Advice on buying a sewing machine for Leather

19 years ago

Hi Everyone,

I am new to this forum; actually this is my first forum.

I need advice on buying a sewing machine that will sew leather. I am drawn to the old machines. Thinking that they have lasted the test of time. As well as the fact that they have all metal gears. I would like to do some projects like make leather pillows. Make heavy material to cover an ottoman. My father makes leather belts and knife sheaths. He needs help doing the stitching on those. The features that I would like are: The ability to sew with two needles, Zig Zag, and a reverse. Right now I have a great old Singer single stitch with no reverse.

On Ebay there is a White brand machine that seems to have all of these features. The model is a 3077 it has a 1.3 amp motor. It was made in Japan in the 70's. Says it has all metal gears. What do you guys think of this model and brand for sewing leather?

I appreciate the help!

Julie

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Comments (4)

lizzie2
19 years ago
My daughter did a leather 4H project last year and it did okay on a Viking. Use a leather needle and the thread you get where you buy the leather (DO NOT USE THIS THREAD IN THE BOBBIN). It did 2 layers of leather fine but when she went to put on the collar (it was a jacket)she ended up doing it by hand. The collar was pig suede.

Have lots of fun and also learn to make purses with the leather, they sell very well.
evaf555
19 years ago
The White may last through a couple leather projects, but i doubt it will work long term.

While many industrial machines have reverse now, they don't have zig-zag and double needle options. For the most part, true industrial machines do one operation, if a machine does more than that, it's probably not an industrial.

I have an old Bernina 950, an alleged commercial machine. While it will zig-zag and may accept a double needle, it would never sew leather reliably.

White is a low-end home sewing machine.
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chelone
19 years ago
Juki 562, an industrial machine with both a needle feed and a walking foot. This is a work horse, built like a tank and able to withstand a lot of day to day "abuse". Overall, a great machine to buy "used". I have one, purchased second/third hand, runs like a top.

Downside: has a small bobbin. Make sure you have at least 6 metal bobbins (I assume you won't be using prewounds) and buy 2 cones of thread, so you can wind a bobbin while working on whatever you wish.
auntiegeek
19 years ago
I was interested in your question so I did a quick google search of Juki 562...lots of hits...

http://www.google.com/search?q=Juki+562