Looking for a leather sewing machine, but only have a limited space

[FellowLeathersmith]

Hello! First post and thank you for accepting me to this community. I'm looking a sewing machine that doesn't take too much space. I'm mainly sewing belts and wallets as of now, but I'm hoping to get into making sheaths for kitchen knives and such. I've been looking at Sailrite leather sewing machines, but I am open to suggestions as well. Thank you!

[Aven]

Welcome to the forum Fellowleathersmith.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you will need to pick one either belts/sheaths or wallets.  No machine is going to do them both.  There is a world of difference between the total leather thickness for belts and for wallets.  And that difference will require different machines.  So... which one do you do more of, want to do more of?  Which one can you do by hand? 

[FellowLeathersmith]

I tend to do more small goods like wallets and such. The belts/sheaths I can do by hand. If wanted to do more small leather goods, what is the sewing machine I should look into or a sewing machine for belts and sheaths?

[Uwe]

The Juki LU-1508NH may be a machine that can cover the projects you describe. The original is available from Juki and there are clones/copies of this design available under various brand names. There are several versions of the basic 1508 design (N, NS, NH, etc.)- you want the NH version. 

It may not be the cheapest design, but it sure would be cheaper than two separate machines. Since you have space limitations, this might be a good candidate to investigate.

The video below shows the Titan branded clone, and they demo sewing both Tex70 and Tex277 thread, very few machines can handle that wide of a range. That should cover wallets to belts and likely knife sheaths, depending of what type of leather you intend to use. A good servo motor and speed reducer will be essential.

Artisan is another clone vendor. They are based in California and call their version the Artisan 1508-10H:  

http://artisansew.com/walkingfootmachine.html 

Perhaps Artisan are in day trip distance from you. Buying a machine from a local-ish dealer is kind of a big deal, especially when it comes time to service it. Being able to try out the machine and pick it up in person is just priceless.

 

 

 

Edited March 23, 2021 by Uwe

[FellowLeathersmith]

1 hour ago, Uwe said:

The Juki LU-1508NH may be a machine that can cover the projects you describe. The original is available from Juki and there are clones/copies of this design available under various brand names. There are several versions of the basic 1508 design (N, NS, NH, etc.)- you want the NH version. 

It may not be the cheapest design, but it sure would be cheaper than two separate machines. Since you have space limitations, this might be a good candidate to investigate.

The video below shows the Titan branded clone, and they demo sewing both Tex70 and Tex277 thread, very few machines can handle that wide of a range. That should cover wallets to belts and likely knife sheaths, depending of what type of leather you intend to use. A good servo motor and speed reducer will be essential.

Artisan is another clone vendor. They are based in California and call their version the Artisan 1508-10H:  

http://artisansew.com/walkingfootmachine.html 

Perhaps Artisan are in day trip distance from you. Buying a machine from a local-ish dealer is kind of a big deal, especially when it comes time to service it. Being able to try out the machine and pick it up in person is just priceless.

 

 

 

Thank you for the suggestion!!!  I was looking at Sailrite's Leather sewing machine and I was wondering what is your take on that machine or just in general!

[Uwe]

The Sailrite machines are okay for certain projects, they’re even perfect in certain situations (e.g. repairing a sail on your boat in the middle of the Atlantic). They are comparatively cheap and certainly portable. They enjoy great marketing. But you get what you pay for. They are not on the same level as other true  industrial machines in terms of design and build strength.I doubt you will find a Sailrite in an actual factory (save for the occasional car upholstery shop.) If you can make them work you, then you can a save a little money and a lot of space. Alas, you won’t find too many glowing reviews of Sailrite machines here on LW.

[FellowLeathersmith]

36 minutes ago, Uwe said:

The Sailrite machines are okay for certain projects, they’re even perfect in certain situations (e.g. repairing a sail on your boat in the middle of the Atlantic). They are comparatively cheap and certainly portable. They enjoy great marketing. But you get what you pay for. They are not on the same level as other true  industrial machines in terms of design and build strength.I doubt you will find a Sailrite in an actual factory (save for the occasional car upholstery shop.) If you can make them work you, then you can a save a little money and a lot of space. Alas, you won’t find too many glowing reviews of Sailrite machines here on LW.

Yes I've been looking through for reviews, but very few that I've seen. Its tough because I don't have much space and the size of the Sailrite is perfect. I just don't think I can accommodate the table for the 1508. 

[kgg]

As listed in their menu "Leatherwork sewing machine" These are just a their portable LS model painted green instead of the rust brown with a maximum thread size of V92. However they did table mounted them on a nice compact table and coupled it with a nice servo motor on it. They use to be marketed through Tandy. These portable sewing machines were intended for repairing sail canvas. Keeping presser foot / feed dog marks/indentations from you leather is going to be difficult. I think for what you want to sew, you would be disappointed with the performance / ability. If you are really dead set on that type of machine an alternative is the Reliable Barracuda and at about $500 US. You could then buy a servo motor and build a small table to sit it in.

I agree and disagree with UWE on the the Juki 1508 or its clones. I found that with my Juki 1541S which is down from the 1508 capability wise that if I was doing thick stuff it was great. When it came to thinner stuff I had to spend to much time in dumbing it down and then reverse the process to do thick stuff again. So to do thin stuff I bought a Juki 1181N, that machine covers off the thinner stuff and leaves the 1541S to do what it was good at. The 1508 will do your sheaths and more but on wallets I think it would be over kill.

I would agree with Uwe buying as local as possible and being able to test drive a machine is invaluable.

kgg

[nylonRigging]

47 minutes ago, FellowLeathersmith said:

Yes I've been looking through for reviews, but very few that I've seen. Its tough because I don't have much space and the size of the Sailrite is perfect. I just don't think I can accommodate the table for the 1508. 

( depending on machine model ) .. what about a shorter length table-top set-up  ?. . Or a half table top with a left-side hinged drop leaf, to swing up/down when needed ?

.

[FellowLeathersmith]

26 minutes ago, kgg said:

As listed in their menu "Leatherwork sewing machine" These are just a their portable LS model painted green instead of the rust brown with a maximum thread size of V92. However they did table mounted them on a nice compact table and coupled it with a nice servo motor on it. They use to be marketed through Tandy. These portable sewing machines were intended for repairing sail canvas. Keeping presser foot / feed dog marks/indentations from you leather is going to be difficult. I think for what you want to sew, you would be disappointed with the performance / ability. If you are really dead set on that type of machine an alternative is the Reliable Barracuda and at about $500 US. You could then buy a servo motor and build a small table to sit it in.

I agree and disagree with UWE on the the Juki 1508 or its clones. I found that with my Juki 1541S which is down from the 1508 capability wise that if I was doing thick stuff it was great. When it came to thinner stuff I had to spend to much time in dumbing it down and then reverse the process to do thick stuff again. So to do thin stuff I bought a Juki 1181N, that machine covers off the thinner stuff and leaves the 1541S to do what it was good at. The 1508 will do your sheaths and more but on wallets I think it would be over kill.

I would agree with Uwe buying as local as possible and being able to test drive a machine is invaluable.

kgg

Very interesting! Thank you for the advice!