5-15 mm leather thickness

[Rickard]

Hello, are there eny machines that can handle from 5 mm up to 15 mm leather? Or do i need two different machines. I live in Norway so i think i need to import from UK or Poland. Im locking for a one needle walking foot flatbed or cylinderarm machine. Used or new. 

[kgg]

19 minutes ago, Rickard said:

Hello, are there eny machines that can handle from 5 mm up to 15 mm leather?

Yes something in the 441 class maybe similar to the Cowboy CB 3500 but... If you are doing 15mm regularly you will have to dumb the machine down to do the thin stuff. This is going to be frustrating and time consuming. You would be better off with two machines, one setup for the thinner and one setup for the thicker.

kgg

[Wizcrafts]

6 hours ago, kgg said:

Yes something in the 441 class maybe similar to the Cowboy CB 3500 but... If you are doing 15mm regularly you will have to dumb the machine down to do the thin stuff.

I wrote the blog article about dumbing down a Cowboy, Cobra, or similar harness stitcher on my R&W Custom Leatherworks website. It explains what is involved in getting a heavy duty leather stitcher to sew thinner work than what it was built to handle. It takes no more than 20 minutes to learn this and make the changes as needed. Afterward, the changes are reversed when one needs to sew thick leather.

[Handstitched]

G'Day , 

Heres an example of what the 441 clones can do. I just wanted to know if it could do what the ad in  the magazine said it could do, and sure as eggs, it did . However, I  did go slowly .I have never had a job that required that thickness, but its nice to know  I got what I paid for   There was a ' chunk' of leather of that thickness under the foot when I unpacked  the machine.   

The leather is  x5 layers of 4mm  veg tan, the thread is 277 M10 , needle 180/24.

Heavy duty  tool belts & dog collars etc.  about 5mm in thickness are some of the items I sew  . The thickest I've sewn on my machine  is around 10mm. 

As for the thinner stuff, I have a Seiko STW ,mostly used  for horse rug repairs,   but will quite easily go through 2-3mm leather . Having more than one machine does help. 

HS

 

Edited August 23, 2021 by Handstitched

[RockyAussie]

Better yet.... with a narrow foot and needle plate combo we now make you can get down to this thickness shown here with 138 thread on single layer upholstery leather. Also means you can get the guide right up to the centre foot and it stitches fine at less than 3mm from the edge.  Also made for the CB3200 and CB3500 CB4500.

$120 AUD +freight if you want a set.

Edited August 23, 2021 by RockyAussie
another picture

[Wizcrafts]

5 hours ago, RockyAussie said:

Better yet.... with a narrow foot and needle plate combo we now make you can get down to this thickness shown here with 138 thread on single layer upholstery leather. Also means you can get the guide right up to the centre foot and it stitches fine at less than 3mm from the edge.  Also made for the CB3200 and CB3500 CB4500.

Tell me more about the width and hole size of the narrow feed dog and needle plate. I have a cb4500.

[Rickard]

23 hours ago, kgg said:

Yes something in the 441 class maybe similar to the Cowboy CB 3500 but... If you are doing 15mm regularly you will have to dumb the machine down to do the thin stuff. This is going to be frustrating and time consuming. You would be better off with two machines, one setup for the thinner and one setup for the thicker.

kgg

Thanks for your answere. I have been locking on the Cowboy brand, but i think maybe it can be a problem if i need a repear on a machine like that where i live. I have found this shop in UK https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/castlesewingltd?_pgn=2 and they have several different Juki machines like Juki LS 1341 , Juki 245 and Juki 441. Enyone having experience with Castle sewing in UK England?  
will a Juki Ls 1341 or Juki 245 be good for leatherthickness 5-10 mm ?

i think i read here some place thar Juki 441 are mostly set for fabrick/heavy canvas and not for sewing leather?

[Rickard]

17 hours ago, Wizcrafts said:

I wrote the blog article about dumbing down a Cowboy, Cobra, or similar harness stitcher on my R&W Custom Leatherworks website. It explains what is involved in getting a heavy duty leather stitcher to sew thinner work than what it was built to handle. It takes no more than 20 minutes to learn this and make the changes as needed. Afterward, the changes are reversed when one needs to sew thick leather.

Thanks alot for this info , im sure gonna have a look into it. I think i probbably start with a machine who can sew ca 4-10 mm range and move on later with a havier machine.

[RockyAussie]

9 hours ago, Wizcrafts said:

Tell me more about the width and hole size of the narrow feed dog and needle plate. I have a cb4500.

I figure to answer that best I would do a few pics to explain better the overall advantages.

This picture shows that the whole plate is different to the original in order to improve the distance from the outer edge for gussets and such and reducing the curve at the same time.

This is the original needle plate and feed dog (near to 9mm)

This is our new version

Here as you see I now have no problem getting just 10th of an inch from the edge

Over the next 2 weeks I will do up a video to post showing how I can go from upholstery leather up to 3/4" veg with very little adjustments . A little top tension and maybe foot pressure.

PM me your address details caus I reckon you should have a set Wiz.

[RockyAussie]

27 minutes ago, Rickard said:

Thanks for your answere. I have been locking on the Cowboy brand, but i think maybe it can be a problem if i need a repear on a machine like that where i live. I have found this shop in UK https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/castlesewingltd?_pgn=2 and they have several different Juki machines like Juki LS 1341 , Juki 245 and Juki 441. Enyone having experience with Castle sewing in UK England?  
will a Juki Ls 1341 or Juki 245 be good for leatherthickness 5-10 mm ?

i think i read here some place thar Juki 441 are mostly set for fabrick/heavy canvas and not for sewing leather?

Juki is a great brand and many other brands clone them as best they can. The Cowboy 4500 and many others are clones of this machine. The Cowboy CB 6900 (1341 in the USA I think is a clone of ......the Juki LS 1341 and will handle work up to 10mm very well. This is a video I did on one a couple of weeks back. There are several other ones showing some light stitching as well if you check my you tube channel. 

 

[kgg]

 

1 hour ago, Rickard said:

they have several different Juki machines like Juki LS 1341 , Juki 245 and Juki 441

I would put the Juki DSC 245 in the 335 class machine capable of handling V92 thread with a 135x17 #20 needle, the Juki LS 1341 would do 10mm but I think would be at or near max and can handle V138 with a 135x17 #24 needle while the 441 would easily handle 10 mm can handle V92 to V415 with a 794 needle, this is what the clones have copied for the thick stuff.

just my take,

kgg

[Wizcrafts]

2 hours ago, RockyAussie said:

PM me your address details cause I reckon you should have a set Wiz.

Message sent

[Wizcrafts]

2 hours ago, Rickard said:

I think i read here some place that Juki 441 are mostly set for fabric/heavy canvas and not for sewing leather?

In a way you are both right and wrong. Juki themselves market the TSC-441 as a machine to sew buffing wheels and other thick materials, as well as horse blankets and saddles. The standard presser and alternating foot set have teeth on the bottom to grip cloth. All you have to do to convert it into a leather sewer is to buy a set of smooth harness maker's feet and a smooth feed dog, which are standard equipment on 441 clones in the US, Canada and Australia. My CB4500 came with the so-called "blanket" feet in the drawer in case I need to patch a horse blanket, or sew denim garments.

[Handstitched]

7 hours ago, Wizcrafts said:

My CB4500 came with the so-called "blanket" feet in the drawer in case I need to patch a horse blanket, or sew denim

Yep, same here, must be a ' standard thing' to supply that bit,   can't say I've ever used it ever since I've had the machine, its also  in the drawer. My machine sews 99.9%  leather, and .1% other materials like  heavy webbing, heavy bits 'n' bobs  on horse rugs  etc.    My Seiko STW   & Pfaff 60 quite happily sews  the rest. 

HS

 

[Rickard]

13 hours ago, RockyAussie said:

Juki is a great brand and many other brands clone them as best they can. The Cowboy 4500 and many others are clones of this machine. The Cowboy CB 6900 (1341 in the USA I think is a clone of ......the Juki LS 1341 and will handle work up to 10mm very well. This is a video I did on one a couple of weeks back. There are several other ones showing some light stitching as well if you check my you tube channel. 

 

I think i go for the used Juki LS 1341. There are a Juki service store in my town that i can call if a repear is needed. A new one are in price range proxamently 3650-3800 USD compered to the used one i faund in UK  prox. 2000 USD. 
 

here is the machine on ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174759267083?hash=item28b076cb0b:g:ENMAAOSw9Wlg1bq4

what do you  think about the specs?

[kgg]

13 minutes ago, Rickard said:

here is the machine on ebay

The pictures do look good but buying equipment off Ebay particularly in that price range for me would be just too risky. Since there is a Juki repair shop close to you I would first check and see if they have a refurnished machine like the Juki LS 1341 or an older LS 341. That way you eliminate potential shipping damage problems, spams, worn out, problems, etc. They may also have similar class new or used clones available. Also you would be able to test drive one with what you want to sew before buying.

kgg

[RockyAussie]

11 hours ago, Rickard said:

I think i go for the used Juki LS 1341. There are a Juki service store in my town that i can call if a repear is needed. A new one are in price range proxamently 3650-3800 USD compered to the used one i faund in UK  prox. 2000 USD. 
 

here is the machine on ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174759267083?hash=item28b076cb0b:g:ENMAAOSw9Wlg1bq4

what do you  think about the specs?

The machine looks good and having a needle positioner is a good plus but....the table is not good. Keep in mind that you will often want room to spin the job around and with the table shown you have no room to do that. Even the cut out tables are often no good either and you may be better to have a full open table instead. I have to do a table change on my CB6900 this week and show you some pics when I do it.

[Rickard]

Thanks alot for your help folks, it really means alot to me. The juki shop in my hometown only offer new machinery am afraid and used ones dont float around other places here either. If i go for the one in UK i will use paypal and mastercard  so i will be covered if somthing goes wrong. Freight can be risky but most often it turns out well. I ordered i Juki 8700H from Poland last winter, tok only 5 days and all good. 

[Rickard]

2 minutes ago, RockyAussie said:

The machine looks good and having a needle positioner is a good plus but....the table is not good. Keep in mind that you will often want room to spin the job around and with the table shown you have no room to do that. Even the cut out tables are often no good either and you may be better to have a full open table instead. I have to do a table change on my CB6900 this week and show you some pics when I do it.

Yes the table, good point. Im thinking if i can get my hands in the mashine i can probbably order i new table from somwhere. I dont think the tables are so terrible expensive but i have to take a loock around.

[RockyAussie]

Here is another video I just loaded that shows what can be done with the bigger Cowboy CB4500 or CB3500 with a narrow needle plate and dog foot installed. These machines can do near double the thickness of the other machine but do have a bit bigger end to get around if you need to get small stuff done.

 

[Rickard]

11 minutes ago, RockyAussie said:

Here is another video I just loaded that shows what can be done with the bigger Cowboy CB4500 or CB3500 with a narrow needle plate and dog foot installed. These machines can do near double the thickness of the other machine but do have a bit bigger end to get around if you need to get small stuff done.

 

Wow, amazing

[chrisash]

No doubt they would change the table for you and maybe fit a speed reducer at the same time

[Rickard]

Bumping this one

im back to start with this purchase. I was going to purchase the used Juki LS 1341 from uk but there was alot of mess and i desided to get my hands on a new one here in my country instead. I saved up more and was redy to purchase the machine but then the salesman told Juki had stoped produsing the 1341 and empty all over EU. I had a long phonecall with the local seller  and he lold they had many machines from a german brand Global and Adler. Adler is out of my price range but am considdering Global. the lokal dealer can easy get hands in spares if a repair is needed.

Offcourse they didnt have eny cylynder arm machines there but i found a UK company that have a copple new ones to ok pricing i think. What do you folks think about these to machines here? I wonder what the difference of those two machines are?aoff the machine a clone off Juki LS 1341?

Global WF 975

https://www.industrialsewing.co.uk/industrial-sewing-machines/walking-foot/is-382-global-wf975-industrial-cylinder-arm-walking-foot-global-

 

Global WF 69

https://www.industrialsewing.co.uk/industrial-sewing-machines/walking-foot/global-wf69-373-cylinder-arm-walking-foot

[kgg]

32 minutes ago, Rickard said:

What do you folks think about these to machines here?

You never said the size of thread you want to use. I did a quick check of the Global WF 975 manual and the max needle is a #22 (140 metric) which is the bottom end for V138 ( Tkt 20 ) in softer thinner material. I couldn't find a manual for the WF 69 so I would check with the seller and see what is the max needle size these machines can handle.

[Rickard]

Good point, somthing in the Juki 1341 range i think?

This used Adler is for sale here now, enyone that know this mashine? What model is it?