Just Bought a New Machine

[Mojo]

My phone call to Bob Kovar this week was actually pretty expensive. I ended up buying a new machine from him. We have been talking about buying a long arm machine for doing certain awnings that require the clearance. We have gotten by without one but it eats up alot of shop time rolling and moving fabric to get it through my current Chandler which we use for top stitching.

Bob made me one heck of a deal on a new Chandler 18 " which will essentially double the arm clearance for us and work perfect for what we intend to use it for. The great thing is that we have a large assortment of attachments for our current Chandler which will fit the new long arm. The other nice thing is that I have had my current Chandler for several years now and know it like the back of my hand. I can time it, adjust it and do alot of the repairs if I have to. My Chandler 406 has been a real workhorse. It has sewed daily for several years and outside of a few stupid mistakes I made it which caused the machine to go down, it has performed reliably and flawlessly.

The old Chandler we will use strictly for the binding portion of our operation. The Juki 563 we will park for the time being. The wife said sell it which I was shocked to hear her say. Bob just went through the machine a year ago, updating and replacing any worn parts so it is ready to go for another 20 years. I really hate to let it go but may follow the bosses orders and sell it.

I will give a report on the long arm machine when I get it and let everyone know what I think. Bob is going to set it up next week, go through the factory settings, make adjustments and then sew it off before crating it and shipping it to me.

Chris

[Darren Henry]

I really hate to let it go but may follow the bosses orders and sell it.

I know space is at a premium in your operation, BUT, what do you have for a back up machine if one goes down or you add another stitcher?

Congrats on the new toy. I have never used our old singer long arm because of where it is "jammed in the corner" , but there are many a tarp that made me wish I could move it out by myself.

[Mojo]

Darren:

I would like to keep the Juki as a back up. They are hard to find and when you do they cost alot.
This machine is in great shape. Will see if she lets me hold on to it or not. :)

We utilize stands that have casters and are movable. The two twin needles are stationary but the Chandler and Juki are both easily movable. It really add's alot of flexibility to our operation.

Chris

[Darren Henry]

I had thought about casters as well---but there is also the space issue. This behemoth is a foot wider and 2 feet deeper than your average table. It took four of us to load it onto the cart when we moved it out to the shed.Most of the retailers I do warranty work for are good about only sending 1 or 2 pieces at a time,but often I'll wind up with a couple of pieces for other customers and get 2-3 companies dropping off their 1 piece. Friday I had a sectional for company A and a sofa for company B  in the shop when company C dropped off two sofa's that needed the bolt in decks removed for frame repair. She's pretty cramped right now.