Kenmore Home-Industral machine

[kodydog]

It was neat to see our Gator chair on the big screen last week at the High Springs First Baptist Church auction. Lots of UF Gator memorabilia went to bid. We were pleased to see a half dozen people bidding on the chair including the folks in front of us who won the final bid. When the auction helper brought the chair to him he quickly abandoned his metal folding chair and proudly sat in his new piece of furniture. Rose and I couldn't resist the temptation to introduce ourselves.



We stayed for the whole thing. Toward the end Rose saw this Singer Home sewing machine sitting in a corner. We plugged it in and it ran so I wheeled it up front and asked the auctioneer if we could bid on it. We got it for $30. Only problem when we got it home the casing for the bobbin didn't spin. I took it apart and found a plastic gear was broke into 3 pieces. E-bay says $18 for a new. What to do?



So Rose gets on the internet and finds a guy who repairs and sells machines. He had this Kenmore. He called it a home/industrial machine. More like a glorified home sewing machine. The nice thing is it has no electronics. The different type stitches are changed with a set of cams that fit in the top of the machine. No plastic anywhere. And it runs good. And it fits into the hole on the cabinet we won at the auction. We will use it for light weight fabric. Total cost including the cabinet $70. I hope we made a good purchase.



I forgot to add, when I went to lift it off his workbench I about dropped it. It weighs about 40#.

[SteveA]

That chair is comfortable - I'd put 6 of them around a D/R table without hesitation - toss out the Thomasville, Hickory, and Henredon
SA

[Angry_Badger]

The Kenmore are great mechanicals, and most of these also have forward-reverse (stretch/automatic) stitch capability. I don't know anything about the 148s or the particular model you mentioned.

The Singer 401s are good machines, but the problem is the slant needle -- which often deflects when sewing thick fabrics. The slant of the needle actually reduces the potential piercing power of these machines. You could try a Singer 237, if you can find one in good condition.

[gene]

Very nice work on the chair. I would think you and the wife might have been a bit nervous hoping someone would bid on the chair. Glad it went well.

Many years ago I was at an auction and a sofa came up for bid. No one bid on the sofa. The caller got down to asking $1.00. No bids. He then took a dollar out of his wallet and put it under a seat cushion. And still no one would bid $1.00 on the sofa. LOL At least that sofa was NOT a newly upholstered sofa with the upholsterer sitting in the audience.

gene

[kodydog]

Thanks Gene. We have sold 3 chairs with a similar frame but this one sat around for two years. We felt someone would bid on it but didn't know how much. The final bid got it for about 1/2 our asking price of $120.