New sewing machine

[AA3JW]

Thinking about a new sewing machine. I have narrowed it down to either a Cowboy 4500, or a Techsew 5100. I currently have a Techsew 3650 HD, and it is a good machine but it will only do up to approximately 3/8 inch thick. I really want to be able to sew up to almost an inch. I do mostly holsters and knife sheathes, so the extra thickness will definitely make it go easier on my old arthritic hands. Any one got pros and cons on both machines?

 

[Wizcrafts]

I have a Cowboy CB4500 and have used it to sew a one inch thick holster. I had to remove the standard throat plate and feed dog and replace them with the low riding, narrow slotted throat plate. Then, I reduced the alternating feet lift ratio to the absolute minimum setting. This gained just enough extra clearance to move the leather for each stitch. With the standard setup, the machine maxed out at 7/8 inch. However, due to the feed dog being gone, reverse didn't match forward stitches. So, I learned to set the stitch lever to the zero position and double tap into the same holes to lock the knots inside the holes without moving the leather. I finished this process after removing the holster by pulling up on the top thread to get the double knots well into the hole. I also recall I used a Diamond point needle instead of the standard S point.

If this isn't enough clearance, there is a Campbell High Lift available from Campbell-Randall Company, in Texas. It sews up to 1.25 inches of leather.

If you contact your primary dealer for these machines he may be able to set it up in advance to sew one inch out of the box. This might be at the cost of the feet not reaching all the way down on thin leather. In that case you would lose the ability to sew thinner jobs without repositioning the presser bar. At the very least you would have to increase the alternating lift ratio to clear new layers at normal thicknesses.

[dikman]

Essentially the same machine. Which one you buy will depend on things like the price, availability, and what extras they come with (or if you even need the extras).