dikman Report post Posted February 4, 2020 (edited) In a recent post I mentioned making an extension arm for the foot lifter lever on my 4500. JLSLeather mentioned that in his opinion it's not needed and to just use the foot pedal for lifting the feet. I didn't agree, but it got me thinking (always dangerous). The 4500 has a much higher lift than my other machines and also requires a lot more effort to use the hand lever compared to the foot lever, so maybe his idea makes sense after all. Only problem is the foot lever is on the right and I every time I shift my foot from pedal to pedal I have to look down. Hmm, I have a perfectly good left foot that is doing nothing, so this is the end result. Made from stuff I had lying around, so cost =$0. The main bar shaft is galv. pipe, the bearings (doesn't really need bearings but I had them) are from a home-made table that came with one of my machines, a shaft was turned down for each end to fit the pipe and bearings (different sizes, of course!), the foot pedal also from another old table but needed extending (twice!!) to get the movement needed. Trial and error to get the travel right, but now I can get full lift with minimal effort and if needed can still lock the feet up with the hand lever. In hindsight it may have been better to mount the contraption on the back of the upright legs and extend the two arms, but it works so it can stay where it is. Edited February 4, 2020 by dikman Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Albob Report post Posted February 4, 2020 Looks well done from here. I'm going to add a hot rod gas pedal I've had for many years to the replace the go pedal on my pfaff 145 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kgg Report post Posted February 4, 2020 Nicely done. kgg Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dfrensdorff Report post Posted February 5, 2020 I’m in the same boat with my Techsew 5100. I don’t mind the right side foot pedal, but I’d love an extension for the lift handle, (because my edge guide interferes with it). Any info on the parts needed? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rodzhobyz Report post Posted February 5, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, dfrensdorff said: I’m in the same boat with my Techsew 5100. I don’t mind the right side foot pedal, but I’d love an extension for the lift handle, (because my edge guide interferes with it). Any info on the parts needed? I fretted over this very issue after my edge guide was added. My 1st thought was to remove the stock collar with the set screw / hand lift knob, and turn an extension on the lathe. It's the kind of situation I would normally obsess over, but somehow, In the end, I just removed the handle, and it's become auto muscle memory now when I want to leave the foot up, I step on the foot pedal and give that collar quick spin by hand. With the foot lift engaged, there's really no tension on the collar & easy enough that I don't give it a thought anymore. If it bugs ya & you don't have access to a lathe, you may find a suitable spacer / sleeve with the correct inside diameter and tap it for the set screw & Handle. Cheers Edited February 5, 2020 by Rodzhobyz Typed error Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dikman Report post Posted February 5, 2020 This is what I made - I can see now that I'll be doing as Rodzhobyz said, using my foot to lift the feet and if I want it to stay up just spin the knob around while it's up. If you still want to extend it and don't have a lathe then as he said maybe a piece of steel tubing to slide over the stub on the machine, tapped for a couple of grub screws, a short piece of rod in the other end and the original handle fitted to that. As for looking good, that's the reason I painted it black, besides hiding the flaws black makes almost anything look good! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
