First impressions on the Cowboy Outlaw Sewing Machine

Chris Railey

Well-Known Member
I literally received my machine yesterday. I got home form work about 1800 hours and ate dinner then started opening the machine at about 1920. The machine comes with five bobbins, a bobbin winder, a professional thread stand, a big fat spool of really good thread and some spare parts. The machine is heavy, I would guess right at 50 pounds. The body is mostly cast iron. From the time I opened the package to the time she was ready to sew was about 15-20 minutes. First thing you do, trust me, is to mount it to a stable surface. The base is small and it will tip forward easily until you secure it. I used two big spring clamps and my dinning room table. Next you mount the crank handle literally five minutes and one Allen wrench. Next, you thread the machine, maybe two minutes. The bobbin is already filled and the thread is already pulled up. Bam it's ready to sew. I sewed two pieces of scrap together and it worked perfectly. I then went searching for something else to sew and I found two sheaths that were ready to glue and sew. I had already marked the stitch holes with my stitching chisel but I decided to sew it any way. Sewed first sheath, sewed second sheath maybe three minutes of stitching each because I was going slow and thinking along the way. I would post pictures but because I already marked chisel holes the holes look extra big and are not representative of what the machine does. The stitches were tight and look very nice. I tried to pull the scrap pieces apart and no luck they were tight. I am super impressed with the machine. If I did not have to work this morning I could have made several sheaths last night, my first night with the machine. I will make a couple of new sheaths shortly and post pictures of those.

All of that being said, let me give my experience with sewing machines so people will know what to expect. Last year, I bought a Chinese shoe patcher machine to sew some smaller projects. I got it and spent literally three hours adjusting tweaking and de-burring. I never got it to sew a single good stitch. True to my nature, I got angry and never touched the machine again. That is it. I have never sewed a single successful stitch on a sewing machine of any kind until last night. Prior to receiving my machine, I did watch every video on YouTube about the Outlaw by Ryan Neel and that really helped me to get a good start.
 
congratulations on the new machine! good writeup, too. i look forward to seeing you post pictures.
I second this. Good writeup. Do you have to do any punching or drilling or just sew? Whenever you get a chance, and if you don’t mind, do a simple straight stitch on some scrap and post a pic please. I’m dying to see what the stitches look like. I’m sure it’s like everything else and you better at it once you play around a little, but I’m curious to see how well it can stitch even if the user has spent zero time practicing. Do you think it will be easy to change the spacing of the stitches? Im asking all of this because I’m totally clueless and haven’t done any research at all on the machine, but when you started talking about easy of use and setup, let’s just say I’m getting a lil curious. Lol thanks, brother.
 
I second this. Good writeup. Do you have to do any punching or drilling or just sew? Whenever you get a chance, and if you don’t mind, do a simple straight stitch on some scrap and post a pic please. I’m dying to see what the stitches look like. I’m sure it’s like everything else and you better at it once you play around a little, but I’m curious to see how well it can stitch even if the user has spent zero time practicing. Do you think it will be easy to change the spacing of the stitches? Im asking all of this because I’m totally clueless and haven’t done any research at all on the machine, but when you started talking about easy of use and setup, let’s just say I’m getting a lil curious. Lol thanks, brother.
No drilling or punching at all. It has about 7/8 clearance under the foot and if it can fit it will sew it. The stitch spacing is a simple adjustment knob on the side of the machine. Could not be easier. I "plan" to do a sheath from scratch tonight so I will get some stitch pics for you.
 
No drilling or punching at all. It has about 7/8 clearance under the foot and if it can fit it will sew it. The stitch spacing is a simple adjustment knob on the side of the machine. Could not be easier. I "plan" to do a sheath from scratch tonight so I will get some stitch pics for you.
Awesome and thanks!
 
Congrats!! And I'm glad your experience was the same as mine. There's nothing better than unpacking a machine, assemble quickly, and it works from the start. I'm so glad I bought mine.

Here are the latest 2 sheaths I made. One sewed and one not. I do cut a stitching groove before I sew the sheath, mainly as a guide while sewing.


 
Thanks for the info. I have a Tippman Boss and was considering getting a sewing machine this fall. It was between the Cobra and the Cowboy, but both of the guys that have helped me with sheath have Cowboys so that's where I was leaning. I question having to clamp it down. Doesn't it come with a stand?
 
Congrats!! And I'm glad your experience was the same as mine. There's nothing better than unpacking a machine, assemble quickly, and it works from the start. I'm so glad I bought mine.

Here are the latest 2 sheaths I made. One sewed and one not. I do cut a stitching groove before I sew the sheath, mainly as a guide while sewing.


Gene...that sews almost as good as you do by hand! What is the wood on the knife with the guard? Both are very nice!
 
Congrats on another shop machine Chris, great write up on it too. looking forward to seeing some picture of it in action!
 
Thanks for the info. I have a Tippman Boss and was considering getting a sewing machine this fall. It was between the Cobra and the Cowboy, but both of the guys that have helped me with sheath have Cowboys so that's where I was leaning. I question having to clamp it down. Doesn't it come with a stand?
It comes with an integral base and mounting bolts to mount it where you want it. I am just no where near patient enough to wait to use it until I mount it. I WANT TO SEW NOW. I plan to mount it to a board this weekend.
 
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I second this. Good writeup. Do you have to do any punching or drilling or just sew? Whenever you get a chance, and if you don’t mind, do a simple straight stitch on some scrap and post a pic please. I’m dying to see what the stitches look like. I’m sure it’s like everything else and you better at it once you play around a little, but I’m curious to see how well it can stitch even if the user has spent zero time practicing. Do you think it will be easy to change the spacing of the stitches? Im asking all of this because I’m totally clueless and haven’t done any research at all on the machine, but when you started talking about easy of use and setup, let’s just say I’m getting a lil curious. Lol thanks, brother.
Here are the first stitches I did on some scrap. Two pieces of 8-9 ounce.B390BFEB-E485-487D-9F36-33C66DAEF55F.jpeg
 
Congrats!! And I'm glad your experience was the same as mine. There's nothing better than unpacking a machine, assemble quickly, and it works from the start. I'm so glad I bought mine.

Here are the latest 2 sheaths I made. One sewed and one not. I do cut a stitching groove before I sew the sheath, mainly as a guide while sewing.



All of that is awesome Gene. Did you backstitch on those to lock the stitches or do you have another way?
 
I heard from Ryan O. Neel (designer of the Outlaw) and he said I could post his contact info here if anyone had any questions about the machine. He is great to deal with and truthfully I would only buy from him.

neelre@comcast.net

Ryan O.Neel

Neel's Saddlery and Harness

Cowboy Sewing Machines

Hightex Sewing Machines

Phone: (330) 692-1418
 
I bought a CB4500 from Ryan a few years back (my sheath maker has it now...) He was excellent to deal with. In fact one time I needed help on a splitter I bought from him and he called me right back...from a hospital bed! The guy KNOWS his stuff....
 
Is this the same machine as the the one Tandy sells?
That stitching looks great!!!
 
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