Sewing machines
 

I know, it's a cycling forum. But there are plenty of you guys out there that sew your own bags as well. Most of the sewing forums I've found seem to be pretty focused on sewing burp cloths and yarn bags.

For an industrial strength sewing machine, what should I be looking for? There's a singer 306 on ebay right now that looks about right but it's pretty old. Obviously I need something to do canvas work so something commercial/industrial is the goal. Anyone have suggestions of a machine that's available, affordable, and durable? I dont need true industrial because I dont plan on making batch items, but something to work up with.

It's all about the Bernina. Bernina sewing machines are sooooo l337.

you could probably find a used industrial singer or juki for a reasonable amount. but i also have a soft spot for bernina.

I use a Viking. I love it. However, there is no reason one needs a industrial sewing machine. All you need is something that can straight stitch, backstitch, and zigzag. If you check out www.thru-hiker.com you can find out a lot about sewing. It is geared towards backpacking, but...

Over the last couple of years, there have been some good threads (pun not intended) in this forum about making your own bags and the best machines to use to do the job. Try a search and good luck.

I bought my wife a Necchi. My friend owns a sewing machine repair place and he steered me towards that particular brand, but he also spoke highly of Viking. I have probably used it as much as my wife and I have been pretty happy with it. I bought it new (my wife is funny about used B-day gifts for some reason) and it wasn't particularly cheap, but it has been super handy and has saved me some $$$ and I consider it a wise investment.

+1

White.

http://www.whitesewing.com/

I have an old one that is built like a tank.

+1

for the average person I recommend these they are nice all metal drive and classic looking
http://www.singerco.com/library//Machine/CG550.jpgsinger commercial grade
or this tuffsew with a walking foot makes things feed nicer
http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j9...neinchbase.jpg
I use this
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/172/4...8d1f949c24.jpg
singer 591d300ad / juki ddl5550

If you are smart about how you construct the bag you should be able to make a sturdy bag out of sturdy materials on any machine. I would say it is more about construction than what machine you have. But, all of the machines that people suggested are good. Find a sturdy machine that fits on the high end of what you feel comfortable spending.

You can often pick up a commercial sewing machine at a state/county auctions pretty cheap. I got my wife a Consew for a $100 that way. She also has the gray Singer pictured above, works nice.

I don't know how I could agree with that statement. Unless you happen to have an exceptionally high powered machine, you need an industrial to be able to sew heavy, automotive grade webbing with the appropriate thread. I haven't come across a consumer machine that could handle most of the stuff I try to sew, including some brand new Berninas and Vikings.

Sail-Rites are decently affordable, and seem to do fairly well. Thomsons are similar, I've been told, but never used one. Never heard anything bad about a Juki. Berninas look pretty swell.

I use a Sail-Rite, but after about two years, I'm looking for something a little nicer.

To do it right . . . you need a commercial 'walking foot' machine.

Proud owner of a Pfaff 1245.

DON

good call. Walking foot makes that **** solid

Hi Seagul,

Went to your homepage. Do you make the various products?

I grew up in the '50s like most boys thinking that sewing was for girls in Home Ec class. Went for years yearning for things I couldn't make . . . buying off the shelf sewn products. I own a welding and machine shop so for 'that' type of construction I have practically no limitations. But some thirty+ years ago when I hooked-up with my significant other . . . and found out she couldn't sew . . . what's a fella to do?

I went out and bought my Pfaff walking foot machine, read alot of books, talked to alot of professional upholsterers, made a general nuisance of myself with anyone that knew anything about sewing. Carefully disassembled commercial stuff to see how it was made. Now I make all my own packs, bags, etc.

Bought two more Pfaffs: one commercial zig-zag machine and another I leave set up for doing only buttons. When we built our home 20 years ago I built one room that is only for sewing. Has a large layout table etc.

I'm short on 'real' talent . . . but long on enthusiasm. And I have some of the best equipment available.

Ain't life great!

DON

Yeah, same basic situation with me. I make all the stuff along with a few other people that i have trained up, or come from fashion schools. Sewing kicks ass. Once you know how to sew it really opens up a lot of doors.

Yeah . . . kinda funny . . . once friends/family find out you have a sewing machine and a modicum of talent they seem to come out of the woodwork with 'stuff' they want.

Except for the occaional bag I fabricate for myself now . . . most of what I do is modify off-the-shelf clothing for my main squeeze [she is short, but proportional] and one of my granddaughters [who is also short, but too short for her weight]. The granddaughter supplies me with a seemingly endless number of Levi's that need to be shortened/hemmed. The walking-foot machine really makes this a piece of cake.

My main squeeze still has a cute figure and it seems all the stuff available now [for women] is long and frumpy looking. So I shorten most of her clothing to just below the knee.

And this has gotten off-topic. My apologies to all!

DON

i use mitsubishi ls2-1130 and a PFAFF 335-h3 make sure you buy "triple arrastre" (dont know how to translate that) that will make any material get through,and at least 3/4 hp motor.

JUKI's are the best machines BAR NONE. all fashion schools use em and the majority of factories/sweatshops i've been to in NYC are all filled with JUKI.

but....

make sure you get one of the older ones that are made in japan. the newer ones are made in china and while they still kick ass, they will die faster than a japanese one. if it's a gross green color it's a pretty sure bet it's a japanese one. if it's white, it's probably chinese.

My two cents

At first I was going to disagree with Seagull with his statement about not needing an industrial machine. but honestly I think that he is ultimately right. Smart design and layout makes all the difference in the world. My new bag design gets rid of a fell seam I had that layered up four layers of cordura and cuts it down to two, and it removes two thread passes. which means less stress on my machine, and fewer points the bag can fail.

Most of my cordura bags have been made on home machines. With a little patience and/or intelligent design they have come out with little or no issue, even when sewing several layers of 1000 and 1050d cordura.

i have a home machine called a brother dressmaker that is busted now. it was free and I got what I paid for. I pulled it apart and found a lot more molded plastic parts than really made me comfortable. but it is the shaft that drives the needle up and down that is bent and makes a grinding sound. odds are it came from sewing six layers of cordura into a french seams. I have since changed my bag design to get rid of that feature but that realization came way too late so I am now stuck hunting up a new machine.

My two cents

At first I was going to disagree with Seagull with his statement about not needing an industrial machine. but honestly I think that he is ultimately right. Smart design and layout makes all the difference in the world. My new bag design gets rid of a fell seam I had that layered up four layers of cordura and cuts it down to two, and it removes two thread passes. which means less stress on my machine, and fewer points the bag can fail.

Most of my cordura bags have been made on home machines. With a little patience and/or intelligent design they have come out with little or no issue, even when sewing several layers of 1000 and 1050d cordura.

i have a home machine called a brother dressmaker that is busted now. it was free and I got what I paid for. I pulled it apart and found a lot more molded plastic parts than really made me comfortable. but it is the shaft that drives the needle up and down that is bent and makes a grinding sound. odds are it came from sewing six layers of cordura into a french seams. I have since changed my bag design to get rid of that feature but that realization came way too late so I am now stuck hunting up a new machine.


Everyone has their brand preference and I wish you the best of luck in finding a machine that works. I usually give the same advice I give bike shoppers. if you can, go to stores and try a few out. the high end models usually have places setup where you can take them for test spins. I know the bernina and singer places here do.
Everyone has their brand preference and I wish you the best of luck in finding a machine that works. I usually give the same advice I give bike shoppers. if you can, go to stores and try a few out. the high end models usually have places setup where you can take them for test spins. I know the bernina and singer places here do.




*posted by a guy with more bags than underwear*

Someone should dig up all the old threads on this subject and link to them here.

I really like that there is this burgeoning DIY culture growing out of the cycling scene. It wasn't until I started riding seriously that I had much of an interest in sewing, and it's actually really encouraging that there are so many other people with similar interests who can offer advice, share experience, and help punch holes in any remaining gender role stereotypes saying that men aren't supposed to sew...

My mother is shipping me her old Husqvarna Viking and I'm totally psyched. It's a short-term loaner, but it'll get me working on projects I really want to experiment with and let me bu ild my skills enough that I won't feel my intentions are totally misguided when I eventually buy a used industrial machine.

For those of you using a Juki, I haven't the slightest clue why my thread keeps breaking. Last thing I worked on was sewing through 4 layers of cheap 2 inch webbing for a strap modification, and I had to turn the drive manually because as soon as I added some power it would snap. I'm using upholstery thread. Is this no good? Dan what kind of thread did you use on Pegasus? I want to try some better stuff.

new needle. check you thread tension. and most importantly. synthetic thread with synthetic fabric, natural thread with natural fabric