Mojo - the serger question

[baileyuph]

Your decision to buy a serger question.

What product or serging procedure are you going into? 

Are you going into produce awnings with the scalloped edges?

I am thinking - as much as that is done, there is a way to cut and serge the edge in one pass.  Are you pursuing something like this?  I bet your business is growing and the need for a larger building is just around the corner?

I see some of these type of awnings and they come out perfect.  Let us know which serger you are getting - model number.  I would like to go on line and find some reading on the machine.

Doyle

[Mojo]

Doyle, we are expanding our product line and this will require the serger. You are correct, the serger will be used partly for the scalloped edges on awnings.

We just moved into this new building we are leasing two months ago. We tripled the size of our last shop and are now finding out we are nearly at capacity with the new shop. I never thought we would fill this new shop to capacity and that it would hold us over for two years till we build a brand new building of our own. I was wrong.

This is the machine Bob is proposing and the one I am leaning towards. It will serge heavy fabric in addition to carpet.

http://www.archsewing.com/newmachines/juki/MO_6900G.html

Chris

[Darren Henry]

Binding carpets would be an added service for sure. When we replace a slide out carpet we either have to sew on a binding (looks bush league) or hope we can get ahold of the one guy in the area set up to do it.

[Mojo]

Darren:

I watched a guy bind a carpet that was for a living room. It was huge. The serger if I remember right sat on a short platform which had wheels and it would run down the side of the carpet. In other words the carpet stayed stationary and the serger moved around the edges of the carpet.

I had to bind the edges of my carpet on my slides. Because the pile was thick we shaved the fibers down in order to get the binding to wrap around properly. Thankfully it came out OK but I would have preferred a serged edge.

Chris

[Darren Henry]

The serger if I remember right sat on a short platform which had wheels and it would run down the side of the carpet. In other words the carpet stayed stationary

I've got a set of castors under one of the 111W155's for when I am working on really big canvas or I need to cross the yard and use one of the bays over in the big shop. works well.

What type of binding did you use? 

[Mojo]

1 "" 2 ET acrylic Bias. Worked well once we shaved the edges.

As an update to the serger deal, Bob is back looking for a new machine for me. The one I originally looked at was way to heavy duty for our use and the cost was close to $ 5 K.

Will keep you posted on what I decide on.

Chris

[brmax]

Chris is this a 3-4 overloc stitch your interested in using or a chain type?, interested now what type could be of great benefit for canvas edges.
Are you planning a different pattern cutting operation, by the way If you just ask Sofa to bend one of his rotary blades he can speed cut some curves in materials ; )

Floyd

[baileyuph]

That overlock/chain stitch question is probably a good one.  A question though, isn't a chain stitch one that is without bobbin?  Well, isn't the same true with the over lock?   The Mojo objective would definitely to be directed at fabric ravel, I would think?  Hence, the over lock feature would be paramount.  Then, that might not discount the chain stitch feature from being tantamount?  

These synthetic fabrics ravel so freely, I have gotten so aggravated doing work with them.

Back to chain stitch, for quite some time now it has been seen in factory furniture sewing that the chain is definitely used - no bobbins to change!

Also, given marine covering materials, one is smart to regard the over lock benefits and chain properties as well.  It may well be that over lock satisfies chain stitch by design.

My serger is a form of over lock and chain combined - doubt that the overlock is available without chain feature?

Doyle

[Mojo]

This is the machine Ingrid and Bob decided on. She has sewn on one since she was knee high to a grasshopper so I turned the entire buying process over to her. I admit I know nothing about sergers and do not want to drop a lot of money on something that wont work.

Her and Bob decided this would be the best for acrylic canvas and will do double layers. He is ordering it from Juki, adjusting it and sewing it off and then shipping it to me. We are buying a complete package ( machine, table, stand and servo motor ).

Here it is in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWl8MfqgmxE

Chris

[Mike]

how did that awnings seams turn out chris

[Mike]

chris isn't bob up north   ohio?  isn't it hard buyin a machine were you cant see it try it firsthand. the last machine I bought was local uo in new England. I csnt find anything industrial down here and repair guys is almost non existant. I found a guy in ft myes about 80 fises then in his home, I don't know if he sill be doing it next time I need him

[Mojo]

Those seams came out good. We took your advice and used seam tape on them. It was the first white acrylic we ever did for an awning and hopefully the last. What a royal PITA.

We have a repair man here near us. He is hit and miss though. Sometimes good and sometimes screws things up. I have never had to call a repair man in as I am able to fix most problems myself. If I get into something I have never worked on before then I call Bob and he talks me through the process over the phone.

It is a bit difficult to buy not seeing a machine but then I have a lot of faith in Bob. I have bought 4 new machines through him and he has been spot on with all of them.

Chris

[Mike]

how is the shipping costs?  last new machine I bought was many yeas ago my juki head and table with clutch motor about $1800

[Mojo]

They are about the same Mike.

Chris