Juki TL-2010Q: threading, bobbin, tension and oiling

Is this your machine?

The Juki TL-2010Q is a single-needle, lockstitch, straight-stitch-only machine with an aluminum die-cast body, built for piecing and quilting: up to 1,500 stitches per minute with a speed control, a 6 mm maximum stitch length, an automatic thread trimmer, a knee lifter, a needle up/down button, drop feed and an automatic needle threader. It is a high shank machine, so low-shank feet do not fit.

It behaves more like a small industrial than a household machine, and it needs what those need: regular oil, a bobbin case with adjustable tension, and the right needle facing the right way. Juki's parts list covers the TL-2010Q and the TL-2000Qi together, but the instruction manual on this page is for the TL-2010Q only.

Needles and bobbins that fit

Juki specifies HAx1 (130/705H) needles, sizes #7 to #18, or HLx5, sizes #9 to #16. The machine ships with HAx1 #11 and #14 needles (Juki part MHA-1M111422). Juki's fabric chart is written for HLx5:

• Light fabrics such as georgette and smooth tricot: needle 9 to 11.
• Medium fabrics such as broadcloth, gingham, flannel and wool: 11 to 14.
• Heavy fabrics such as denim, canvas and tweed: 14 to 18. Juki warns that a thin needle in very heavy fabric can break and cause injury.

1. Turn the power off. Lower the presser foot and raise the needle bar to its highest point.
2. Insert the needle with its flat face toward the right, pushed up until it stops, and tighten the needle clamp screw. Most household machines face the flat to the back; this one does not.

Juki calls its bobbin "L" style, metal. Juki's parts list numbers the bobbin A9117-007-000 and the bobbin case assembly A1837-D25-0AB. Dealer Juki Junkies sells Juki's TL bobbins as A9851D250A0 (five metal L bobbins) and the case as A9852D250A0, both listing the TL-2010Q. Juki's manual says the bobbin case is an exclusive Juki part to be bought through Juki dealers, so do not use a generic case.

Threading the top thread

Juki numbers ten guide points between the spool and the needle. Its manual names some of them and shows the rest only as numbers in a drawing, so follow the numbered drawing on page 23 of the manual alongside these steps. Thread with the power off.

1. Raise the thread stand's support rod fully and turn it until it latches. Put a cone on the anti-vibration cone, or a household spool on the spool pin with a spool cap. Take the thread through the guide on the rod above the spool.
2. Pass it through the thread guide on top of the arm. For slippery nylon thread, use the alternate route shown in the manual's inset.
3. Take it between the two discs of the sub-tension knob. Juki's standard sub-tension is when the end of the screw in the center of the knob sits flush with the knob face.
4. Raise the presser foot so the main tension discs open, and pass the thread between the discs of the thread tension dial.
5. Lead it down through the numbered guides on the front of the head.
6. Bring the take-up lever to the top of its stroke and pass the thread through it, then through the guide below it.
7. Pass it through the two thread guides at the bottom of the needle bar.
8. Thread the needle with the automatic needle threader. If the threader misses, the needle is not at its highest, not pushed fully up, or the handwheel was turned with the threader lever down.

Winding and loading the bobbin case

The TL-2010Q's bobbin case sits in the hook under a slide plate on the bed. It is not a drop-in: you take the case out, load it in your hand, and put it back.

1. Raise the needle, open the slide plate and take out the bobbin case. Open the case's latch so the bobbin drops out.
2. Thread the bobbin winder guide (if the thread slips out, use the hole under the guide). Pass the thread through the bobbin's hole, fit the bobbin onto the winding shaft, and press the bobbin presser.
3. Press the foot controller to wind. When done, return the bobbin presser toward you, trim the thread and remove the bobbin.
4. If the bobbin winds thicker at the top or bottom, loosen the bobbin winder guide screw and shift the guide. Juki notes that uneven winding upsets bobbin tension.

Loading the case

1. Hold the case open side toward you. Put the bobbin in so it turns clockwise as the thread is pulled, as Juki's drawing shows.
2. Pass the thread through the slit in the case and under the tension spring, leaving about 10 cm (4 inches) out.
3. Insert the case fully into the hook and close the latch. Close the slide plate.
4. To bring the bobbin thread up, hold the needle thread end and press the needle up/down button, normally twice (down, then up). Pull both threads out about 10 cm and lay them under the foot toward the back.

Top and bobbin tension

The bobbin sets the baseline on this machine, so start there. Juki's test, with #50 thread: hold the free end of the bobbin thread with the loaded case hanging from it and give it a small shake. At standard tension the case goes down slowly. If it drops freely, tighten the small tension screw on the case's spring; if it does not move, loosen it. Turn the screw in small amounts.

Then set the needle thread tension dial to match. If the bobbin thread is being pulled up to the top surface, the needle tension is too low; turn the dial up. If the needle thread lies flat on top, turn it down. Check the sub-tension knob is at its standard flush setting before you chase the main dial.

Too much presser foot pressure puckers the seam; the regulator is on top of the machine.

Cleaning and daily oiling

Juki's manual is plain: if you use the machine every day, oil it once a day, a few drops at each arrowed point, with New Defrix Oil No. 1 or a similar sewing machine oil. A bottle came with the machine. Clean before you oil, and always sew a test seam on scrap afterward to catch any excess.

1. Turn the power off and unplug. Remove the needle, the presser foot and the throat plate.
2. Brush the feed dog and the hook parts with the cleaning brush (Juki part A9137-956-000). The bottom plate cover also opens for cleaning the hook or fishing out a dropped bobbin.
3. Take out the bobbin case and put oil inside the hook.
4. Put a few drops on each of the points Juki marks with arrows on the top of the arm and on the head and needle bar area. Juki's drawing shows the points without naming them; use it.
5. Refit the throat plate, foot and needle. Run a test seam on scrap.

Juki's troubleshooting ties a loud or high-pitched machine to dust in the feed dog, thread waste in the hook, oil that has run out, or oil that is not sewing machine oil. Wipe the outside with a soft cloth and a little neutral detergent, never thinner or solvent.

Troubleshooting by symptom

Leave these to a technician

The thread trimmer's knives, hook timing, the motor, the foot controller and the wiring. Juki's manual says a damaged power cord must be replaced by a dealer or service center.

Juki's manual and parts lookup

• Juki TL-2010Q instruction manual (PDF, Juki)
• Juki TL-2010Q product page and specifications
• TL-2010Q / TL-2000Qi parts list, Juki document 40099541 (PDF, dealer hosted)
• TL-2010Q page at Juki Junkies, with manual and parts list