I have a Bernette (sp?) 410 sewing machine that we bought about 20 years ago reconditioned.
I'm fairly happy with it (especially when I look at what new machines cost), except for one problem: it's not very good at pulling the cloth through at a consistent rate.
The stitch length will vary by a factor of 2 or 3 on a simple, flat seam. If I go over a fold, it will sometimes stop moving the cloth at all, and merrily put all the stitches in one spot.
This is true with light cloth (e.g., voile), medium weight cloth (broadcloth, quilting-weight cotton, etc.), and heavy (14 oz denim.) I've played with the foot pressure, but it doesn't help.
I find that if I want the cloth to go through consistently, I have to grab both ends and pull on the cloth the way I want it to go.
I took it in to be serviced at my local fabric shop, and it didn't help at all. Nothing was improved, but it did drip oil on the cloth for a while.
Every time I ask at the shop, they say it's because the machine doesn't have the horsepower (but it puts stitches through 4--6 layers of heavy denim without a problem!)
They insist my only solution is to buy a fancy new Bernina or Husq, for something like $1000 . But when I look at these machines, they have lots of features I don't need. And they don't look exactly robust. (They don't even have a proper reverse stitch setting, like my mother's old straight-stitch home Singer.)
Any suggestions from folks who *don't* have a financial interest in selling me the most expensive machine on the market?
-- AMM
[line eater fodder]