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over the years theres been many questions about these machines,

yes there are plastic parts, mainly the hook retainer, unlike most these open like a door. Meaning one side has a hinge, so when open it hangs there like a door, if you bang it, it will break..

These where made in mid 70's and where a cheap machine , compared to the top line touch n sew's.

I've had one for around 30+ yrs and have made a double walled tent, well there called a tent, but really it's the canvas that goes on a VW Bus camper ( westy) between the fiberglass top and the body.

yes it was all that poor machine could do, with me being the poorer operator .. That was then

Today I have 40+ machines. maybe 3 weeks ago chasing down an old treadle stand ( new Home ) I also found in the huge chicken shed ( commercial shed) That that lady have four machines.

I gave her $10 for the rustest stand you'd ever find and $5 for the dirtest nastest singer 237 in the world. Rurns out the machine was dirty for sitting so many years in that shed / Barn, chicken coop. ( 80' x 300 ' building full of auction leftovers )

about 2 hours of cleaning the machine was sewing again .. the next evening it was sitting in a treadle stand and being treadled, until my last spare belt broke.. ( old pieced together belt )

I can't say enough good thing about a 237, for the price there being sold for today, my first was $35, still works great, this one was $5, you see how well it works, annnnnd !!!! in all this sewing it never broke thread once, every seam has been sewn 3 times. Still has the needle it came with, so one needle during all this, today I recleaned the bobbin area all that was there was just a little fuzz. now this machine did have a broken spring on the bobbin case, guessing from the owner being a thread jerker.. so I just used a singer 15 bobbin case to replace the 237 case ..

To me this was pretty darn good for a $5 machine.. It has more work ahead...

Don't turn your nose up at a singer 237 ...

So it motor when back on and this is it and what it has done in the last two weeks, yes I've been busy..................................... sewing

This is just a top, close up


Two tops larger one is 8' x 9



This one is a cheater quilt , AKA a print, so quick and easy, very light weight has wally batting and a cotton sheet backing. The face is a English 100% cotton bought at an estate sale, later found to be $19 a yard fabric ..



This was a camo shirt and army sleeping bag cover.. course you can see what the center is. all these denim blankets are made from old clothes.. with the center being scraps left over from the last one



this is the back of the army blanket ..








the machine and stand as of today. sorry about it being blurry, that color is way off. there a whitish color ...

bearisgray

I am absolutely delighted to have someone say good things about the 237s.

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They do have there draw backs

Like they run out of bobbin thread way to fast. singer COULD have set them up to use a 3000 yd cone top and bottom ( wishful dreaming )

There ugly and DO have plastic parts ( sew does a car )

There not super fast, They do make a little nosie

You have to take the covers off to oil, but what the hay, you may as well wipe out the dust while your at it ..

I didn't say this, I never use the thread pin on the machine, on every machine I use a remote thread stand, This has 100% stopped thread breakage, ok 99.997%

yes at $35 to $50, who wants a old cheapo singer . when you could spend $35,000 for a voice comand machine.

bearisgray

So the thread stand helps?

I have purchased four of them - and I would buy another one if I came across it (after checking it out to see if it works, of course).

PS - I like the quilts - a lot.

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The thread stand as I call it ..... Is a bathroom towel rack / stand. I buy these from junk stores, when I find them . and use cone thread. I can brag, that I did run 3000 yards without breaking thread once, that was using a 1906 ? singer 15

Those blankets are not quite good enough to be called quilts, So I call them Hillbilly blankets

I now wish I was still going into areas that have military bases, the junk stores have lots of that type clothing , I ask and ask opions on camo, army OD green quilts, no one seemed to think it was a good idea. after making one the same people like those. plus there very tough, As in toss it on the ground and have a picnic tough.

plus you can cover up and no one will see you LOLOLOL..

Thanks I like them also. I think I've made atleast 10 this year alone.



then at the thread pin / spool on the machine use a bobbin with holes ..

Rodney

Nice quilts! You have a lot of work in those. I like the thread stand idea too. I've wondered about the 237s and Singer's other cheaper machines. Some of Singer's cheaper machines from around that era have more plastic than I like. Now I know at least the 237s are worth getting.
Rodney

oldsewnsew

great information there! Thanks for letting us see. love the thread stand, reuse idea.

bearisgray

One of the last things I ran through a Singer 237 - after lightening the PRESSURE -

I was making denim potholders - which consisted of:

2 layers of HEAVY denim
2 layers of t-shirt material
1 layer of very thick terry bath towel

I did have to lighten up the pressure (that knob on top of the left side of the machine) so that the fabric would stay put better. Otherwise, the presser foot just shoved the top layer ahead.

I also used a "Denim/Jeans" needle.

I do not consider the Singer 237 to be the aristocrat or top of the line for Singers, but I have been pleased with the ones I have.

purplefiend

I have a Singer 237, I treadle it, works very well as a treadle. I made hot pads with it and have no problems whatsoever. I paid a grand total of $20 for the machine.

quilt938

is the 237 the fashion mate? it looks like my mom's - it's the machine I remember her sewing on (briefly LOL) as a kid and I have it upstairs but it needs some maintenance- I see oil underneath and it hasn't been used in probably 43 yrs (I'm 47 and remember it only as a little girl)