ThayerRags

Rach L, I couldn’t wait to find a Singer 306 to treadle, and I finally found a Singer 306W24 back in March of 2012. I promptly removed the motor and light and put it into a treadle cabinet. Soon, I installed a spoked handwheel on it to help with starting and hand-wheel-stitching, but it was not really required just to treadle. I stocked up on needles for it, not needing anything but size 11 and 14. I wanted it for sewing cotton, especially mending jeans, and that’s what I’ve used it for.

I still have it set in a treadle, but I haven’t used it much since March 2014 when I found my second green Singer 319W that I also converted to treadle. I’d had a 319W electric since October 2009, but I couldn’t bring myself to remove the matching green control, light, and cord all in excellent condition to make it a treadle (yeah, I know, I could always turn it back into an electric, if, and a big if, I could remember where the light, motor, and cords were at).

I use the 319 now in place of the 306. I’ve since gathered up a couple of Singer 206K machines, but since I have the more advanced models, I haven’t fooled with either of the 206s at all. The 306 with a spoked handwheel is just slightly more difficult to treadle than the 319 with the original handwheel, and that could just be the condition of my particular machines.

If you’re going to treadle, then the 306 is something that you could use. If you’re going for electric machines, there are other models that may serve you better. If you’re going for a handcrank, the Singer cranks won’t work on the 206, 306, or 319. Singer offset the mounting boss to one side on these models. But for treadling, the 306 is a fun way to have a zigzag machine.

CD in Oklahoma