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How tight should the belt be on a treadle sewing machine?
It should be just tight enough to turn the hand wheel without slipping. The two ends of the belt fasten with a staple. To tighten the belt, use pliers to unbend one side of the staple, and slide one end of the belt off.
What is a treadle machine operated with?
A treadle (from Old English: tredan, “to tread”) is a mechanism operated with a pedal for converting reciprocating motion into rotating motion. Along with cranks, treadmills, and treadwheels, treadles allow human and animal machine power in the absence of electricity.
What is a Treadler?
A pedal or lever operated by the foot for circular drive, as in a potter’s wheel or sewing machine. intr.v. tread·led, tread·ling, tread·les. To work a treadle.
When did they stop making treadle sewing machines?
The design has naturally changed over the years with advances in technology. Electric motors and bolt-on lights were introduced to the machines in 1921, and the treadle tables gradually faded away to chunky box bottoms in the 1930s.
How do you measure a sewing machine belt?
Remove the old belt from your machine. Cut the belt in half. Pull the belt to make a straight line, and measure against a ruler or tape measure to see the length of the belt. That’s the length that you need!
Do you adjust the belt on your treadle machine?
One, a Singer, required no adjustment of the belt. The other, a New Home, required a slightly shorter belt. This was very easy to cut to size with scissors. I have 7 treadle machines, and may never buy a leather treadle belt again! This is a super product.
What does tension adjustment mean on a treadle machine?
Unfortunately, tension adjustment for a treadle machine means the belt is stretching over time and is now too long or it means a belt has worn over the years and dry rot has caused the belt to break. The solution is to replace the belt or if it is just too long then it can be taken loose and cut down just a bit and reconnected.
What is a treadle sewing machine?
The first treadle machines used a leather belt to transfer motion from a rocker style foot peddle pushing a large diameter drive wheel, to the hand wheel of the sewing machine.
How does a sewing machine belt work?
By rocking the peddle the belt would make the hand wheel rotate turning the crankshaft of the sewing machine and driving the needle up and down while at the same time sliding a shuttle containing the bobbin back and forth thru a loop created in the thread carried by the needle forming a locking stitch.