Industrial Needle Feed Sewing Machine

[Melinda M]

Thanks. I saw that chart and that’s one of the things that got me wondering about how easy it is to reconfigure the H model to do lighter weight sewing. Yes, you can change the feed dogs, needle plate and tension parts but now I’m wondering about the needle bar.

[Craig B]

Hi Melinda,

You should be OK.  Your needle bar will accept a needle ‘system’.  For instance the needle bar in my machine is for the 134(R) needle system (also called 135×5 and DPx5).  I believe the system type specifies the diameter of the shank and position of the needle hole.  Anyway, you can get all sizes of needles for a specific ‘system’.  Your machine should have a label on it saying what needle system to use.  Go to a sewing supply place on line and search for that system and you will find the different sizes.

In terms of the other components for the H variant being different, according to the parts manual the hook assembly was not one of them, so you should be fine there too.  The two things that will make the biggest difference are the throat plate and feed dog, because these are the things that actually handle the fabric.  The H variant of these parts will move thin slippery material, but they won’t do a great job of it. Thread adjustment springs also, but to a lesser extent.

So first off, get it set up with a proper needle and see how it works, then modify from there as necessary.

[Aaron]

I don’t have experience with Juki machines, but generally speaking industrial machines have interchangeable parts, and the sub model designations just indicate the equipped configuration.  If yours doesn’t work well with a size 14 needle and lighter fabric, it could be as simple as changing out the feed dog and needle plate, which isn’t hard. I’m not sure why you’d need to change the needle bar and hook, but it should also be doable.  It looks like they all use 134 needles, which will come in a range of sizes.   First thing, I would just try to use the needle, thread and fabric combination you intend to use and see how it works.

This is a different model Juki (a drop feed not a needle feed), but it will give you an idea of what’s involved:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXhLduAlpXw

[Melinda M]

Thanks for everyone’s input on this. You all helped me feel much better about choosing this machine and it’s ability to sew some lighter weight fabrics. It’s now set up with a #14 needle, the lighter feed dogs and smaller throat plate. It works fine on two layers of muslin which is what I need it to do while I take a sewing class at a local college. We sew lots of samples in muslin using both DDL and DLN Juki machines but not the heavy version. Now I’m all set to tackle my homework this quarter without having to go into the lab and can also use it for other projects with heavier materials.

[Craig B]

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