serious sewing :D

[teef]

okay, so i've wanted to be able to make outdoor gear -- small scale, not as a business -- for about as long as i can remember. my grandpa used to do custom leather work and i always thought that was pretty damn cool. i'd love to be able to bang out a pair of canvas bush pants or "the perfect" haversack or suchlike just because that's what i happen to want on my woodsy adventures. of course hand sewing is always the budget option and i've certainly done my fair share but TBH i'm not getting any younger and i've rather spend an hour or so making something and the rest of the afternoon in the woods rather than the other way around.

i do have a domestic sewing machine and it's a nice little thing but it certainly isn't up to doing the heavier grades of canvas and cordura nevermind leather and such. i've done some research and discovered that "walking foot" machines are the way to go and "triple feed" (aka "universal" or "compound" feed) machines are ideal for this sort of thing.

to make a long story short your garden variety domestic sewing machine uses a clawed plate called "dogs" under the presser foot to pull the material you are sewing past the needle. apparently this is called "drop feed". on heavy duty machines they add a "walking" presser foot that advances and then drops down to move the material from the top as well as the bottom. and on some of the best machines the needle actually advances, pierces the material and pulls back to give a "needle feed" function as well.

most of these serious machines are metal parts and body and of course they weigh many times more than your typical plasticated domestic machines.

needless to say such machines are not cheap. they start around a grand afaict and go up from there. used machines are certainly an option and they seem to go for about 2/3 of the original sticker prices. still not cheap and far too dear to just dip in and dabble about.

so, anyone done this? tried one? been into this kind of thing? i'm dead curious to hear from someone that's actually done it as opposed to the sales hype that tells you can "sew sunbrellas for fun and profit."

 

[saxonaxe]

Only thing that I can contribute Teef, is my late Mrs was a Tailoress, she worked privately on high fashion garments for the rich and famous (literally) She had a variety of machines in her sewing room, I recall the one she used most was an Elna Professional which did everything except mow the lawn. She also had Over lockers and Hemming machines but what came closest to your question was a big old fashioned 'Singer Industrial'

Very occasionally she would do work on some raving Pop Star's leather jacket or trousers and the old Singer would sew through sheet metal I'm sure. It had a separate motor and a big leather belt drive. I think it did forward, reverse and zig zag but that was about it. She bought it via adverts from someone like Direct sewing supply or similar, I can't remember the exact company name but she bought a lot of stuff off Direct Sewing

 

[teef]

excellent info Sax, thank you. pretty much dovetails with what i've come to understand.

gotta love those old Singers, eh? the old beast we had was a boat anchor and looked it but it too would sew through whatever you managed to stuff under the presser foot. sometimes you had to crank it through with the flywheel but it never complained and it (almost) never failed. if i had that machine now i'd be perfectly satisfied and going about my business.

thanks also for the Direct Sewing tip. ran across them several times while doing my Goobling around for info, look like a serious outfit. i believe they have used machines on offer too which many don't. when the time comes i think i'll drop them a line and see what they suggest.

 

[Ystranc]

The main reason for these machines is to be able to sew different fabrics that perform differently when sewn together so that they would not stretch or pucker. they're not necessary unless you want to start doing some serious tailoring or making lingerie.
We use an industrial machine that has had the motor stepped down by swapping the pullies so that the gearing is reduced. Depending on what needle is being used it is quite capable of stitching through eight thicknesses of waxed cotton or canvas. My friend has a similar one that is set up for stitching the vinal coated canvas used in marquees.
These are simple single needle industrial machines. Look for a firm called "Northern Industrial sewing machine Co" somewhere up near you. We dealt with a firm in Bradford.