Recycled Bobbin Winder

My Grandma wanted a dedicated bobbin winder. She liked the way one of her sewing machines wound them so I copied the setup it had. I made it with scraps I had lying around. Works pretty good.

Step 1: Materials

• little DC motor
• Dowel that fits the bobbin
• Wood
• Epoxy
• Washers
• Nuts
• Bolt
• Basic tools

Step 2: Find a Motor

I had an old nail sander that I took the motor out of.

I took the switch out as well.

Step 3: Cut Dowel for Bobbin

Cut a short piece of dowel and sand the end round.

Drill a hole in the flat end slightly smaller in diameter as the motor shaft.

Press the dowel on the motor shaft.

Step 4: Make a Thread Tension

I found some washer and domed them with a ball peen hammer.

Put the to washers on first domed sides together then the two nuts tightening the two nuts together.

Ended up not using the square one.

Step 5: Layout

Layout where about you would like everything placed and mark the locations.

Step 6: Motor Housing and Thread Post

Drilled a hole in a piece of wood the size of the motor part way through. Then drilled a smaller hole for the arbor.

Drill a hole in the bottom for the thread post and glue in.

Step 7: Glue Up

Center the motor in the housing and glue i with epoxy.

Then glue the motor housing to the back board.

I cut a small piece of wood and glued it to the back to bring out the thread tensioner.

Drilled a hole smaller then the threads of the bolt for the tension and screwed it in.

Step 8: Electrical

I took the C battery box off and soldered a AA one I had in the junk drawer.

Screw the switch and battery pack to the back.

Thought AA would be more convenient.

Step 9: Testing

Got an empty bobbin and thread turned it on and it works like a charm.

There you have it a Dedicated Recycled Bobbin Winder.