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

[JayEhl]

Just now, sbrownn said:

Well...it was my first sewing machine and it cost less than a 441 clone.  

LOL, i was going to ask you what a 441 clone was but figured it was already answered in the forum and sure enough.  Totally love this community!  

 

[sbrownn]

3 minutes ago, JayEhl said:

LOL, i was going to ask you what a 441 clone was but figured it was already answered in the forum and sure enough.  Totally love this community!  

 

I would like to have a 441 clone as the cylinder arm and the clearance allows you to sew things I can't sew on my machine.

[JayEhl]

I just want a sewing machine!   LOL!  

[sbrownn]

1 minute ago, JayEhl said:

I just want a sewing machine!   LOL!  

Yes, I hear you.  

I think Cowboy used to sell their 3200 as the head only with a hand crank knob on the flywheel.  That was about the cheapest way I found to get into a leather machine that could eventually be motorized as funds permitted.

[JayEhl]

The cowboy outlaw hand crank?

[sbrownn]

1 minute ago, JayEhl said:

The cowboy outlaw hand crank?

No, that is a different machine and it would be almost impossible to motorize it.

[kgg]

On 3/22/2021 at 10:52 PM, FellowLeathersmith said:

I'm looking a sewing machine that doesn't take too much space.

 

1 hour ago, sbrownn said:

Campbell Randall needle and awl machine.

I don't really think the Campbell Randall falls within the "doesn't take to much space" category of machines. It probably weights in at north of 150 lb.

kgg

[Wizcrafts]

3 hours ago, JayEhl said:

The cowboy outlaw hand crank?

No. The machine mentioned is a Cowboy CB3200, detailed here. You would have to call the dealer for a price for the head only, or on a tiny table, with a Barney handle on the flywheel.

[JayEhl]

Ahhh...I see.  Yea...that's a beauty.   Can't believe there isn't a dealer in the Houston area not that I can afford one right away, anyway.        

Thanks for the follow up, though.  

[FellowLeathersmith]

On 3/22/2021 at 10:28 PM, 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

I was wondering about the Reliable Barracuda before. What do you think about them?