Possible Mechanical Improvements for Stitching

[funklovesfootbag]

I know this has been brought up before but I want to pursue it...

The way I see it, there are 2 key factors when stitching any bag. Everyone's style is different; speed and accuracy are the 2 most important things. Tracing and cutting bags takes time, and if you rush it/slip, you can end up with imperfections.

In order to improve speed & accuracy, there are several options...
Trace/cut/stitch faster and better (practice)

OR

Develop a new technique such as using magnets and cutting out an entire set of hexes or pents at once. I'm not sure who invented this, but it definitely saves time. I've only seen Matt Cross do it, and I'm not sure of the exact method/what type of magnets I should get. Anyone know?

OR

Get/make a machine. A cookie cutter type thing has been brought up before, and I think this is an awesome idea. The only issue with this is that we would need to find a machinist or something to make it sharp and accurate enough, and it would probably be expensive. This is what I want; I'm going to do some research but I'm kind of skeptical I'll be able to get it made. If anyone has any info on this, please let me know.

One last possibility is a stamp. Not as good as a cookie cutter, but it would certainly decrease tracing time, and should be *relatively* cheap to produce. This is also going to take more time than the magnet method.

The last 2 options are also assuming you have a set template you feel comfortable enough making bags with that you're willing to drop money on a permanent solution.

If anyone has any other methods they think would work, please let me know.

*edit* After a little bit of preliminary research, it seems like magnets are the cheap/easy way to go... small ndfeb magnets are cheap and strong, probably going to try this.

[PegLegHolly]

id like to hear more about this magnet method...


...i used to have a hard time cutting out panels. i used normal fabric scissors and by the time i was done cutting out the bag, my hand was tired. i solved this problem by getting those fiskar (sp?) scissors with the spring in them. they reduce stress on your hands. you can get them at any walmart... and they are sharp as hell...

i have this idea too. about the template. i want to combine dots for my holes and the outline of the panel in the same template. my idea is to make the template out of some brass or steel, and have a machinist cut little grooves along the flange to where my stitches should be spaced. the only reason why i havent done this is because i dont have set measurments for my stitches... and itll take a long time just to get it done.

i think once you get into machines cutting out panels for you, it begins to lose the personality of the bag... like the stitcher would come across as not wanting to take the time to make a quality bag... that they are more about quanity, not quality.

[mosher]

I was the one that came up with the magnet technique and I still use it.

You just need a rare-earth magnet, they are small and insane strong, don't get a really strong one. (under 3 lbs of force!!) You can find them at hobby store.

Stack it like this:

magnet
template
4 layers of facile
piece of metal (i use a euro penny because they are the perfect size.. though a dime can work)

It takes a while to get good at it but you can learn to make full sets of panels in like.. 5 minutes.

[cd]

I tried using magnets to cut out panels and I had a difficult time with it. They kept slipping around and became misshapen. But that's probably because it was my first time.

Get/make a machine. A cookie cutter type thing has been brought up before, and I think this is an awesome idea. The only issue with this is that we would need to find a machinist or something to make it sharp and accurate enough, and it would probably be expensive. This is what I want; I'm going to do some research but I'm kind of skeptical I'll be able to get it made. If anyone has any info on this, please let me know.

This wouldn't be very hard at all. You could do it like this:

(1) Get some razor blades, and with a cutting tool cut it into 11 blades, each one being the exact length of a hex/pent side. (Some boxcutter blades are already perforated, so you can snap them apart with your fingers.)

(2) Get two small blocks of wood you can hold in your hand. These are going to be the handles. Cut slots in one, in the shape of a pent. Make slots in the shape of a hex on the other. (You can use things besides wood; maybe clay would be easier to work with. You can just harden it once the tool is built.)

(3) Stick your blades in the slots and super glue them down. Voila! Footbag cookie cutter.


Clay would probably be much better than wood. Fewer tools to work with, and you can just dry it out in your oven. Plus you have the opportunity to make really cool handles for your cutter.

[cd]

Hey Tom, do you think those magnets are strong enough to pick up bags with metal filler?

They would make for a really simple bag pick-up tool. Tie a string to your finger and the magnet to the other end. No more bending over or toe-pickups.

But it would be kind of weird

[mosher]

Hey Tom, do you think those magnets are strong enough to pick up bags with metal filler?

They would make for a really simple bag pick-up tool. Tie a string to your finger and the magnet to the other end. No more bending over or toe-pickups.

But it would be kind of weird

They are more than strong enough to pick up a footbag.

The small rare-earth magnets can produce between 1 and 5 POUNDS of force. I do NOT recomend using the magnets on a footbag ever. Think about it, the force will wind up being applied to the metal in the bag, between the filler and the magnet will be the delicate facile getting crushed.

Not to kill your enthusiasm or anything!


And yes, the magnets can be finacky, you have to know what you're doing.

[cd]

I dunno. That doesn't sound like very much, considering that atmospheric pressure at sea level is something like 15 pounds per square inch. Granted, the 5 pounds from the magnet is spread over a smaller area than a square inch. Then again, you could always wrap the magnet in cloth to weaken the force (more distance between the attracted objects).


This doesn't really matter to me anyway. I have always been pro-toe-up

[Xain]

I heard about and saw Mosher’s method at last years Rochester NYJ, and improved on it (IMO) by layering fabric in strips instead of individual pieces.

(Unless he was doing it that way the whole time, and I just thought he was using individual pieces for layers.)

[BenRea]

I dunno. That doesn't sound like very much, considering that atmospheric pressure at sea level is something like 15 pounds per square inch. Granted, the 5 pounds from the magnet is spread over a smaller area than a square inch. Then again, you could always wrap the magnet in cloth to weaken the force (more distance between the attracted objects).


This doesn't really matter to me anyway. I have always been pro-toe-up

try this for picking up bags:

image


hehehehehehehhe,

20lbs magnet power!

[funklovesfootbag]

don't get a really strong one. (under 3 lbs of force!!)

Hahaha uh oh, I think I ordered a couple 20lb ones!

Chris Dean, that sounds like a good method but I don't think I personally would be able to make it precise enough. If anyone tests that out I'd like to hear the results for sure though.


Mosher, do you cut out strips slightly larger than your panels, and fold it over itself or do you cut out a bunch of individual pieces? seems like folding the fabric would be easier. Also, what do you think about how much fabric is wasted compared to traditional methods? I'd assume it's worth the time..

[BenRea]

I tried using magnets to cut out panels and I had a difficult time with it. They kept slipping around and became misshapen. But that's probably because it was my first time.

Get/make a machine. A cookie cutter type thing has been brought up before, and I think this is an awesome idea. The only issue with this is that we would need to find a machinist or something to make it sharp and accurate enough, and it would probably be expensive. This is what I want; I'm going to do some research but I'm kind of skeptical I'll be able to get it made. If anyone has any info on this, please let me know.

This wouldn't be very hard at all. You could do it like this:

(1) Get some razor blades, and with a cutting tool cut it into 11 blades, each one being the exact length of a hex/pent side. (Some boxcutter blades are already perforated, so you can snap them apart with your fingers.)

(2) Get two small blocks of wood you can hold in your hand. These are going to be the handles. Cut slots in one, in the shape of a pent. Make slots in the shape of a hex on the other. (You can use things besides wood; maybe clay would be easier to work with. You can just harden it once the tool is built.)

(3) Stick your blades in the slots and super glue them down. Voila! Footbag cookie cutter.


Clay would probably be much better than wood. Fewer tools to work with, and you can just dry it out in your oven. Plus you have the opportunity to make really cool handles for your cutter.

uhhhhh, totally doing that tomorrow. yeaaaaaa chris dean, comin' up big!

[Eskimo Joe]

I totally had the same idea like two months ago!! I wanted to use a block of wood like on a meider block! Same thing too, razor blades, but my idea went as for as to have someone tack weld the razors together.

This would make stitching sooo much faster.

But you would be stuck with one size for the template. I wanted to figure out how to make it so that it can be adjusted to different template sizes and dimensions. Perhaps mount the blades to a track that can be locked into place after the dimensions are set.

[funklovesfootbag]

Peglegholly wrote:

think once you get into machines cutting out panels for you, it begins to lose the personality of the bag... like the stitcher would come across as not wanting to take the time to make a quality bag... that they are more about quanity, not quality.

One thing I wanted to stress about the machine idea is that my main concern is quality; right now every single panel I cut out is not precisely the same size, but with a machine it could be.

This is a really good idea, the only problem I have so far is how to cut the razor blades precisely the right size.. I tried to use my cutco scissors on one last night and it broke apart while I was trying to cut it.

[james_dean]

I don't think that would lose the personality at all. It's not like a machine is doing the stitching, but you would be able to start with perfectly shaped panels each time, and majorly cut down on time cutting out panels, sounds good to me!

I like this magnet idea, I think I should give that a go. I always wondered how the strategy of folding up fabric and cutting through it all together could possibly produce the right shaped panels,but that makes a lot of sense! Thanks guys.

[Wasabi]

I'm a traditionalist when cutting panels out. I use my two good hands to precisely cut each piece the best I can. With patience. Time-consuming, but rewarding in some way. I enjoy good physical hardwork and craftmanship. I'm fairly accurate with my fabric scissors, unless provoked or high, but I manage. I could use some Fiskars with spring-loaded action, but I never seem to have money for them and I already have a good pair of scissors to help me through.

The magnet idea is another useful technique. It offers more precision and decreases the time, but in retrospect it also wastes a bit more facile than you would usually do when you trace and cut. It's because when you trace and cut, you are more flexible in how you want to cut panels, and not conforming the structure in which you would cut them. However, if you don't want to waste a large amount of time and strength in cutting panels, this is your method of choice. I'm particularly differentiated from the subject, but it's extremely useful for people wanting to save time.

I don't know about mechanical techniques in cutting out panels, but it's doable. The only problem I see are how expensive templates can be, the amount of time you would want to sacrifice in managing a machine like this in working order, and the limitation to your own creativity.

[mosher]

Choosing to waste ones time over wasting a tiny bit of fabric doesn't make much sense to me.

[Wasabi]

I know. I'm a very strange young man.