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| Messages 1 - 11 of total 11 in this topic |
Chinchen
climber
Living on the road
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 9, 2009 - 04:46pm PT
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OK Im in need of an industrial sewing machine. Im going to start making chalk bags and pads etc....once I get settled down here in Durango. Do any of you guys know what machine I should start with to handle the main stitches I will need to do. I remember at Metolius we had straight stitchers and "tackers"....
I do know how to sew.....its just been a long time.
Does anyone have a machine they want to offload?
Help a brotha out!
Jason
PS Seeking partners in Durango.(Business and climbing)
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Double D
climber
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You will most likely want a "walking foot" machine for heavier stuff that has webbing, etc. Needle feeds are faster and require a lot less maintenance if you're not sewing super heavy stuff.
Auctions can be a great source of used machines, but you can plan on putting an extra $100 or so in overhaul on most of the machines unless you know how to fix 'em yerself.
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Chinchen
climber
Living on the road
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 10, 2009 - 10:47am PT
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Thanks, is there a brand that you could recommend?
Thanks for the link Thorgon.
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graham
Social climber
Ventura, California
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Jun 10, 2009 - 11:16am PT
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Stick with the "Juki" brand
tons of machines on ebay
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Jun 10, 2009 - 11:37am PT
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Juki 241, AKA Nakajima 280
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
Sprocketville
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Jun 10, 2009 - 11:42am PT
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is the juki strong enuff to stich my fingers together for a swim meet?
i'm up against phelps.
it's a cannabis benifit at the Santa Clara Swim Club.
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Moof
Big Wall climber
A cube at my soul sucking job in Oregon
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Jun 10, 2009 - 12:20pm PT
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My $0.02 from my meager experience:
1. Get a burly walking foot machine, and put a DC servo motor on it, and maybe a speed reducer it you are anywhere near as bad as I am. Duece would know machines better than me, but a good Juki, Consew, etc. Watch out for used machines from upholstery shops, they beat the living hell out of them. Basically if they've worn the paint off in front of the foot from use, run away.
2. Skip the tacker unless you start doing a lot of web goods.
3. Skip the temptation for a straight stitch (non-walking foot) machine unless you need it as a a second or third machine semi-permanently setup for something specialized (like seam taping, edge binding, etc). My main machine is a single stitch and I love it, but many times I really wish I had known enough and spent the extra $$$ on a walking foot.
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Chinchen
climber
Living on the road
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 10, 2009 - 12:36pm PT
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Thank you so much for the advice. I am planning on a walking foot machine having sewn a lot with a regular machine at home, and having used a good walking foot machine at Metolius. Do the standard Walking machines have a zig zag function like regular machines? Can I use that to tack?
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Fingerlocks
Trad climber
where the climbin's good
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Jun 10, 2009 - 03:51pm PT
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One issue with “industrial” machines is that they are rather specialized in their function and generally expensive as hell. I didn’t find much available that was both walking foot and zigzag.
What I bought was a Sailrite “Ultrafeed LSZ-1”. This company mainly markets to people who having sailing yachts who want to make and maintain their own sails and other fabric and webbing kit. The LSZ-1 is a walking foot zigzag that is heavy duty and is portable—it is not built into a table. I like this feature, but it doesn’t have as deep a throat as a typical industrial table mounted machine. I also got the heavy “Monster II” flywheel that gives much improved low speed torque as well as good hand cranking performance. You can also get other accessories such as a zipper foot, binder attachment, and sewing gage. This will make your machine all purpose.
I assume you will want to maintain your machine yourself. I’ve not yet had any problems with mine, but it looks like the company does a good job of giving support and there are some good user forums to kick around ideas and problems.
They are definitely worth a look:
http://www.sailrite.com
Edit:
I do use the Sailrite to tack. It is a bit tricky to get them to come out just right, but I don’t need tacks that often so being slower isn’t an issue for me on that.
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kimgraves
Mountain climber
2 exits North of the Gunks
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Jun 10, 2009 - 05:57pm PT
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A lot of these machines are three-phase. If you're working at home this can be a major road block.
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| Messages 1 - 11 of total 11 in this topic |
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