What to look for at Juki lu-563

[MarB]

Hello everyone,

I was looking for something that can sew heavier stuff (canvas, leather) than my Pfaff 230 and stumbled on Juki lu-563. The price was approx. 120 USD, so I did not ask questions, hopped in the van and took it home. I was mentally prepared for a lot of elbow grease, but it seems to be in better condition than I hoped. It has original 3 phase motor, that should be working. I don't have 3 phase in the office yet, so we'll see once electrician comes. Worst case I just buy 230 servo (I live in Europe). According to seller, machine wasn't used in past 20 years.

Once I seen the inside I am not sure if I want to disassemble it as it might just need a bit of brush and oil. When turned by hand, timing and everything seems fine. It gets a bit sticky when needle goes up (motor belt disconnected). Are there any spots to take better look at with 563? Or would you recommend to disassemble the machine completely? I am not afraid of it, but truth be told I only worked on Pfaff 230.

 

In manual, it is mentioned that 563 has automatic lubrication for sewing hook components. However it seems I am missing the oil reservoir. Will I get away with just oiling it like you should 562?

Paint on machine bed is flaking a bit. I don't mind aesthetics but it makes hard edges and I would prefer smooth surface. Paint job is quite thick. Did anyone had any luck with restoration? Maybe chemically stripping the paint from the bed and repainting it? Or taking sandpaper and trying to smooth the edges?

There is some part in the parts bin that I can not identify. Any suggestions?

Any other tips on the machine are much appreciated. Or any tips regarding triple feed sewing really.

Have a good day, Marek

 

 

[Tejas]

Here is a link to a very good media copy of the instruction manual:

http://keysew.com/Webpages/DemoImages/JukiLU-562-3Owners.pdf

 

 

 

 

[CowboyBob]

It probably needs a good oiling ,but these Industrial machine with a walking foot will never turn as freely as your Pfaff,the walking feet mechanism that push the feet up & down make it feel like it's binding when it is a normal feel.

[Uwe]

You can manually oil the machine, that’s not a problem. The automatic oiling is just a small reservoir or pan that sits under the hook. The pan usually has a sponge/felt inside and is filled with oil. With that reservoir installed, the bottom of the hook shaft dips into the oil. There’s a spiral grove in the hook shaft that moves oil up to the bushings, but only if the bottom of the shaft sits in a pool of oil. The oil gets flung to the sides by the rotating hook and hits the black metal side shield you still have installed on your machine. From the side shields the oil drips back down into the reservoir pan. The sponge/felt just traps dirt to prevent it from getting sucked up by the hook shaft. You can make your won oil reservoir if you’re handy - it’s just a rectangular box, nothing special. But you don’t really need it unless you sew at full speed for several hours at a time. For hobby use, a quick manual oiling before you start sewing is fine.  

This page from the Juki LU-563N Parts Manual shows the oil drip pan (part 56) which normally attaches to the table.

 

Don’t disassemble anything unless you have to, or you know what you’re doing. A good cleaning with a cotton rag or tooth brush and some oil will likely get things moving very nicely. 

I wouldn’t recommend using a chemical paint stripper on the machine unless it’s totally disassembled. Just scrape off the flaky bits and use some sand paper to smooth the edges.  Use a vacuum to pick up the sanding dust to keep it out of the moving parts of the mechanism. There’s a few topics on here where people discussed re-painting their machines.

Getting 3-phase power installed (or getting  a rotary phase converter) may be more expensive than getting a brand new 230V servo motor. If that 3-phase motor is a clutch motor, I’d recommend getting a new servo motor. 

Best of luck with new machine! The Juki LU-563 are a really nice design and should last a long time if you take care of it.

Here’s a video that goes over some basic adjustments on these machines:

 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2021 by Uwe

[MarB]

Thank you very much. I want to try clutch motor, just to value servo later. I did get 3 phase to my home office while renovating the apartment, so I only need electrician to connect the plug. And I need to do this either way. But yeah, I'll probably just order servo right now as well.

Going to give it some cleaning, oiling and general love and hopefully it'll run.

One more thanks, and have a nice Easter.

[MarB]

Good cleaning was necessary. Around the bobbin was thick paste of oil and dust. I found the safety clutch spring missing. I’ll try to order it. However if I understand correctly it is more inconvenience than necessity as I can just reset it with screwdriver. 
 

I have got one bigger issue though. I found that it turns nicely but at one point it gets “sticky”. I identified it while timing the machine. Problem is the gear that turns bobbin. It seems to get a bit stuck when set screws point to small gear on bobbin assembly. When I tighten two bolts that hold bobbin assembly, it can get really stuck. The gear also doesn’t want to slide when I loosen the screws, and needed some encouragement with wrench and hammer. I set it up correctly, but I cannot tighten the bobbin assembly even slightly. I made sure not to over tighten anything. 
 

All else seems to be fine. I set up everything as Uwe shows in his videos (many, many thanks). Only thing left is the bobbin gears. Maybe washer to keep it higher? Any tips?

Thanks and have a nice day