Consew 206RB-5 Speed Reducer?

[MainiacMatt]

On 12/8/2020 at 11:58 AM, MtlBiker said:

Just spoke with my Consew dealer, who is supposedly the Consew distributor for Eastern Canada.  I must say, I was less than impressed.  He said he's never heard of anyone wanting to slow down the 206RB-5 and he also said that you cannot change the motor pulley. 

I know this is an old thread, but I thought it was funny that I just had a dealer in New England tell me pretty much the same thing...  "can't change the pulley on Consew CSM550-1 servo motor" & "no need to put a speed reducer on a Consew 206RB-5"

Guy seems to only deal with larger commercial outfits and only sells industrial machines.  

So the mystery continues.

[Constabulary]

No mystery. It depends on what you sew (leather or fabric....) and how experienced you are as a sewer / seamstress. Speed reducers are not a must have but they make things (sewing machines) easy to master speedwise.

I have speed reducers on all my 5 sewing machine setups. I still can go from crazy slow (leather or short seams as on box tacks on 1" webbing straps / ~10mm thick f.i.) to quite fast (loooong seams on canvas, sunbrella...) even with the speed reducers.

Just a personal preference and IMO it makes the machines more versatile. If you don´t need a SR you don´t need one but I prefer them.

Run your machine w/o a SR and if it is too fast change the pulley if still to fast and you need more torque (for thick materials) add a speed reducer.

Edited January 25, 2023 by Constabulary

[DonInReno]

Lol

[Wizcrafts]

2 hours ago, MainiacMatt said:

I know this is an old thread, but I thought it was funny that I just had a dealer in New England tell me pretty much the same thing...  "can't change the pulley on Consew CSM550-1 servo motor" & "no need to put a speed reducer on a Consew 206RB-5"

Guy seems to only deal with larger commercial outfits and only sells industrial machines.  

So the mystery continues.

There is an explanation for this dealer's viewpoint. People sewing veg-tan leather projects and very part time sewers tend to sew slow to avoid overheating the needle and to get better control over the very visible stitches. Precision sewing at slow speeds is easier to get right and keep your picky customers happy. Furthermore, walking foot machines tend to be clunky due to all the moving crank shafts and interconnecting couplers. Running the machine fast without fine tuning it for speed make let it shake parts loose and things off the sewing table.

Now, lets take the same sewing machine and set it up in a marine repairs or upholstery sewing shop. First of all, they will remove any speed reducer that was installed. Second, they will remove a small pulley and replace it with one that is at least 3 to 4 inches diameter. This lets the machine run close to 1:1 with the motor.

The next step might be to reduce the alternating foot height to the minimum setting. The lower the alternating height, the smoother the operation. Next, the machine will be thoroughly over oiled and left overnight with a doubled rag under the feet and head area. Then, before running it for real, the feet will be equalized on the floor to stabilize the table. When the operator sits down with a 20 foot long seam that is stapled together outside the stitchline, he or she will hold back the starting threads, then run a n inch or so forward, then backward, then he/she will floor it until they reach the end, slowing down for corners. The last inch will be backtacked, the work will be passed to the next person and any oil cleaned off the table. In upholstery and marine sewing, and banner sewing, time is money. Nobody is going to pick up a 20 foot or longer vinyl or awning material thing and look at the stitchline unless it is a show piece. The operator just makes sure the knots are balanced and the two ends are locked in.

Industrial sewing machine dealers tend to sell more machines to shops that sew long flat items, like couch and chair covers, sails, Bimini covers, tarps and banners than to leather crafters. Thankfully, we have a few dedicated leather sewing machine dealers who support this forum and sell specialized machines for our trade. They understand the craters' need to sew slow. They offer motors with tiny pulleys and speed reducers that they preinstall and setup correctly.

[MainiacMatt]

6 hours ago, Constabulary said:

I have speed reducers on all my 5 sewing machine setups. I still can go from crazy slow (leather or short seams as on box tacks on 1" webbing straps / ~10mm thick f.i.) to quite fast (loooong seams on canvas, sunbrella...) even with the speed reducers.

Just a personal preference and IMO it makes the machines more versatile. If you don´t need a SR you don´t need one but I prefer one  

I priced a box style speed reducer today.  $240 shipped. 
I suspect I’ll be buying it at the same time I buy the machine, and install looks like a no brainer. 

Edited January 26, 2023 by MainiacMatt

[Constabulary]

You can also DIY speed reducers. There are many different versions on the forum. It just require some tinkering.

https://www.google.com/search?q=diy+speed+reducer+site:leatherworker.net/forum

[MtlBiker]

9 hours ago, MainiacMatt said:

I priced a box style speed reducer today.  $240 shipped. 
I suspect I’ll be buying it at the same time I buy the machine, and install looks like a no brainer. 

(I'm the guy who started this thread.)

If I may make this suggestion... Save your money and don't buy a speed reducer.  Instead, just get a smaller (like 45mm) pulley and new belt.  That's what I did with my machine and believe me, it's plenty slow that way.  And it's no less capable at slow speed than my cylinder arm machine which DOES have a speed reducer.  What I would like to have (that my cylinder arm machine has) is a needle positioner (NP) motor.  That can be disabled, or set to always stop with the needle IN the material assembly or out, as you prefer.  For me at least having the needle always stop in the down position makes things a lot easier for me, especially when it comes to corners.  And I don't have to take my hands away from holding the assembly, like I do have to do with my Consew.  I've got to turn the hand wheel slowly to embed the needle before turning a corner.  Much faster and easier with a NP motor.

[Frodo]

My lowest speed is great for tight corners

2” pulley on motor drives an 8” pulley on a jack shaft with pillow blocks. This drives a 3” pulley up to the machine on a 6” pulley which is sandwich mounted on the hand factory wheel

 

[Frodo]

Jack shaft, pillow blocks, 

[Frodo]

A trick for aligning pillow blocks do their is no bind no adjustment, set it and forget it

insert a 3/8”  nut into the shaft. Tap it in

insert a 3” long 3/8” allthread and a lock nut

chuck the all thread in your drill, as you are positioning the pillow blocks keep the drill turning at a low rpm the pillow blocks and bearings will align themselves.