nancyrantz

Hi everyone. Recently I bought a working Kenmore c877-781 that sews beautifully. However no cams came with the machine. Does anyone have any idea how I could find a set. I have no idea what I’m looking for or even what they look like Also any history on the machine would be gratefully appreciated

OurWorkbench

Welcome to Quilting Board. We have a section here for vintage machines at https://www.quiltingboard.com/vbulle...thusiasts-f22/

It can be hard to figure out which cams fit which machines. They usually get separated from the machine. There is an etsy ad for your machine and it looks like the cams may have come in a plastic bag. https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/7028...877781-c877782

There is a picture of seven different cam sets for Kenmore machines but it appears that they are for American machines https://wsrv.nl/?url=images.victoria...ms_photo-1.jpg This site has pictures of cams and some of the machines that they will fit https://tumorfarmer.blogspot.com/202...chine-cam.html
I did find a reddit post about your machine and there are a couple of images https://imgur.com/a/QiZpe and https://i.imgur.com/JLjb1Kb.jpeg that might be helpful to looking for the cams on etsy, ebay or bonanza or like sites.

I used to do a lot of thrift store shopping and picked up a set of cams that I didn't know what they fit. Somehow managed to find that they belonged to an Emdeko machine. Over a year later I found an Emdeko machine in a thrift store and it was immediately in a buggy and after paying into the car - Sure enough the cams fit. Sometimes it can take longer than that to find a machine and attachments that fit each other.

Good luck finding the cams and happy sewing until you do

Iceblossom

Welcome aboard! I also did a bit of searching and failed to come up with a good answer. In google images they have a number of the large "book" type kit, those fit my Kenmore, which was the last model before they gave up cams and went computerized. Mine were quite large and gray? plastic. Yours are probably smaller, you can look under the top lid of your machine to get an idea of the size.

I really like the older machines like yours -- yours is quite the looker. While bells and whistles are nice and I have vision issues where a threading assist is necessary, what we want most for quilting is a good steady straight stitch that can go through multiple layers -- and your machine can certainly do that.

Good luck on your search for both knowledge and cams.

nancyrantz

Thanks for all the info. I’ve ordered a set from Etsy and crossing my fingers they fit
Since then I picked up for free (can you believe it) a kenmore 158-19142. The lady said it needed repair, so I thought what the heck it’s free I’ll try it. Long story to short brought it home put in a new bobbin case, cleaned and oiled and voila it sews So maybe the kenmore cams will fit one if not the other

ddrn

I have attached pics of mine with the parts list and what the cams look like. They are not interchangeable with other machines.

OurWorkbench

Welcome to Quilting Board, ddrn. Thank you for posting pictures. They sure don't look like any of the cams in the links I posted in #2 above.

Those cams look a lot like the cams for a Dressmaker, Elgin 2468 and some other machines. post # 60 The Cam Thread
and #54 The Cam Thread

Maybe it would be helpful to others if you posted a picture of the cams in "The Cam Thread" The Cam Thread in the vintage antique section of this site.

ddrn

I posted the parts list to show both the order number and the picture to show they were for that machine. If anyone wants the complete parts list (not that they would all be available) or the manual just message me. I don't see many of these machines around or instruction videos.

bjsmith57

Welcome for Arizona