• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Sewing machine suggestions?

Jammintree

Jammintree

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2021
Messages
2,181
For quite some time I’ve been thinking about getting a heavy duty sewing machine. Ideally my interest is in a sewing machine that can sew any thickness of leather and also be capable of stitching various types of canvas, webbing etc. it would be great to find a heavy duty workhorse that doesn’t break the bank. Any suggestions? What do I need to know in order to begin searching and researching?
 
I wish it was almost complete! Alas, there is no end to acquisition of tools and having enough workspaces to set them all up.
 
My 2 cents, as someone who doesn't have an industrial machine but has made and fixed a ton of misc gear on a sewing machine from holsters to pouches to curtains for our house at this point I think the best place to start with is a Singer 15 clone. I see a lot of love for the 15-91 specifically out there. There are many related models out there from the original singers to the Japanese models that came along after WWII when the US reportedly gave them the patent to stimulate their economy. I have a Japanese one (same machine sold under many name badges but mine is a morse) that I paid 50 bucks for out of the back of a guys van and it has paid for itself 20 times over. Would love a juki or even an older industrial machine but its hard to justify the price for one when I have made 4 saddles and all kinds of other stuff on this little workhorse. Now, if I was making packs or had the advanced skill like some guys on here have I would have something with a lot more capability with a walking foot, clutched motor, serger, all that jazz. It's honestly amazing how heavy duty and well made the old household machines are and a marvel that they can be found so cheaply for such a quality, strong, precise machine.
 

Sewing Resources and Information

With the discussions on sewing (or thread injecting if you prefer), I think it may be beneficial to those interested if we had a single resource thread for sewing information. I know a number of the little things I’ve picked up along the way are scattered throughout the forum. Please, if you...
saddlehunter.com

This is the OG thread started by @skell that has some great info in it and how I generally got my start a few years ago
 
BackSpasm said:

Sewing Resources and Information

With the discussions on sewing (or thread injecting if you prefer), I think it may be beneficial to those interested if we had a single resource thread for sewing information. I know a number of the little things I’ve picked up along the way are scattered throughout the forum. Please, if you...
saddlehunter.com

This is the OG thread started by @skell that has some great info in it and how I generally got my start a few years ago
Click to expand...
Awesome thank you!

Ive been hand stitching 2 layers of 8-12 oz leather together. I wonder if there are machines that will handle material that thick, or if I’m just bound to continue hand punching and hand stitching such thick material.
 
Jammintree said:
Awesome thank you!

Ive been hand stitching 2 layers of 8-12 oz leather together. I wonder if there are machines that will handle material that thick, or if I’m just bound to continue hand punching and hand stitching such thick material.
Click to expand...
I know for a fact there are many machines that can do that, but the ones that do it best are industrial and dedicated for that purpose. I could sew that kind of leather with my machine using hand power, but it wouldn't be the best tool for the job, would take a lot longer than an industrial machine, and would require more set up. For me as a hobbyist that is ok. If you get a "do it all" machine that can thrown small stitches on fine stuff up to bigger gear, you sacrifice some function on the delicate end and heavy duty end. People who go all in usually end up with multiple machines for this reason.
 
I had a feeling that multiple machines would be the direction…

for now I may just have to continue the arduous work of king runs of hand stitching
 
@jhunter13 sorry I keep tagging you on these type of threads but I think your experience is valuable to anyone wanting to get started. What was that sewing machine you love so much, that you got started on, and can be had for like 50 bucks? Singer 15-91?
 
Jammintree said:
Awesome thank you!

Ive been hand stitching 2 layers of 8-12 oz leather together. I wonder if there are machines that will handle material that thick, or if I’m just bound to continue hand punching and hand stitching such thick material.
Click to expand...
The popular leather sewing machine is the OG singer 111w155 but that’s going to cost you a couple hundred bucks most likely even if you find deals. I have one I just refurbished but haven’t used yet.
 
You guys are such kind and helpful enablers. I love this forum.

all in all that’s not a bad cost for a couple solid machines. They’d both be legitimate business expenses, which helps justify the expenses.
 
Jammintree said:
You guys are such kind and helpful enablers. I love this forum.

all in all that’s not a bad cost for a couple solid machines. They’d both be legitimate business expenses, which helps justify the expenses.
Click to expand...
One thing to know is that not all older machines will have a reverse if that is a necessity for you. I learned on a machine without reverse so I never missed it. It can be tedious/cumbersome at times but you can still do everything you like with it. If I ever poney up for something nicer I will definitely have that feature though.
 
gcr0003 said:
@jhunter13 sorry I keep tagging you on these type of threads but I think your experience is valuable to anyone wanting to get started. What was that sewing machine you love so much, that you got started on, and can be had for like 50 bucks? Singer 15-91?
Click to expand...
Yes....15-91. But if you live in the NE PA area. You might not find any...lol
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top