Will Sailrite monster wheel fit Reeds Sailmaker

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bigwow

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I'm led to believe that the basic sailrite machine is a copy of the Reeds sailmaker machine. Have any formites any experience of fitting the larger ¬monster wheel, made by Sailrite to a Reeds machine.
Thanks
 
This Sailrite history article mentions the Reads, but does not mention copying it.

Perhaps both suppliers were rebadging the same Brother sewing machine at that time, but Sailrite have moved on considerably since, and current Sailrite machines seem to be entirely their own recipe. The second half of the history article documents how the frame / main casting is proprietary.

Reads was just a little sewing machine shop in Southampton, and I'm pretty sure they never built sewing machines from scratch, as Sailrite appear to be doing today, but were merely selling a modified or rebadged version of a mass-market machine.
 
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If you can get one cheap, you could always get a local machine shop to modify it to fit. I suspect that the basic engineering is very similar - Sailrite are made in China? I believe.
 
bigwow said:
I'm led to believe that the basic sailrite machine is a copy of the Reeds sailmaker machine. Have any formites any experience of fitting the larger ¬monster wheel, made by Sailrite to a Reeds machine.
Thanks
Click to expand...


If you check out images of Reads you can root out at least ten different designs, some of them generically quite similar others not. No doubt many were made in the far East and a number are very similar to a Spanish, Alpha unit. I have never seen anything badged as Reads which looks like a Sailrite, which is a later machine anyway.

So, unfortunately, I doubt if the wheel would bolt on direct.

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Sailrite and Reeds are very different, the Reeds Is more like an older style domestic machine .Main advantage of Sailrite is the Walking foot ,which Reeds does not have .
The monster flywheel fits the Sailrite only .You could look at the Reliable or Barracuda for a cheaper alternative to the Sailrite machine .
 
I also think that the large balance wheel for the Sailrite/Sailrite clone will not fit the Reads machines that I have seen.
For anyone thinking of purchasing something other than a genuine Sailrite, I started a post about my purchase - SAILRITE CLONE
 
bigwow said:
I'm led to believe that the basic sailrite machine is a copy of the Reeds sailmaker machine. Have any formites any experience of fitting the larger ¬monster wheel, made by Sailrite to a Reeds machine.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Easy and cheap solution to increase the inertia of the existing whell is to get some stick on wheel balancing weights from Ebay.

Wrap them around the circumference of the existing wheel, maybe cover the whole lot with duct tape to finish and there you have it. For a more permanent job you could make a mould around the weights and fill with resin.

I did this with a Reliable Machine (Sailrite Clone) and it does make a big difference to the performance in thicker materials.
 
alahol2 said:
Had a look and found this...
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The Reliable Barracuda seems very competitive - in her review Schinas complains that Reliable had started manufacturing the Barracuda's carry case in MDF instead of plywood but follows it with an edit stating that they've reverted to plywood in response to her article. She later highlights that the Sairite has a handle on top and the Barracuda does not - current Barracudas on Reliable's website now feature a handle.

Reliable - Industrial Sewing Machine Collection
 
crisjones said:
Easy and cheap solution to increase the inertia of the existing whell is to get some stick on wheel balancing weights from Ebay.

Wrap them around the circumference of the existing wheel, maybe cover the whole lot with duct tape to finish and there you have it. For a more permanent job you could make a mould around the weights and fill with resin.

I did this with a Reliable Machine (Sailrite Clone) and it does make a big difference to the performance in thicker materials.
Click to expand...
I wrapped a long strip of roofing lead round the flywheel of my wife's New Home. It's clamped with a large hose clamp and has been on for years. Just watch you keep fingers clear. Will easily sew multiple layers of most sailing fabrics and webbing.
 
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