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sewing machine advice

8K views 27 replies 10 participants last post by  Sumner10 
#1 ·
I am in the process of purchasing a sewing machine for some winter projects. I will start small and go from there. In a second hand shop here in town there is a machine called a TacSew that was originally to be used in an upholstery shop. It looks barely used and comes with a table to mount it on. As near as I can tell the only controls on it is a fast/slow knob and and on/off switch. Will this machine do different kinds of stitching. Also on another downside the machine is run off of a small motor underneath the sewing machine. The guys is asking $300 for it, but I think he is subject to taking quite a bit less. I tried to load some pictures but I kept getting an error message saying I had a security token issue.

On another note Defender has a Reliable Barracuda Sewing Machine
listed for sale at a decent price. How does this machine stack up to a sailrite.
 
#2 ·
The model number would be nice. Also where is this machine located? Do you have the phone number of the store? Do you think he would ship UPS to me? TacSew are industrial grade.

I like the barracuda. It's a zigzag walking foot with reverse. Price is attractive to boot. I'd want a case for it. The handcrank is nice but IMHO is way over priced. You might want to read the reviews at Amazon.com on this machine.
 
#3 ·
GREETINGS EARTHLINGS :- Great one yes but ask at the shop is it working and can you runa peice of cloth through to see how it goes normaly they say yes. At one stage I had seven sewing machines all set up to do different jobs for the boats we owend they where all domestics with more powerfull motors and different drive belts on KEEP YOUR HANDS SAFE AND AWAY FROM THE SHARP BITS Experiment and enjoy AS ALWAYS GO SAFE. AND GGOD LUCK.
 
#4 ·
It did run. I plugged it in yesterday and it ran. As much as I hate to give out a number to help someone buy something I am looking at I doubt that it is what I am looking for. The machine is on Commerical St in Springfield MO. The store is called Furniture and More. The owners name is Joe, he gave me his cell #417 224 0887 and said to call and make an offer. I have no idea about shipping, it was kind of a mom pop type shop and he was sellling it for a friend. I have some pics that I can email you. I tried loading them on here but kept getting error messages.
 
#5 ·
I was on your quest a few years ago and ended up buying a sailrite. One of the big reasons is the support. Plus it was new and guaranteed to work. It has definitely earned its keep and been a great experience as I have used it for sunbrella and leather. I have a couple of other home sewing machines that I use for lighter fabrics.
 
#15 · (Edited)
We also bought from sailrite and would do it again in a heartbeat. I don't care whose machine you get at some point it will get out of adjustment and/or you will need parts. If you can't get either then you are dead in the water.

I have a friend that lives west of Springfield and he picked up an industrial machine at a very good price, but hasn't used it much. It is just too fast and he has to have another friend that worked at the factory where the machine came from over to set it up and get it working. I would not buy any industrial machine unless you have access to the resource to keep it working and parts.

We have used our lsz-1 a ton and it has worked great for everything we have done. I can't post links yet but google ( ruth canvas mods index ) to see what that machine is capable of.

I know it will seem like a lot of money but it is worth it. We started with an older industrial singer that works pretty darn good, but no walking foot or zig-zag. For most projects you don't need the zig-zag, but it can be nice. Lots of sails and other items were sewn before it became available,

Sum
 
#6 ·
You'll need zig-zag feature and the abi8lity to sue close up to beading. Having a large spindle threasd capacity is also handy. If sewing tough fabrics like sunbrella it's best to have commercial heavy duty. I just about broke my wife's high quality home machine when punching thru six layers.
 
#7 ·
MarkCK,

Is the TacSew model number T111-155? If so, apparently it is similar to the Singer 111W155 which is a compound (both bottom-feed also called drop-feed, and top-feed also called needle feed) walking foot (alternating pressure-foot) sewing machine.

As for pictures, upload them to phtobucket.com and post the link here.

Running a machine with a motor below the machine has the advantage of being able to change out what is probably a clutch motor for a servo motor that gives much more control.
 
#9 ·
I've never actually seen one, but the machine pictured in you photobucket album might be a blindstitch machine, perhaps not the same model but something such as pictured in the link below. The model numer seems to be T1718.

Tacsew T1718-4 Full Size BlindStitch Hemmer Machine 1718 TAIWAN, 8mmLift 3-8mmSL CylinderArm SkipStitch CurveNeedle KneeLever SetUp PowerStand 2500SPM at AllBrands.com

Would you please post your applications -- marine canvas, sails, .... A blindstitch machine might not be what you want.
 
#10 ·
I was planning on starting with some simple canvas projects. Covers for my winches, and possible make a cover for my sunfish. At some point I figured I might make a storm sail or something along those lines. Nothing fancy, mostly I was looking for a learning project and see where I go from there.
 
#11 ·
GREETINGS EARTHLINGS:-Well then what are you waitting for tarrarrr ofF to the shop you go ! Then buy some DIFFERENT TYPES of colth and start to practice on your house jobs before moving onto the inportant Boaty Jobs. There are loads of books and stuff on youtube that show you how to make covers and stuff above all GO SAFE.
 
#12 ·
Based on you objectives, a strong straight-stitch home sewing machine might be a good start. I started with a craigslist Pfaff 130 -- popular among sailboaters -- that also had zig-zag but never used it. Next I moved up to a craigslist Singer 111W155 and now a new Juki 1508 -- both straight stitch. Although I've never sewed sails, apparently zig-zag is important for distributing the load for sail making and sail repair, especially for large sails.

Sailrite.com has good videos on marine sewing projects.

The following books are worth consideration, especially the Casey Book:

The Complete Canvasworker's Guide by Jim Grant (Sailrite book)
Canvaswork & Sail Repair by Don Casey
The Big Book of Boat Canvas by Karen S. Lipe
 
#13 ·
If you were to recommend just one of those books for a complete beginer which would you recommend most. I have read some of Don Casey's other books and found them to be some of the best how to manuals around.
 
#17 ·
Sumner10,

Most commercial machines seem to be set up with a clutch motor, and I agree with the comment about an industrial machine being just too fast for us DIY folks. However, a servo motor can be set at various maximum speeds and be readily controlled within that range. Typically, I dial the lowest maximum speed, and at that setting can usually single-cycle the needle.

BTW everybody, Sumner10 and his wife Ruth are real talents. Do visit the Web site.
 
#18 ·
I own a Sailrite LSZ-1 and I it works great for me. The only thing is that if you want to sew any kind of lightweight fabric's it wont work very well. The gap between the feeding foot and the plate are to big and it will eat any light weight fabric.
The accessories available work really well. I added the heavier fly-weel for more torque when sewing at lower speed and it makes a huge difference. I highly recommend it.

Also I would consider purchasing multiple bobbin's as well as a variety of needles.
One other thing I have found that when using household sewing thread you have to be careful the machine works best with industrial thread.
 
#19 ·
I own a Sailrite LSZ-1 and I it works great for me. The only thing is that if you want to sew any kind of lightweight fabric's it wont work very well. The gap between the feeding foot and the plate are to big and it will eat any light weight fabric. ..
We kept the older Singer and use it on the light stuff. I will add this....I was having some problem can't remember what at the moment, but Matt or Grant at Sailrite suggested that I go through the sequence of adjusting everything on the machine as if it was new (we had done a lot of projects up to this point). They have a video and I went through all of the steps and the machine is better now than even when it was new.

We can get a lot more material under the foot, yet it still sews fine with just two thicknesses, the feed is better, it is just nicer to use all the way around. I'd suggest going through these adjustments to anyone using the machine. You will also know the machine a lot better and be able to diagnose problems easier.

When we started we felt that having a machine that could go through 3-4 layers of sunbrella was all that is needed. Wrong you will at times find yourself sewing through over twice that many layers of material and sunbrella is woven so tight to make it 'kind of' waterproof that it will really push a machine. The Lsz-1 can handle that situation and after going through the maintenance procedure it does it easier than ever before. As I said before there are good deals on industrial machines out there, but I'd only buy them from someone that specializes in them and can help you down the road. If you start sewing many projects you will need that help.

The most common problem is the needle striking parts under the table top, the retaining cap or the shuttle hook with the Lsz-1. You know it when the thread starts to unravel every now and then. If you see any nicks on them you need to take them out or replace the parts. I've found that a jeweler's file and some 400-600 wet sand paper does the trick.

I also made an adapter that is simple to make for the foot control that gives you stitch by stitch control like TejasSailer mentioned. When I can link on here I'll give a link to it,

Sum
 
#20 ·
I forgot one other detail. Before buying any machine think about how you will use it in the future. When we bought the Singer and then the Lsz-1 we had one sailboat. Our MacGregor that lived at home on the trailer. The boat was at home, we were at home and the sewing machines were at home. This worked great as it is easier to do boat projects when everything is the same place.

Then we went and bought a second boat, an Endeavour 37, that is 2200 miles from our home. We made a number of canvas mods for her at home (that you can see if you google Ruth's stuff that I mentioned above) and took them to the boat with us when we returned. We also took the sewing machines to make alterations. We ended up making some. If we wouldn't of had a portable machine this would of been a lot harder to do.

The yard where the Endeavour is has a large sewing table in the community room and a hole to drop you machine in. I noticed that last spring as a lot of cruisers came in to put their boats up for hurricane season they had sewing machines with them and made repairs. We will take our Lsz-1 on the boat with us also for repairs there or ashore.

If you are lucky enough to live near your boat then the above is not a concern. If now or in the future you might find yourself in our situation then I'd think seriously about a portable machine,

Sum
 
#21 ·
I have a nice pfaff 130 I got for $30 it was set up and sold to me by a retired sewing machine mechanic. I have the manual and it's pretty easy to adjust and maintain. Also there's a whole forum!
I just used it to resew a genoa that I cut about 6" of sun damage off of the leech and foot and then resewed it (I unpicked the whole cornerpatch and reattached it).It worked like a charm and I'm definitely an amateur. The sail looks good and works great. Happily it was a little large for my boat so the size reduction was just right. A lot of the older Pfaffs are up to the job and they're built to last!
There's a lady who supports her families cruising by doing sail repairs with a 130
 
#22 ·
It sounds like the sailrite is probably the best options. I haven't found any stellar deals on any of the Pfaffs or Singers. I am sure if I keep an eye out on Craigslist I would eventually find one but everyone' other argument on the sailrite makes up the difference. My parents have an old sewing machine that is probably of decent quality that I cane use for the time being that i can at least learn on. It's more of the household variety but I will post pictures of it the next time I can get up there to look at it. Then someone can tell me what I have.
 
#23 ·
MarkCK,

Also post the make and model.

Getting a Pfaff 130 for $30 is a real deal. Pfaff 130 sewing machines in resent craigslist posting in this area are usually offered for $200+. Mine sold quickly for $250, but there were extras.

As for service for a Pfaff 130, I thought this manual was quite good. I bought a soft copy on eBay.

Pfaff 130 Service Manual (Printed Full Color) | eBay

Of course, no affiliation of any kind.
 
#24 ·
At the risk of being redundant, find a local "sewing machine repair shop". I found a 60's Singer for $35.00 and it seemed like the store owner felt guilty for pricing it "that high", lol. It's heavy, but sews leather like it was cotton. It's made 24 cushions so far and still purrs like a kitten. Plus, when you're done with sail repair & cushion making, they serve as a great platform for winding your own electric guitar pickups. :)
 
#25 ·
My parents had this old machine that hasn't been used in years. I think it is a 1970's vintage if not older. Can anyone tell me what I have. I haven't plugged it in yet but if it works it ought to be good enough to at least practice on for a while. It probably isn't stout enough to go through sunbrella.
 

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#27 ·
It depends on how many layers of sunbrella you intend to sew together. You will
need the biggest needle that fits the machine. Start with two layers and work your way up to six. I think 4 layers is the majority of sewing cushions, the layers being side, top, and two layers for the cording. All that can go wrong is to break the machine but more than likely knock it out of timing.
 
#28 ·


Above is the Singer we started with and still use for some things. It is a 99....

Sew-Classic Blog: Classic Singer 99 Vintage Sewing Machine Review

....and pretty capable. No walking foot, but you can still accomplish about anything you want with it within reason. Ruth ....



....modified the pop-top (blue canvas) that came with our Mac. The only problem is that these usually aren't cheap, but you might find one that someone has and they don't know the value,

Sum
 
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