How to install and set height of the feed dogs on a Singer 301: Singer Restoration Series Part 19

This video shows you how reinstall feed dogs on a Singer 301. I will also show you how check the height of the feed dogs and adjust them if necessary.
This is the link to the video that shows you how to remove the feed dogs on a Singer 301:
• How to remove the thre...
Follow along as I disassemble and restore a Singer 301. In this series I will show you how to remove parts, clean, troubleshoot and then reassemble the 301. Here is the link to the full playlist:
• Full Singer 301 Restor...
Learn more about Sewing Machine Rehab at: www.sewingmach...
Look below for links to most of the products you will need:
Grease wick for your 301 motor: sewingmachiner...
Oil wicks for Singer 301: sewingmachiner...
The Singer Featherweight Shop sells some supplies you need for your 301: singer-feather...
List of supplies and links:
Various sized flat head screw drivers such as...
Chapman screwdrivers Kit No. 9600: amzn.to/47R4n7N
Craftsman Ratcheting Offset Screwdriver: amzn.to/3Ehii9o
Penetrating oil, I love Aerokroil by Kano: amzn.to/3R1a25h
Lily White Sewing Machine Oil: amzn.to/3Ej1O0F
Sew-Retro Sewing Machine Grease: singer-feather...
91% Isopropyl Alcohol: amzn.to/45tO7rv
Zymol Cleaner Wax: amzn.to/3P05c5o
Krud Kutter: amzn.to/3Ek2inh
Krud Kutter - The Must for Rust: amzn.to/3R2lKfR
Regular Cotton Swabs: amzn.to/3YW22nS
Pointy Cotton Swabs: amzn.to/3ECINXn
Old cotton t-shirts cut into pieces or other rags
Blue shop towels: amzn.to/45yO2D6
Sandwich bags (to keep parts together)
New Bed cushions for your 301: singer-feather...
New bobbin winding tire: singer-feather...
New 301 Drip Pad: singer-feather...
New LED lightbulb for your 301: singer-feather...
New motor brushes for your 301: singer-feather...
New electronic style foot control (foot control only for machines with separate power cord): amzn.to/3r2S9IB
New power cord: amzn.to/3EuNK4q
New electronic style foot control (for 301’s without separate foot control plug): amzn.to/45tsNCH
Feeler gauge for setting feed dog height and presser foot height: amzn.to/3YZJbbq
Thread tension meter: singer-feather...
Tweezers: amzn.to/45Os7r7
Several small artist paint brushes and a 1" chip brush (you can buy on Amazon but they are cheaper at stores like Walmart and Harbor Freight)
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
**As an Featherweight Shop Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

[@BobFowlerWorkshop]

Bravo Jen, Bravo! Very well presented! As a general rule of thumb, most Singer domestic machines (read that as most domestic machines from what we now call the vintage era) call for a feed dog height of approximately 80% of the height of the teeth of the dog at the mid-point of their upper travel at max stitch length. Honestly, I tend to set them by eye, though I have used the stacked feeler gauge method you showed. You hit the nail on the head in that you don't have to be *super* precise, just as long as your material feeds correctly. I have a customer who sews a lot of super fine fabrics and likes her dog set a little lower. My personal 99 is set a bit higher as I work with heavier fabrics most of the time. The 301 presents a bigger challenge as access to the adjusting screw is more difficult once the electrics are in place. Fortunately, the 90 degree ratcheting screwdriver makes it easier when the access hole is filled with a connector!

[@SewingMachineRehab]

Thanks Bob!

[@alicegarcia1820]

I think I will hire you to do this measurement for me!

[@SewingMachineRehab]

@@alicegarcia1820 Hi Alice! I think I’ll be working on your machine this weekend. Can’t wait to get it to you!

[@jadehouse8789]

One thickness of a sheet of notebook paper is very close to .001". When I fold a piece of paper in half twice, the thickness is very close to .004". The teeth of my feed dogs should, (and do) stand, just proud of my stack of paper, and I'm calling it good! Great tutorial!

[@SewingMachineRehab]

Thank you for sharing that information! It’s nice to have options and not have to go purchase a tool if you have something around the house that will work just as well.

[@JesusisKing222]

Dear Jen, your adjustment suggestion for my then (almost 2 years ago) newly acquired 301 was spot on! Thank you for that!! My current feeddog question is that my feeddogs won’t lower below the needle plate. I have oiled underneath. My machine is not taken apart so I’m wondering what you suggest to adjust them, as i want to freemotion quilt. I’ll be getting ahold of those tools in the meantime. Thank you in advance!

[@SewingMachineRehab]

Hi! Are you turning the little knob back behind where the bobbin case goes? Sometimes it can be a little stiff. I need to get one of my 301's out and make a video explaining how it works better. It is the one thing I didn't give enough info on in the 301 series I think. Let me know if you figure out what is wrong with yours!

[@JesusisKing222]

Hi Jen! Thanks for you help! I can turn the black adjuster knob (i oiled it and then followed it underneath the machine to oil anything else i could see to oil!) but the feeddogs don’t go down enough. They remain high enough to pull fabric through.

[@rosanneandreas6303]

Another great video! On my 301, the knob to raise and lower feeder dogs seems to be harder to turn then what I can see you do in your video. How do I loosen up that knob? Thanx sooooo much!

[@SewingMachineRehab]

Hi again! That knob can be hard to turn initially, especially if it wasn't used much. You will see that it has a slot in the end that you can fit a very large screwdriver into, try getting it started that way. If you look under the machine at the knob, you will see the threads that it turns on. Give them a drop of oil and that will help it turn easier. Hope that helps!

[@rosanneandreas6303]

@@SewingMachineRehab another great tip! Thanx much!

[@annabockis3344]

What do we do if we do not have that entry hole for the screwdriver? My feed dogs are very low yet set at the highest level. I don’t really want to remove the plug mechanism.

[@SewingMachineRehab]

Hi again :) If you can’t get to the end of the screw through the hole then I would recommend an offset screwdriver. The end has an L shape to it and you should be able to get to the screw that way. They are fairly inexpensive, usually under $5. It’s not ideal to get to the screw that way but if you are not wanting to remove the plug then that is what I would try!

[@louisealessi493]

Dear Jen, Thanks for this info. I have a problem with the feed dogs screw in the side. It is not lowering the feed dogs. The "pin" that is supposed to move away, so the feed dogs can lower, is not. Help please.

[@SewingMachineRehab]

Hello! I will be putting a video up on this part of the machine in the next couple of weeks. I wish I would have covered it in this tutorial but I missed it. Keep your eye out for it!

[@louisealessi493]

Thank you so much. You're the best along with Bob.

[@lauraeckert9748]

Hello, I've been following your series and have my black 301 long bed all torn apart. However, I've obviously gone wrong somewhere because the main shaft will not turn. It was fine before I started this process. I wasn't able to get some of the screws off in the nose ( needle bar, tensioner set screw, counter weight top screw). Could I have over tightened something? Or cleaned it so much as to make something seize? The needle bar was moving normally at the time when I tried to remove the screw. It was only later that I noticed I couldn't move it. Any ideas appreciated. Thanks.

[@SewingMachineRehab]

Hi Laura, I am sorry to hear you are having trouble! First, just so I can put pieces together, where are you in the process? Still taking parts off or putting them back on? Do you have the hand wheel back on yet?

[@lauraeckert9748]

@@SewingMachineRehab I am putting it back together. I just put the hand wheel on. It spins freely in bobbin mode, but when I tighten it to regular sewing mode, it will not budge. I am mystified as to what I could have done to " lock" it so well.

[@SewingMachineRehab]

@@lauraeckert9748 If you are done with the cleaning parts, then I would recommend getting some oil back on the machine. What parts were you able to remove from the nose and put back? Did you only leave in the needle bar and tension stud? Without seeing it, it is hard to diagnose. You could have something stuck in one of the sets of gears. Is it possible that when trying to loosen screws the needle bar was bent at all? I would start with oiling first, do you have access to a manual that shows you where to oil? Sorry for all the questions, I will help you if I can!

[@lauraeckert9748]

@@SewingMachineRehab I did some diagnostics and determined the sticking point seems to be between the weight and the thread uptake, but those are also the areas where the screws won't budge. I cleaned the gears again and regreased and also oiled everything. I have the pliers to extract stuck screws and also have a drill bit that will extract screws the pliers can't reach if I need to. Are all those screws replaceable (needle bar clamp, tensioner set screw, counter weight screw, bottom screw on thread uptake). What's puzzling is that everything was moving when I started.

[@SewingMachineRehab]

Laura, sorry for the delay. Yes, all the screws are replaceable, you just have to find them online. Normally through etsy, eBay, and some some of the sewing machine supply stores. I will try to add some links to good places to find parts to this video later today. It is possible that something went wonky when you were trying to get the screws out. In the video where I reinstall the thread uptake I explain how you can have binding, I am not sure if that is what you are experiencing now or not. I would first make sure you can find all the replacement screws before you take any off. If that makes sense…