David Almond / Venor 8 Needle Table Tufting Machine
Not your average tufting gun!
I recently picked up this monster from someone on eBay for cheep, probably because there is little to no info available about this machine so little to no interest. But it fascinated me, I watched it on eBay for a few months before I decided to go for it.
As the heading says this is a tufting machine, the same tufting you have probably seen in a handheld gun looking contraption making funky custom rugs all over the internet. This does the same job, but fixed to a sewing machine table. BUT with 8 needles going at once instead of 1, so it can fill space fast.
Here is another look at it including the table:
Now this thing is big, much bigger than I was expecting. It measures 60cm/24inc long, 18cm/7inch deep, and 54cm/21inch tall off the table top. And weighs 48Kg/ 105lbs. Seriously heavy! And much bigger than any sewing type machine I’ve used before.
I have only used it with a single needle so far while I get used to how it works. I want to try it with all 8 soon to see how scary it is. Even with just one needle it’s an intimidating machine.
Results have been good, it’s taking a lot of learning and small changes in set up to get it to work. Instead of a bobbin under the table like a sewing machine it has a row of 8 hooks and sharp edges that grab the yarn off the needle and cut it at the right time. Getting timing and positioning of these has been the biggest challenge so far.
Bellow image is some test tufts.
You can see in the grey where some of the yarn hasn’t been cut and has left loops. Then on the white which is my latest test they are all cut because the timings are better.
As I mentioned there is not much information online about this machine or Venor or table tufting machines in general. There are quite a lot of videos of similar machines out of India but no really information to go with the videos. If you have any info I would love to hear it.
I’m going to keep playing with it for now and post updates as they come.