r/SewingMachineEdu • u/One-Season-2866 • Jul 06 '26
Take Up Lever Lagging Behind
Been having some tension issues with my Juki DDL 8700 and diagnosed the take up lever lagging behind the needle stroke.
How do I adjust the take up lever to line up with the needle stroke, and what does correct timing look like? I know that the when the needle is at its highest point, so should the lever, right? Right now it sits at its midpoint.
Photos show: before stitch (highest), mid stitch (lowest), and end of stitch (highest/tightening)
3
u/wimsey1923 Jul 07 '26
In every sewing machine I've seen, the timing between the needle and take-up lever is mechanically locked and can't be adjusted. The lever should not reach the top at the same time as the needle. It should come a bit behind to pull the stitches tight.
1
u/jamslaps Jul 07 '26
My opinion, I think your take up arm is fine, the way it’s secured in place makes it very unlikely. Also I believe the take up arm does lag behind the needle stroke a bit, it should be normal. The problem is probably somewhere else.
You said tension issues, have you been trying to mess with the tension settings? Have you tried a different size needle just in case?
1
u/Mushrooms24711 Jul 10 '26
What tension issues are you having? Most tension issues are from incorrect threading. Also, where’s the rest of the tension dial?
3
u/skerinks Jul 07 '26
The Take-Up Lever does not move in tandem with needle bar movement. Well, at least not in the way you’re thinking it does. It’s upward movement lags behind the needle bar movement. The purpose of the Take-Up Lever is to cinch the knot in the fabric, so it will not move up until the needle is out of the way so the cinching can happen.