old/new-to-me industrial sewing machine

For quite a while now, I've been looking for a sewing machine that would be powerful enough to punch thru thick fabric, so that I can make trampolines, sails, sail bags, etc., for my Hobie AIs. A while back I saw a 1970s-era Singer industrial sewing machine for free on Craigslist. So, I drove up to SF and picked it up, figuring that it would be nothing more than a fancy boat anchor.

Not only did I get a potential boat anchor (it weights at least 60lbs), but a first-rate table, a servo motor, bobbins, etc. The lady who had it had tried to fix it and gotten frustrated, so she just wanted to get rid of it.

I took it to a local guy who specializes in repairing industrial sewing machines, and to my surprise, he said that he could have in perfect working condition for $150, and that he'd be done within a week. A month went by, and he still hadn't gotten it to work. I had given up hope that it would ever work, but after almost 5 weeks, he texted that it was working and ready to pick up.

I've got the material to make AI trampolines. Now, there is just one minor detail remaining... I need to learn how to sew!

That’s one industrial machine.  There used to be lots of garment shops in SF.  They all closed down in the late 90s, early 2000s.   These machines are from that era, unbreakable and will last forever.

That's the stuff!   You'll be making leather dry suits before you know it!  I to dream of an industrial sewing machine just cuz...

Nice! Looks like a beast!

Fun!

leather dry suits

 

That’s one industrial machine.  There used to be lots of garment shops in SF.  They all closed down in the late 90s, early 2000s.   These machines are from that era, unbreakable and will last forever.

I'm still amazed at how heavy it is. We have a pellet stove, and 40lb bags of pellets are easy, but I struggle to lift this sewing machine by myself.

There's not a lot of info online on this specific version of the Singer 211, but my best guess is that it's an early 1970s vintage, and apparently the "U" indicated that it was made in Japan.

Nice find

I may need your repair guy’s number

For quite a while now, I've been looking for a sewing machine that would be powerful enough to punch thru thick fabric, so that I can make trampolines, sails, sail bags, etc., for my Hobie AIs. A while back I saw a 1970s-era Singer industrial sewing machine for free on Craigslist. So, I drove up to SF and picked it up, figuring that it would be nothing more than a fancy boat anchor.

Not only did I get a potential boat anchor (it weights at least 60lbs), but a first-rate table, a servo motor, bobbins, etc. The lady who had it had tried to fix it and gotten frustrated, so she just wanted to get rid of it.

I took it to a local guy who specializes in repairing industrial sewing machines, and to my surprise, he said that he could have in perfect working condition for $150, and that he'd be done within a week. A month went by, and he still hadn't gotten it to work. I had given up hope that it would ever work, but after almost 5 weeks, he texted that it was working and ready to pick up.

I've got the material to make AI trampolines. Now, there is just one minor detail remaining... I need to learn how to sew!

That's the easy part.
Step 1 - Grab a beer.
Step 2 - Hay Honey, can you help me real quick!

If one can use a bandsaw, you can sew lines.

At every start/ending I would go sew back and forth two/three times (it's a preference) to keep stitching from unraveling.

If one can use a bandsaw, you can sew lines.

At every start/ending I would go sew back and forth two/three times (it's a preference) to keep stitching from unraveling.

Yes, I’ve been watching a few YT videos, and with a little practice I think I can manage it. Filling the bobbin and threading it are the first hurdles to overcome…

The machine makes all the difference and yours looks solid

I did a bimini top and a lot of other canvas work w my grandma’s old White until it broke down at age 100 or so. Then bought a standard singer for home sewing that couldn’t do anything close and I donated it

Just a quick update...

I cut out the pieces for my AI trampolines, and was ready to sew. On practice pieces, the lower thread was generally too loose. A few minutes searching revealed that that's usually due to lack of tension on the upper (needle) thread. So, I slightly tightened a tensioning bolt, and the takeup spring immediately disintegrated--I could not even find the pieces. Luckily, I was able to order replacement springs for cheap (about $1 each, so I got a few). Even more luckily, before the springs arrived, I realized that I had threaded the machine incorrectly.

After installing a new spring, threading it correctly, and messing around with the tension for a while, it seemed to be working fine, so I took a shot at sewing one of the trampolines. There were a few flubs, and the tension is still not perfect, as an occasional (bottom) thread is a bit loose, but I think the results are serviceable. Hopefully, with a little more practice/experimentation, I can get the stitching to be be perfectly consistent in terms of tension. I'm also hoping that when I sew "straight" lines, they will actually be straight.

I posted some pics of my trampoline in another thread:

https://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=103988.0