A New Design For An Old Concept

I've always been fascinated by treadles and pre-industrial technology. When I started with sewing as a hobby I grew frustrated with trying to use an electric sewing machine at low speed. It seemed to strain with starting in heavy fabrics before suddenly moving full speed ahead past my stopping point. With a handcrank on the other hand I got exactly the speed I wanted without over-shooting the mark.

Things I don't like about traditional treadle sewing machines are: sometimes the heavy flywheel crank will roll backwards from rest to the lowest center of gravity immediately tangling my thread underneath the bobbin plate and leaving me very frustrated; the two 'dead' spots where the treadle won't move; the noise; the risk of you or someone else getting injured by the heavy moving parts; accidentally pressing the pedal at the wrong time and having it jolt to a halt and having to use one hand to start the sewing machine in the correct direction.

This freewheel treadle uses a bicycle freewheel and a chain to turn the 'flywheel' which turns the round belt to power the sewing machine. This same idea has been used in woodturning lathes, though I am unaware of it being applied to sewing machines. The essential concept is a pedal that pulls a chain over a freewheel turning a large driven pulley that moves the round belt to power the sewing machine. Once the pedal is fully depressed, releasing it will allow a spring or elastic cord to pull the chain and pedal back to the starting point because the chain rotates back in the direction of the freewheel that offers no resistance (that's the tic-tic-ticcing you hear when a bicycle coasts).

Why Use a Freewheel?

There are multiple benefits of using a bicycle freewheel vs. a traditional treadle:

1.) There are no more dead spots where the pedal is frozen requiring you to turn the wheel to get it going again.

2.) It is quieter and the noise is mostly from the ticking as the freewheel resets the pedal.

3.) You get more consistent power input through the whole range of motion of the pedal, not just the middle like traditional treadles.

4.) The sewing machine always starts in the correct direction and can't suddenly roll backwards on its own. This makes it ideal for beginners who can focus on the project.

5.) Without a heavy flywheel you can make exactly as many stitches as you want, as slowly as you want because you don’t have to overcome the inertia of a heavy flywheel.

6.) It is much safer than traditional treadles because there is no heavy flywheel or pedal to catch or crush fingers or animals.

This freewheel mechanism will probably cost under $100, but will easily last a lifetime or more. You can take an existing sewing machine table and modify it as I have done, or build a custom frame and top.

The best way to understand the freewheel treadle is just to watch the videos first. In case there is a problem embedding them in this Instructable you can see the original YouTube videos on The Freewheel Treadle Channel I started:

https://youtu.be/PtC3Nz3bZ6U for the overview video

https://youtu.be/UiTns2FykZ4 to see it in action

https://youtu.be/F9Tm4mNeKdE to see more on the individual parts

Supplies

The freewheel treadle drive mechanism relies on common bicycle freewheels, chain, motor shaft and bearings. The only specialized part required is the adapter to fit the freewheel to the shaft. This generally requires a machine shop to make the part out of steel or aluminum. However due to the popularity of home-built bicycle trikes they can be bought online for less than $15.

A few notes - I'm using what is called a single-speed bicycle freewheel, not a 'gear cluster' of multiple sized cogs (sprockets) stacked next to one another like you would find on a mountain bike or an old 10-speed. The freewheel we are using here has 13 teeth which gives a big advantage for powering our sewing machine. This 13 tooth freewheel is sized a little smaller than the freewheels used on most bicycles so make sure you get the right sized adapter. Also make sure you get the right size bicycle chain because there are more than one size (you need 1/2" x 1/8" like in the photo).

You can use almost anything as a belt. I have used vinyl nasal cannula tubing from CPAP machines, and self-adhesive elastic bandage wrap first aid tape. I decided on a urethane belt for strength because I did not want it slipping.

You don't have to use these sources. These are just the easiest ones I found that had what I needed.

From www.staton-inc.com (prices and parts as of 2020):

1.) 5/8" ID x 3/4" wide 30mm x 1.0 OD right hand adaptor for freewheel sprocket 13, 14 & 15 tooth ($10.63)

2.) 13 Tooth Freewheel Sprocket 1/2" x 1/8" Flip Flop ODYSSEY Brand 30mm x 1.0 RH ($15.62)

3.) 3/16" x 3/16" x 3/4" Sq. Carbon Steel Key ($0.28) (x4)

4.) 6 inches of 5/8" OD KEYED SHAFTING with a 3/16" full keyway - Sold by the inch ($1.19 per inch)

From Amazon:

5.) Fenner Drives AFD10458 Driven Pulley, Fixed 5/8" Bore, 10.25" OD ($18.81)

6.) KMC Z410 Bicycle Chain (1-Speed, 1/2 x 1/8-Inch, 112L) silver color ($17.55)

7.) ATLIN Bicycle Chain Breaker Splitter Tool for 7, 8, 9, 10 and Single Speed Chains ($12)

8.) Bungee cord - standard thick kind, not the skinny kind ($5)

9.) Beduan PU Transmission Round Belt 6mm OD High-Performance Urethane Belting Green for Conveyor Bonding Machine Dryer 10Ft ($9)

10.) D&D PowerDrive A63/4L650 V Belt, A/4L, Rubber, 1/2" x 65" OC ($8.28 - size A is the same as size 4L)

11.) Speedball Linoleum Cutter Kit Assortment #1 - Linocut Carving Tools for Block Printing, Includes 5 Blades ($14)

From www.thebigbearingstore.com

12.) 5/8" Pillow Block Bearing UCP202-10UCP202-10 ($8.27) x 2

Assorted:

Nuts and bolts sized for your needs. I used 1/4" bolts, large fender washers and nuts. Wire for tying things together. Pliers, knife, scissors, drill, allen wrench for tightening allen screws on the metal parts.

Step 1: Parts

Here's a video going over the different components. They can be found online in the previous section or you can search for your own.

The guys at Staton Inc. were very helpful when ordering. Apparently there's a whole group of people that build 'trikes' - 3 wheeled bicycles that require specialized equipment which is what their company specializes in.

Step 2: Assembly

This is a simple project requiring some minimum skills. It assumes you have a sewing machine that is capable of accepting a round belt. For Singer vintage sewing machines like the model 99 you can easily remove the electric motor and place it in a Singer top sized for it. Facebook marketplace seems like the best place to find one. I just used a Singer cabinet without a treadle for an electric machine and removed the motor.

I needed to drill some holes sized for 1/4" bolts for the pillow blocks and pedal fulcrum. I also had to use a jigsaw to open the table top a little more so the belt wouldn't rub against the edges of the table opening.

The shaft, pillow blocks, adapter, freewheel and Fenner pulley all slide on easily and secure in place with allen screws. Make sure that the freewheel is in the correct left or right orientation on the shaft - you want the pedal to move the chain against the locked direction to turn the shaft, and the bungee cord needs to pull the chain back in the freewheel direction (tic-tic-tic).

The most difficult part of the design for me was figuring out how to sew through heavy material without the round belt slipping on the Fenner pulley which was sized for a V belt and not the much smaller round belt. The pulley had a difficult time grabbing the round belt because the pulley groove was very smooth. Eventually I decided to use a V belt and let the round belt lie in a groove I cut in the center of the V belt for a better grip. I used a linoleum cutter to cut the groove in the middle of the V belt. Cut the V belt to length and cut the groove before putting it on the pulley. Take your time and don't grip the belt in front of the cutter because it may slip and cut your hand. Try using the smallest blade first to score a small groove around the center and then a larger cutter. This takes awhile. I made a hole in the ends of the V belt and wired the ends together tight around the pulley.

Once you have screwed the adapter onto the freewheel you will not be able to unscrew it without a special tool (a ParkTool freewheel remover FR-8). I don't know that I would ever need to do that but still. Make sure to use some white lithium grease on the threads in case you might want to remove it in the future. You may want to lightly wipe the shaft, keyway, keys and insides of the component bores with white lithium grease to help in taking it apart in the future or protecting against rust. You will need a chain breaker to get the right length of chain links (I used 30 links).

I used nylon cord to connect the pedal to the end of the chain at first, but I've since changed to wire which is a little neater looking. I attached the bungee cord to the other end of the chain and to the base of the leg also with wire. You could put the wire through a hole on each end of the bungee or just wrap and twist the wire with pliers tightly like I did.

Step 3: Use

With the freewheel treadle you get as much power as you need from the very start instead of waiting for an electric motor to get up to speed. You can go as fast or as slow as you want determined by how fast you press the pedal. It is easy to do one stitch at a time and you don't have to worry about sewing past your stop point. You can sew right through heavy fabrics that a common electric domestic machine would only stall its motor trying to get started.

I've sewn through 8 layers of heavy canvas painter's drop cloth and 6 layers of polypropylene webbing with no problem using a #16 needle and V46 nylon thread. Essentially if it fits under the presser foot I can sew it. I have an industrial Sailrite Ultrafeed and they were kind enough to provide a sample of multiple layers of heavy blue fabric sewn through by the Sailrite. Notice that black thread in the middle? Yep, maybe I could have saved a bunch of money..

This same setup could easily power other devices like simple machinery where electricity is not available.