Motorizing The Leather Sewing Machine, For Under $50

In May 2019 I posted about this awesome $115 leather sewing machine I found on Amazon, since then I have been trying to think of an easy way to motorize it. With a couple parts from Amazon and a little tweaking you can get this thing running on its own.
Below are some links to tools I used in this project.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Cobbler Sewing Machine:
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Sewing Machine Motor ($22)
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Hey Duty Sewing Machine Motor ($90)
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4mm x 10m Round Belting ($12)
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Husqvarna Pulley ($11):
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Offset Light Bracket ($4)
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Sewing Machine Oil:
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Veg Tan Leather
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Check out the Lincoln Electric Power Mig 140MP, great for the home shop, Mig, TIG, and Stick in 1 machine!
→ bit.ly/pm140_mp...
Thank you to Pferd abrasives for supporting my shop and my channel. For links to some of the grinding discs I use most see below:
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→ Flap disc:
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→ Inside corner disc (AMAZING):
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→ Wire Wheel:
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Thanks for watching! Be careful, know the limits of your skills and your tools! Don't try this stuff at home!
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We teach classes in woodworking and welding here at the shop, if your interested see the current schedule here.
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For PDFs of some of our project check out our profile on Instructables:
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Below are some links to tools I use in the shop on a daily basis.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
→ Bosch Miter Saw ( My Favorite miter saw)
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→ Sawstop Table Saw:
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→ Wen Tabletop Metalcutting Bandsaw
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→ Articulated Vise:
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→ Bosch Portable Bandsaw ( 18V)
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→ Porter Cable Restorer:
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→ Lincoln 120V Welder ( good for a home shop)
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→ The Camera I use:
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→ The Tripod I use:
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[@Wrenchmonkey1]

Very nice. Just a quick note, when you're turning a corner, bury the needle, and use it as a fulcrum around which to rotate the sewing material. Bury the needle, and you can then even lift the presser foot slightly to relieve tension. This will keep the stitching consistent, and you won't have to worry about having any thread tension issues, or unwanted loops or gaps in the stitching.

[@Biokemist-o3k]

Thank you so much!! Really awesome advice!! I am a chemical engineer however I need to change my image so I am going to customize my sneakers and other stuff and I found this gem....

[@joecampana3398]

I’m retired now. But I owned a shoe repair shop 38 years. I learned on a machine like that! It was known as a patching machine! It was an old singer sewing machine! The first thing you can do is learn to use the wings that are above the needle to turn the leather! When the presser foot is up and away from the leather that’s when you turn the presser foot! You keep turning the leather after you stop the machine? The 2 wings are made to make the turn without turning the leather!

[@mrgrimm1803]

That's exactly what I was looking for, I hate having to turn the leather. Thanx

[@ezekielbreedlove7698]

?

[@MetroGradeGoods]

NICE! Just a word of advice on the pedal. Stick some hard density foam, like a part of a Nerf ball inside the pedal and it'll give you great feedback on speed control.

[@joshsoorlin579]

U serious?

[@MetroGradeGoods]

@@joshsoorlin579 Yup.

[@mantaszminskis5619]

i was using a cedar shingle as a wedge, thanks for the suggestion!

[@MultiFisherofmen]

Wow . I tore off a small piece of an old life preserver and stuck it under the pedal and it really made a difference. Thanks

[@mdeamicis]

Genius!

[@kjodonnell511]

Reversing the connections to the brushes or the field winding on the motor will reverse the direction of rotation.

[@JGilbertMetal]

he should've gotten a motor controller or geared it down a bit to deal with the speed rather than relying on the pedal for speed control.

[@scotthettel949]

Very nice video! I used this for inspiration when I did my motor job and I found out that a lot of the "violence" is caused by the hand-wheel being out of balance. I used a hand held drill to drill indents in the wheel and "balanced" it so it runs much smoother. I ran it for a while and then decided to make a jack-shaft to further reduce the speed and made a table so that I had more surface area. Of course the drilling of the hand-wheel brings it out of the "no tools" upgrade but I'm very pleased with my final product. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@Brewmaster721]

Servo motor is what you need. Programmable, able to get motor rpm down to 100rpm, with that pulley setup, machine would crawl

[@FEALG1ent]

Q

[@gustavzollernmakinen1516]

No, he only needs a light/fan dimmer to slow the motor. I added one to my mum's Singer machine, it works beautifully.

[@coreyhayes7692]

i used this vid to put this set up on mine and and adding another pulley for reduction did the trick.

[@shlomo_jewinstien-Doodoowitz]

@@gustavzollernmakinen1516 I'd like to hear how that works. By creating more of a current draw? I dont get what that does

[@gustavzollernmakinen1516]

@@shlomo_jewinstien-Doodoowitz Just take a fan/light dimmer, solder a lead through it; at one end a female 2-pin plug and the other end a male 2-pin plug (the dimmer being in the middle). The foot-pedal plug goes into the newly installed dimmer female plug. Tune the dimmer down to controllable limit. (Dimmer lowers the amperes, making the motor slower) It will never go mad fast on you, regardless of foot pedal input. The foot-pedal becomes very controllable.

[@porksboy]

use nail clippers to trim the extra where you fused the ends of the belt together

[@pmdoit]

Excellent idea I hadn't thought of

[@sparkyprojects]

Personally i would add a layshaft with a small and large pulley on either end, turn the motor round to face backwards, a belt from motor to large pulley, through the shaft to the small pulley and onto the machne. This would mean a greater reduction in speed, more control range, and because the motor is the other way round, no need for crossed belts ;)

[@charlesmckinley29]

Your idea also gives room for a step pulley to experiment with the speed range to see what works best.

[@philsullivan3679]

Please help me figure out what you are explaining. I am inexperienced with this stuff, but very close to installing a Juki motor on a machine identical to his. Contact me or just send me some kind of diagram please! [e-mail].

[@j.c.cannon2112]

​@@philsullivan3679 No idea what he means, but I wouldn't use a motor. A machine like this was never meant to go that fast, it operates at a low speed with a lot of friction. the best way to make it a bit more automated while keeping the speed low and control high would be to add a manual foot treddle attached to the handle on the guidewheel. (look at old manual grindstones to see how it works.) it would be fewer modifications, and could possibly be made with nothing but scrap lying around.

[@blkcc1]

@@j.c.cannon2112 basically, because the motor "turns" the wrong way, turn the motor around so belt isn't crossed. The belt would then be attached to a large pully on a shaft (with bearings), that shaft would have another small pulley on it with a belt from the small pulley to the bigger pulley on the sewing machine. This should slow the needle speed down enough to make sewing easy due to the slower speed of the needle going up and down and feeding the material into the machine for sewing. Hope it helps.

[@rebelmarshall3632]

I was thinking the same, and one wouldn't have to worry about electricity. Low tech is go tech :)

[@bretstearns8083]

Bigger wheel on machine is more torque and slower speed.

[@erikzorger3311]

I was about to say the same thing.

[@thedopeexperiment]

I learned this from The Great Escapist lol

[@kandlrex]

Using a resistor will also make the motor go slower

[@bretstearns8083]

@@kandlrex and eliminating the desired torque to punch through leather.

[@ammielrodgers9853]

Would more torque cause the needles to possibly break or bend easier?

[@denisbrandonmee-lee2587]

I'd love to see one of these hooked up to a treadle for hand's-free human power.

[@demastust.2277]

That sounds like a great idea.

[@MrErViLi]

Great mod! Twisting the belt like that runs it across itself causing friction. That'll eventually break it. You could just turn the motor around or reverse the leads in the motor. Or you could get an old drill press at a garage sale and use the motor in it which will be stronger and slower.

[@يسرييسور]

شد سعر،$

[@KenFullman]

Another alternative would be to tilt the motor support so the top of the support is slightly further back than the bottom.

[@my_dear_friend_]

I don't think that reversing the leads on the motor would do anything since it is AC powered.

[@MrErViLi]

@@my_dear_friend_ I "think" those old sewing machines had universal brushed motors. With a brushed universal motor, the direction is set by the relative polarity of the magnetic fields of the field winding and armature. If the wires are long enough, reversing the connections to the brushes will reverse the spin. If it's a single phase induction motor then you're right, reversing the leads will do nothing.

[@my_dear_friend_]

@@MrErViLi - yes, as far as I know, the old sewing machine motors are brushed. That would be a simple fix then.

[@lulapacefortuneripley471]

I already have a bunch of motors with pedals from repairing old sewing machines and you literally did exactly what I was thinking with this! I also have a variable speed dial wired into the outlet I would use that would help reduce the speed even more . Good job you've made me 100% convinced I need one of the cobbler machines now!

[@TangoCharlieAlpha]

Easiest way to fix it: Pull the cover off of the foot pedal and unscrew the potentiometer about 1/4 turn. This will eliminate that fast and immediate ramp-up you get. Easier than making pulleys, adding bolts, etc. Small screwdriver and 1 minute of time.

[@calebhand1180]

Is this in reference to slowing it down? I was just going to ask about that. I did exactly as he showed in the video and man is it fast. I want to have the machine go slowly consistently if I can instead of tapping the foot pedal over and over again.

[@pressuredprepper4232]

@@calebhand1180 Addd a switch and a diode to the pedal only. when u turn it off its on half speed when u turn it on its on full speed.. See this video.... kzbin.info/www/bejne/onmXiJKaabKjaMU

[@muhsinali4268]

Shoe workers here in Iraq use it alot, but all of them are manual.

[@daddydiesel76]

Can you take a video and share it here Id love to see how you guys are using them on an industrial level. :)

[@premasiriwickramasinghe7104]

can i see in japan this machine ?

[@joshsoorlin579]

Can u do a vid??

[@HWPcville]

My mother had an old Singer brand sewing machine. It was a production model that was originally a foot peddled version that had been remanufactured with a motor and a suitcase box to transport it. I remember she always had to give the belt driven pulley a small nudge with her hand when she stepped on the peddle. This was to get over the standing still start because of the low power of the motor. Once moving it did a great job. Brings back 50+ years of memories. Great job!

[@GenderSkins]

Actually all you need for the motor, is a Singer treadle motor like what is used on the 1926 Singer Treadle sewing machine electric conversion. That will give you an electric motor, that will be about the right speed. Your other option is to just find an antique singer treadle base, to make the sewing machine peddle powered. Speed would be much lower with a treadle base, and thus easier to control.

[@The68buick]

The foot turns so you don't need to turn a large piece of work. Like if you want to back stich to "lock the thread" just loosen the wing nuts, turn the foot 180 and retighten the nuts, and run the machine a few stiches.

[@InfiniteCraftsman]

I love that moment when you realize this random thing (light fixture thing) fits perfectly. Beautiful solution!

[@ammielrodgers9853]

Exactly what I thought! Simple yet perfect solution.

[@timhansen2577]

I ordered the sewing machine today. I threw two of the light brackets away yesterday. This is another reason I should never try to clean my shop...

[@craigmonteforte1478]

Awesome modifications installing the motor on this machine ! I love how you found easy to get parts and didn’t need to do major modifications to the original components of the machine, as a retired Woodworker ive always thought it would be a great channel or Website doing similar modifications to all the Chinese knockoff or Clones that so many people over the years have purchased from Harbor Freights or the Internet like smaller shop tools such as stationary sanders and similar items but doing it in a similar fashion that you have done on the sewing machine as many of those Clone machines have inferior motors or internal parts like plastic bearings etc and similar items to Get manufacturing costs lower which is why i suspect nobody manufactures that sewing machine with a motor ? At least to my knowledge I haven’t seen one for sale on the internet as all the ones ive seen just have the hand crank ! BTW sewing is actually one of my hobbies as i began doing it to make Custom cushions and Canvas covers for my Boating habits and new interiors for Vintage Automobiles because i wanted a coat savings and more quality control over hiring others to do it for me i used to get funny looks from older ladies in Fabric stores whenever i would ask staff about tips or products because I didn’t look like a typical Seamstress LOL i usually told the old ladies yes i sew but i sew Manly things like heavy Vinyls and Canvas , my sewing machine will stitch Canvas onto a wooden Yard Stick if i wanted to do so ! I have Stiched Vinyl onto a 1/8” piece of plywood for a cars door painal and other interior parts Because i wanted decorative stitching to show on kick panels In the passenger compartment and trunk areas of a car i did sometimes people use heavy Cardboard as well but i had the thin plywood left over from another project in my shop ?

[@terryrosenthal5990]

I wish I hag one of these 7 yrs ago when I doing my 77 dodge pu.. U redid the doors with rivets & glue.. this would have been the cats ass..!! lol

[@mikemuromoto220]

Pure genius. Best patcher motor add hack on KZbin. "Necessity is the mother of invention".

[@JoannePulgarin]

i just purchase this maching and all the items you suggested. amazon does have all the items. total i spent under 130.00 dollas. thank you. i love to sew and a new hobby in creating and sewing leather items will be a new journey for me.

[@MakeEverything]

Enjoy!

[@peem1244]

Try some tape under your walking foot to prevent marring the leather.

[@zachofalltrades1111]

or dip in that tool rubber dip for plyers

[@pressuredprepper4232]

@@zachofalltrades1111 That is what I plan to do is dip it..

[@007380]

For your information, there is a glue for gluing the rubber cord together. It's used to glue O-Rings together in hydraulics. The name is Weicon, part# 12204030. It dries extremely fast and it's strong. BTW, a servo motor would be a better choice for this machine.

[@tristan9189]

I just use any ca glue for o-rings...

[@pressuredprepper4232]

There is one on Ebay for 40 bucks couldnt get much cheaper.. I paid allot more than that for the one on my Sailrite LSV1 sewing machine.. But love it..

[@scor440]

Servo motor he is cheap that is not a solution

[@grumpus27]

Welding is the correct method to join PU drive belting.

[@Brewmaster721]

Servo motor all the way!

[@jdau2b]

Love your enthusiasm but being an OLD guy I would have gone with a foot operated mechanism and keep the reverse ability like granny’s ol sewing machine

[@petermoritz2452]

Use a wheelchair motor. You do need a different controller and a 12v power supply but you get a ton of tork at any speed. You could go like snail if you like!

[@MrTypepatrick]

That sounds brilliant, can you add any more details of how you might go about that?

[@JuarezDerrick]

Or a treadmill motor.

[@ronnieg6099]

I have absolutly no interest in leather sewing but how the f did you ever figure that out!? Brilliant.

[@MakeEverything]

Lots of time looking at hardware and always asking questions!

[@snatermans]

The belt rubbing against itself is a real nogo in my opinion. I think your first step comming from the motor is a small gear with some reduction. (So a small gear on the motor and a second axle with a big gear, and a small pully.) Then you'll fix your rotation problem and have a little bit more control over the speed (with extra torque)

[@derlukec.8533]

just turn the motor around. would be a lot easier

[@tissuepaper9962]

It takes all of ten seconds to put the belt back together if it breaks. Good enough is good enough.

[@tissuepaper9962]

@@derlukec.8533 yeah but then it hangs off the board akwardly. He could also just mount it at 45° to the flywheel so that the crossed belt doesn't rub.

[@marjoriepflug6764]

I just received the motor and foot pedal as you recommended. When I plug it in, I have power right up to the motor but the motor will not turn on with the pedal down. What do you recommend? Thanks.

[@feistycommissioner6656]

Thank you so much. This is a well made video. So many videos don't show everything or leave out small important steps. You truly know how to put it together in a way that works.

[@wetdedstuocm]

Well thought out. I like when people think outside the box. I tried to think outside the box and got a headache.. LOL.. Peace

[@charlesmckinley29]

You have enough room you could do a double reduction pulley set up to give you more speed control.

[@andrewswift7428]

I wondered about simple way to get more control from the pedal. Thanks

[@Biokemist-o3k]

SO incredible...Truly..."MAKE EVERYTHING"!!!!

[@kevinthorrington2131]

I would try a 12 volt electric car window motor. They are geared for power and have a slow speed

[@MrKubbler]

I spent 16 years working as a cobbler, I always preferred a tredlel foot peddle over electric motor for control. The patcher sewing machine that this sewing machine had a optional table top that encased the bobbin arm. Table might be a neat project for you. That belts neat, I'm use to a leather belt with a hog ring. Also on the singer on the back side of the head had a thumb screw that locked the direction of the foot direction. Might be able to drill and tap a screw. Any more Sportster videos planned?

[@kennkid9912]

i thought a treadle might be a better solution since you are the speed control.

[@mikeransom1168]

To reduce the "violence" of the motor and reverse the rotation simultaneously, reverse the mounting of the motor. (Put the pulley toward the back.) and drive a counter shaft with a large pulley driven by the motor and a small pulley driving the large pulley on the sewing machine. This will give you greater range of speed control of the motor and greater torque driving the sewing machine.

[@shaunhall1838]

Your videos are like hitting the baseball out of the park! Thanks for helping out so many people with your projects. Sharing your channel.

[@MakeEverything]

Thanks for watching Shaun!

[@gloriamedley8387]

move motor and turn it around so that the belt doesn't cross its self , the belts will wear longer

[@MakeEverything]

I had that set up initially, it was a little clunky having it stick out, but long term might be the way to go!

[@violentrobot]

@James M no it won't. it will still be spinning in the same direction.

[@ezekielbreedlove7698]

Put all components together and sell the kit for a profit!

[@viscache1]

I thought mine really needed a DC Techsew servo control motor that can be foot controlled from 3 stitches per minutes to 2200 spm. You can turn a larger flywheel out of stress free steel or cast it from cast iron. I used a leather stitched belt and gave it a classy old ‘factory floor’ look. These are great machines for the compulsive tinkerer!

[@k9road]

I`m thinking more in the line of, replace the nut at the handwheel with an extention one, yes a long nut and then use a battery operated powerdrill... very nice demo, thank you...

[@robertbogan225]

"The actions a little violent" these machines dont play games.

[@mikeguidry49]

Great video and info, thanks for sharing. Seriously thinking about getting the machine and doing the mods you did. Thanks

[@josephadams5993]

3000rpm motors are commonly available for sewing machines.

[@MainelyAcresFarmBrooks]

I did the same things years ago. That little motor will not hold up to the abuse, your better off with a servo motor.

[@chrisfournier6144]

Clever! I’m getting into leather working but went with an industrial machine because I could. Your set up looks perfectly usable!

[@USNERDOC]

Nicely done! I really appreciate your thoughtfulness and ingenuity.

[@jonnyrox116]

Maybe look into a DC servo motor, better speed control and more torque will take away all of that jerky movement at the start up...just a thought.

[@crownj01]

How is your machine now after a year of motorized use?

[@DoctorColg8]

PC-7 is an incredible 2 part epoxy thats strong enough to fabricate parts (can be drilled, tapped etc.) Its like a liquid steel paste that hardens Rock Hard, and can be hand formed. Originally used to attach hwy reflectors to the PA turnpike, I've used it for anything from replacing a missing part of the main rudder gear on a 1935 wooden sailboat, reskinning a fractured 12" hole in a kayak, to gluing industrial pipe towel racks to my brick shower tile. Also glued nearby rocks to bridge abutments to make guerilla climbing walls! If you don't know this product you aren't making everything you can! Period.

[@nigeljames4038]

mebbe use a cordless drill will give better speed control

[@MrKirby365]

So I have a serious question and it will be answered later on in the video but I wanted to be honest about the fact that I had the question and hadn't taught it through yet. Won't the fact that you cross the belt cause friction, at the location of the belts intersection over time heating the belt and either stretching it besuace it under tension or a critical failure point could also develop? Just curious to know how did it turn out is that something you have an issue with?

[@MakeEverything]

It definitely can, but because the belt can be refused with heat it’s easy to fix. I haven’t broken a belt yet

[@mwilliamshs]

That "handle" is SKETCH

[@ijugornot]

Superglue the belt. Made tons of custom o-rings this way.

[@annamaxflair]

Hi, how's that motor & foot peddle holding up? I've got a bunch of old machines I try to keep running ( I teach sewing as my volunteer work, would like to fix up the machines that I believe the motors are giving out on). Would appreciate your feedback

[@tommylitchfield3450]

You can mount the motor the opposite way and reverse direction. The pulley is towards the operator. Put the motor with the pulley away from the operator and you won't have the belt crossing.

[@michaelsablan8772]

That was my thought....just reverse the motor, the friction on the belt is not good and creates heat to where they want to cause more drag.

[@lorr.jones8887]

I'm so glad you figured this out and made this video! I got this machine a couple of years ago and wanted to motorized it. Most of what I saw involves way more mechanical/electrical knowhow, parts, equipment, and smart helpers than I have. So I gave up. I'm encouraged now to try!

[@Automedon2]

Two things. Hold your loose threads when you start stitching, and , when you turn a corner, leave the needle in the down position.

[@zachofalltrades1111]

I built a belt sander I need to upload the video of it but to have auto tension on your belt use a eye bolt and spring on the back end of motor and it will keep the perfect tension also can use several eye bolts in different locations to adjust motor tension.

[@osbornephoto1955]

Put a bigger pulley on the motor. Reverse the cord to run in a reverse direction.

[@paulskaminsky4220]

Reversing the cord will not reverse the direction of spin. That requires reversing the leads to the brushes.,

[@Robert-xp4ii]

You're a smart lad. I'm always looking around for things I can use when I decide to make tools I don't have or parts I need to fabricate.

[@gman2036]

Dude, you are my hero! Not only did I get the little green Cobbler machine but I ordered all of the other thiings to make automatic. Now one thing my brother and I found out after struggling for over an hour to get the machine to sew and that was the thread it came with. The thin thread it came with would not sew. We adjusted many things and ended up with the original settings all due to the thread that came with it. Once we tried thicker thread, it worked like a champ and we ended up in the original settings. Dah, we didn't think about the thread size. Well it's running beautifully now and hope to make great leather bags, motorcycle saddle bags and leather vests. Cheers holmes!

[@MakeEverything]

It’s a great little tool I’m glad you got use out of it!

[@DeepestBasher14]

Just a thought, because the motor is pretty violent for it, what about a treadle type system?

[@MakeEverything]

A treadle would be perfect for this type of machine!

[@michaelsablan8772]

@@MakeEverything I agree with the treadle system!

[@RobertWardJones]

I would sugest rewiring the motor so it runs the correct direction or mount the motor vertically or at least angle it slightly so the belt doesn't rub against itself. Very very cool how you engineered that solution from common parts. Well done!

[@BurninatorTheTrogdor]

At least put a small tail on the board. Something to lift the nose other than front binding. Longboards without a tail suck for everyday riding.

[@petercleary1310]

I've been machine sewing for 50 years, in that time I've used many domestic and industrial machines to sew fabric, paper, plastic sheeting, leather and even metal. You said something in the video about the motor over time wearing out the machine... that's never going to happen with a well maintained machine. The motor on the other hand is much easier to burnout. Also several people have already commented on adjusting belt tension, pulleys and mounting of the motor so that you wouldn't need to give the flywheel a little "push" to get it going. I'm sure many of those ideas would be very helpful and most likely you've made adjustments to your original design helping to solve belt slippage while still having easy control of the speed that said, you will find that if you put your material onto the machine start sewing by turning the flywheel manually to create one complete stitch and as the next stitch is being made leave to needle in the material at its lowest point the motor will have an easier time with less slippage almost eliminating the need for the "push".

[@dianablanke2543]

It reminds me of my White Rotary Sewing Machine. Thanks for sharing this, now I know how to fix my machine.

[@BGDonH]

Good job! Thanks! A couple of thoughts: 1. Add a rheostat to limit the power to the motor for a slower speed. 2. Use a bigger pulley on the machine itself.

[@robertmccully2792]

yep,, now your talking

[@Sage-qd6tf]

It looks like a knockoff of my 29k55. Neat! Mine is treddle powered.

[@GibClark]

That's gotta be the simplest way I've seen 👍👍👍👍 supposedly heat shrink or tool dip works great on the foot

[@davidshelp7116]

they make a holder for the blade you cut yourself with. Just incase you were wondering. It does make using it much safer and more controllable.

[@tp4306]

what about using a treadle unit from a old singer sewing machine , a lot slower speed then that motor.

[@MrTypepatrick]

That's a really awesome idea! Anybody here tried that?

[@flyingcat2054]

Would the orientation be wrong? The crank is front facing on this cobblers machine, but the old treadles are set up for a side facing crank. Idk. I guess you would have to add another pulley?

[@MrTypepatrick]

@@flyingcat2054 Exactly! There are quite older machines that had the treadle orientation the other way, but I imagine those would be very hard to find. I feel intimidated by the task of having to fabricate that additional pulley. Any KZbinrs out there find a doable solution?

[@grumpus27]

@@flyingcat2054 You can run a belt driven shaft at 90 degrees to the driving shaft as long as the driving side of the belt is properly aligned between the pulleys.

[@bricology]

A couple of thoughts: the new "handle", being closer to the axis, will have reduced leverage. This could be addressed by mounting piece of 1" x 1/8" mild steel, about a 8" long, and drilled to fit the two existing holes in the V-pulley. That would allow you to mount the handle much further out (almost to the rim of the pulley), for better slow-speed control and leverage. And why not just mount the motor in front with the sheave pointing backwards, so you don't have to run the belt in a figure-of-8? Also, a few up-grades occur to me: a servo-motor, so it can be run more slowly, a Gates toothed belt, and a reversing switch.

[@MrTypepatrick]

Love to see you post a link to a Servo motor that you like! Thanks for sharing!

[@MrIgottap]

I’m not sure, but I believe I saw somewhere that this machine doesn’t spin/sew in reverse via the flywheel. In the demonstrations I’ve seen the operator either rotates the material or the sewing “chuck” in order to lock/backstitch. Plus, I don’t understand the objection to running the drive belt in a figure 8. I think I’d rather have the motor toward the rear and away from the operator’s right elbow. If it’s because of concern for premature belt wear I understand, but belt material is cheap and readily available.

[@seandepoppe6716]

HAHAHAHA watching while sewing up shoes with the same machine, by hand crank. The motorized variant is extremely aggressive. There's a simpler way to do what you did it's on ebay look it up. Dude 3D printed out the parts so no extra fly wheel $45 then yes you have to buy or sorce a motor and pedal. Thankfully I had an old singer with those.

[@primitivebob8781]

Such a great job bro, from simplicity to functionality... A pleasure to watch, just before I flatter you with a nice copy! OOh Rah~

[@thomasdsmith7678]

Thanks for the vid. I glued rubber mat to the bottom of mine to stop "creep" (cheap mat that goes under throw rugs). For threader wire, I have one out of stainless steel safety wire (motorcycle stuff), one made out of guitar string and one made out of .030 MIG wire from my hobby welder.

[@93556108]

You can easily connect up a module 2000W AC Motor Speed Adjustable Motor Speed Controller Voltage Regulator which cost less than USD10.00 and this device can be found in the more expensive servo motor model.

[@GOTboost-tl3qi]

could just use an allthread union on the stud poking through the hand crank and simplify the pulley mounting.

[@MakeEverything]

I tried to do that but its a weird metric thread that I had trouble identifying. Plus then the connection to the next pulley would be sticking way out and probably wobble a lot. The lamp part allows a pretty solid connection that you ca n still hand crank!

[@GOTboost-tl3qi]

@@MakeEverything hey Im glad to hear it was attempted! Everything has a design limitation somewhere we all fail to see. I hadnt thought about the wobble until you mentioned it. Thank you for the video!

[@MakeEverything]

@@GOTboost-tl3qi thanks for watching!!!

[@Dan_bow]

It's more than 150..00 plus shipping like 250.00

[@rossentownsend4936]

Really cool I'm glad you did this I'm sure a reverse polarity switch is pretty cheap and could make it run forwards and backwards .

[@thomasdsmith7678]

I found that you listed the drive belt as 4mm x 10 M but the link showed rough finish, and your video showed a shiny-smooth surface. Which is it?

[@andrewmorton3511]

Tip for the aggressive foot: I used some hot glue to fill that foot in. Doesn't grab so hard, but also doesn't mar the leather either.

[@deltacx1059]

For a DC motor you can just swap the wires and it will run the opposite direction. That would be something to verify first obviously, ac motors and brushless "DC" motors (which are actually AC( are a different animal. Also don't baby the electric motor, they require more power to get started hence why every fan you see starts at the highest setting. You can apply more power then reduce quickly after it has started.

[@primitivebob8781]

Maybe elevating the machine and trying a larger driven pulley, like rock climbing trucks, high torque and controllable speed. I want one so bad...

[@mike-cl7pb]

Brilliantly simple solution that could be refined with an idealer gear swapping the direction of the motor an elecronic footconrol etc Thanks for coming back with this simple solution. £67 on Amazon in the UK and we use 230v mains so more torque from a motor.

[@landwand]

You're awesome! Thanks for making this video and leaving the knowledge available to us!

[@juanjorevolver4630]

Saludos desde México 🇲🇽 Una pregunta? Cuál es el máximo grosor o calibre de hilo que puede utilizar esta máquina ?

[@andrewchurch6303]

What weight veg are you sewing? It looks light in the video (3-4oz./4-5oz.). Have you sewn heavier veg (9-10oz.), or multiple layers of something that weight? Have you tried veg and chrome together? I had a more expensive hand crank machine, and it hated chrome tan.

[@claystone7729]

Putting a Rheostat will allow you to control the speed of your Motor. Good Build and worth having.

[@MIKEMAKESTHINGS]

Just add a speed reducer and you will have single stitch control.

[@John-d7p]

You're on to something there. I would say that as I watched the forces at work, it becomes evident that the long limbs and loose tolerance of the machine are not designed for the speed that is possible with a motor. That said, it might be possible to modify the bearing surfaces by smoothing and polishing, or adding smooth bearing washers between the moving parts. The lack of rigidity of the limbs is something that will always be a weak area and the bearing inside the flywheel may wear out quickly as it smashes into the high areas of the grooves. Lotsa grease will help. And yes, bolt that thing down.

[@theinnovationstore]

A modern Servo Motor will slow this puppy right down to a crawl if you want and you can adjust the speed very easily with the foot pedal. Some Servo Motor Control Boxes have an adjustable maximum Speed Dial plus they often have a switch to reverse the rotation of the pulley. Many of the older heavy duty industrial sewing machines with Clutch Motors are being upgraded to Servo Motors. Added bonus: Servo Motors are incredibly quiet particularly compared to a Clutch Motor which is always on until the switch is turned off.

[@joshuadelisle]

Cheap, quick, effective. 👍👌😎

[@R.Stridstrom]

If you dont need your right hand. Maybe a compact impact driver directly on the nut would do. Maybe one with a soft-start, but they are highly variable anyway. Not cheaper, but chances are, you already got one.

[@samTollefson]

This is a bit late, but you don't need to do all that mounting a pulley to the flywheel, just make two belts out of the PU belt rope that is just slightly smaller in diameter than the flywheel, put them over the flywheel just far enough apart so the drive belt will fit in between them and hold it in place, superglue them onto the flywheel and you're done! Using a single pulley to drive the machine may work for a YT video but it will have no torque and run way too fast. I made a plywood 8" pulley on a bearing shaft that the motor spins, to a 1 1/2" pulley that drives the flywheel. I now have a slower drive with much more control and torque. BTW, the foot control that comes with those cheap sewing machine motors is just an off-on switch, I found an old one from a sewing machine that will actually give you a controlled speed.

[@fitzyizgood]

So general questions for this as I plan to do something like this when I get back from this deployment: The belting comes in 2mm and 3mm X 10 sizes on amazon, would you recommend either of those over getting that size and trimming it? I saw below the idea to put high density foam in the peddle for more control, would you suggest that? Are there any new updates or tips from others for someone who doesn't know a whole lot about basic engineering? Thank you for the suggestion and review/tune-up for this, I have been a leather worker for about 7 years now and I've been avoiding getting a machine since all reliable ones have been 1000+ dollars or break with more than 5oz of leather going through it.

[@boogerhead0]

All you have to do to reverse that motor is to swap the 2 wires on the brushes.. simply cut in between the stator and brush holder, extend the wires, and reattach, soldering in 2 pieces of 20ga silicone about 1-3/4" long each side, with shrink tubing. Job done. No silly figure 8 loop.

[@Marcello1b]

You could add other gears to reduce the speed. Your motor will burn because it cannot reach the needed Amps. Having gears would help also you motor to turn faster without rushing your sewing machine getting too fast.

[@carrollshirkey6276]

I like what you shown. One problem, The desriptions/part number etc, blaze by on the screen and pausing it gives me a black screen bottom. KZbin. I would appreciate it if you could give us the sellers and the same description of each part shown because the more info the less chance of getting the wrong part. Thanks for the instructions and I look forward to hearing from you. With updates if you have them.

[@stuffbywoody5497]

I've got a 24v variable speed electric scooter motor (with controls) and a few of those pulley wheels and various belts already. I just need the sewing machine.

[@enyawdnitram185]

Thanks for the video. Help! I still can't get the bobbin thread to pull up. I sanded the whole bobbin shuttle down. I've watched several videos on how to thread the machine and bobbin. I finally figured that the bobbin thread goes behind the thread spring. Tried several tension options. The bobbin thread still won't pick up. If I hold the bobbin thread slightly then run a cycle through the machine, it brings thread on the other side of the needle. However, it still doesn't pick up the bobbin thread. Any ideas? Reply