mounted on a vintage Singer table (the original, military-issue table "belonging" to a very temperamental Singer 111w153), and is  connected to a Family Sew servo I purchased from Cowboy Bob back in September. Ideally a speed-reducer set-up will follow, using my BIL and his access to spare/ "extra" industrial components, 'cause he was pretty shocked when I showed him the retail $$ and the components of a speed-reducer set-up. 

I may 'never' get the table the machine was originally photographed on, but I already have one of the sort-of-awful green industrial tabletops I can mount it on if needed, when Singer's issues get addressed. At which point, another Family Sew servo would get ordered & installed. The original Singer motor was 220v, so I never had the *fun* of trying to control a vintage clutch motor. 

- Elizabeth

[p1973rsr911]

How is the TK-86 different from the TK-8b?   I am in the market from an automotive grade walking foot machine and I found a TK-86 but cannot find much information on it.   I will post pictures when my account gets approved.   Thanks

[Constabulary]

looks like a Juki 563 (large hook) or 562 (standard hook) to me