Tammie Report post Posted October 22, 2019 (edited) Good morning everyone I have a opportunity to buy a Juki LU-563 and wanted to check with you pros to make sure this would be an okay machine to start sewing leather and vinyl.. I can not afford to buy a brand new industrial sewing machine so figured I could start with this. Any tips would be great. Where can I buy different feet for it.. I am so sorry to bother you. Very nervous and excited. Have a great day... Edited October 22, 2019 by Tammie Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JJN Report post Posted October 22, 2019 (edited) @Tammie, The Juki LU-563 is a very good upholstery class sewing machine and is liked and recommended by many of the members here on LeatherWorker. I have one. It will be helpful if you explain what you intend to sew, so people can determine if this machine is a good match for your products. What kind of items are you going to sew? How thick is the leather? How many layers? What size of thread do you want to use? The 563 will sew about 3/8" thickness with thread ranging from #46 to #138. There are many different feet available for that machine that are inexpensive and plentiful. They are usually referred to as Singer 111 style feet. You can check with the dealers that support this forum in the ads on the top of the pages or look on Ebay. You will need needles designed for leather and a few bobbins on hand. Buy your thread 2 spools at a time so you can wind bobbins and sew at the same time. Do you have a photo of this machine? What is the condition of it? Does it have a servo motor or clutch motor? Is it working right now? Can you test it with your material? What is the price? I am sure others on this forum will want to help you and advise you any way they can. Yes, it is exciting isn't it. John Edited October 22, 2019 by JJN Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tammie Report post Posted October 22, 2019 I am wanting to sew leather bags and wallets. They would have interfacing and lining.. Would love to make classic doctor style bags and such.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tammie Report post Posted October 22, 2019 Hi JJN I double checked with the lady who is selling it and machine was serviced lazt year, runs great and looks to have a clutch motor Asking $400 Sent deposit Tried uploading picture but not luck Really got fingers crossed but looks to be in good shape. Is 8 hrs aways from here Will have nephews make sure it runs. Thanks for the help... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JJN Report post Posted October 22, 2019 Good price. That machine head is very heavy! If it is dropped, it can suffer irreparable damage. Just tipping over can break levers, guides and the tension assembly. I take the head off the table and set it inside the truck on the floor on its feet. Prop it up so it doesn't tip over. Get a servo motor for it. Maybe a speed reducer. You can read on this forum about needle and thread combinations. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tammie Report post Posted October 22, 2019 will do everything you suggested. Thanks for the help Excited to start Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tejas Report post Posted October 22, 2019 Tammy, here is a link to very good pdf copy of the 563 user manual just in case you don't already have a copy or the machine doesn't come with the manual. http://keysew.com/Webpages/DemoImages/Juki_LU-563_Instruction_Keyfooter.pdf Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DonInReno Report post Posted October 22, 2019 Is this your first industrial machine? The Juki is a great starter machine and parts and accessories are quite inexpensive so it can be fun to pick up presser feet/feed dogs/etc. that best fit what you’re making. When looking for parts keep in mind that many other industrial machines interchange with your Juki. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tammie Report post Posted October 22, 2019 Yes this is my first industrial Got it for $400.00 and just ordered the servo from Toledo So excited.. Thanks for the help with the manual Wow so Grateful Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tammie Report post Posted October 31, 2019 Good afternoon everyone and Happy Halloween.. I am needing to get ordered some feet and extra bobbins.. does anyone know a good source. looking for Quality as I rather only buy once.. sewing machine is arriving on Saturday. happy dance.. Thanks for the help Excited to start Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
shoepatcher Report post Posted November 1, 2019 Bob at Toledo can get you the items. Trying to think of any dealers in New England area: WS Bessett in Maine, Sanford Sewing in Vermont, New England Needle, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pintodeluxe Report post Posted November 1, 2019 20 hours ago, Tammie said: Good afternoon everyone and Happy Halloween.. I am needing to get ordered some feet and extra bobbins.. does anyone know a good source. looking for Quality as I rather only buy once.. sewing machine is arriving on Saturday. happy dance.. Thanks for the help Excited to start I haven't encountered any quality issues with different brand of feet. Many of the feet for my 563 are fairly high profile (tall) and can limit the thickness you can sew. For this reason I prefer the lower profile feet. Same feet as Consew 206, 226 and others. For some reason the low profile ones tend to be chrome, and the tall ones are black, but not always. I use a 1/4" piping foot most often, but left and right zipper feet are nice to have as well. As far as bobbins, make sure to get the extra large "U" style bobbins. M bobbins fit in the case, but the machine is designed for U style. You will like the machine. For the upholstery weight leather I sew, I haven't found anything I'd rather have. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matt S Report post Posted November 2, 2019 I've found that not all 111 style feet are made equal, but if you buy from actual SM dealers/suppliers (rather than any old randomer) they're usually quite adequate. Biggest issue I've encountered is that some inner feet don't fit on the shaft properly. However within any particular foot type (flat smooth, flat serrated, piping etc.) the inner foot is fairly universal so if I find, as I once did, that the otherwise identical inner feet in a piping set of half a dozen different sizes don't all fit... I simply threw away the ones that don't fit. I like Kungpeng. Decent prices, decent selection and quite good quality. Just wish there were an express shipping option! Proper local SM dealers tend to be more reliable in terms of quality, and are of course much faster, so may be worth the extra cost. Being a style rather than a standard, sometimes particular combinations of feet don't quite get along with each other. That's where the grinder comes into play... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dikman Report post Posted November 3, 2019 I've used KungPeng and found them very good to deal with. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tammie Report post Posted November 8, 2019 Thank you so very much for the help. Could I trouble you one more time for a link or web page for the feet Want to make sure I get the right ones. Thanks again and am so Grateful for the help. Have a great day... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
