Thatone Report post Posted October 11, 2018 Hello everyone, I am running out of ideas on what to do with my JUKI LU 563. I had two repair men to come and check, both of them told me the reverse stitch works fine - when I sew on leather and press it it usually breaks the needle, it is unreliable to use - so I have to walk back every beginning and end of every project - the sync of the bottom feeder is fine, but sometimes it happens that the needle breaks at whim on its way back up from the picking up the bottom thread. Does anyone else have this problem? Any tips anyone can give would be greatly appreciated, I dont really want to sell the machine as everyone keeps telling me how amazing it is, but I am so frustrated with it!! Thank you! Marie Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brmax Report post Posted October 12, 2018 Hello there, did the service techs either one mention their thoughts on this issue. In addition when describing to them this and any other situation was the machine working ok in fabric while testing, or might they have also used leather . By the way what needle size are you using, and is this the same size as when the techs took a look at it. Good day Floyd Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kgg Report post Posted October 12, 2018 I have a couple of questions. What thread and needle combination are you using as well as bobbin thread size. What type and thickness of leather? I am going to assume that you have checked the amount of tension that the foot places on the material isn't too great; bobbin and main thread tensions aren't too great; needle installed in the correct direction, fully and clamped tight; bobbin installed correctly to allow thread to unwind properly. I think the 563 uses the same needles as my 1541s which are 135 x 17 but for leather work you need 135 x 16. I have bent a few needles trying to go through to thick of material even though it was the correct needle for the thread and material. My solution was to go up one needle size to get a little thicker shaft. I also use Schmetz sewing machine needles which I think are a pretty good quality needle and change my needle after 8 hours of use. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dikman Report post Posted October 12, 2018 Did you say it's breaking on the upstroke??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
keithski122 Report post Posted October 12, 2018 I 'd be interested in hearing about this as I use the same machine and when sewing thicker or harder materials it will also break the needle occasionally when in reverse.I tend to turn the material to lock off or lift the foot move the material back and resew. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Uwe Report post Posted October 14, 2018 If two mechanics sitting in front of the machine couldn't figure it out, you'll have to give a little more to work with than just text. A close-up video of your hook showing a hand-turned, very slow reverse stitch would be a great start. Prop your smartphone on the machine and lock the focus on the hook. On 10/11/2018 at 6:24 PM, Thatone said: when I sew on leather and press it Can you elaborate on what you mean by "press it"? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Thatone Report post Posted October 16, 2018 Ok, brmax: their take was that there is no issue .... I am using 135/16 NW needles with 69 bonded nylon - I do switch between canvas and leather. I adjust the tension accordingly - One mechanic made the thread tension super loose and the issue remained - other guy tightened it so hard I could not move the upper thread freely - both instances I asked if this is the appropriate tension - both said yes. Correct needle breaks on the upstroke - clean break on the bottom layer of the material - usually without a sign of a struggle, it just breaks off.....I installed servo and made the machine super slow which I thought might have been a problem - jamming the needle in too fast. UWE : It is hard to caption it as it happens very randomly - I was curious if any one is familiar with this behavior in particular with LU-563, since I dont really know anything about the machine. I thought thats something JUKI 563 is famous for... Simply put, if the material isn't two thin-ish layers, no way I can reverse without having to walk the needle manually. Thank you all, I appreciate your input! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dikman Report post Posted October 16, 2018 Strange. The only way I can think of for a needle to break like that is if the hook is catching it (I've actually done that, before I understood how to properly adjust things). All my other breakages have been on the downstroke due to needle deflection and hitting the feed dog. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DonInReno Report post Posted October 17, 2018 On 10/15/2018 at 9:03 PM, Thatone said: It is hard to caption it as it happens very randomly The video is so we can see how the needle, hook and other parts interact - it’s not necessary to catch a needle breaking. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
