Need a free manual for the janome 344

Start by trying to turn the wheel with the bobbin and the auto-thread cassette removed. Look inside to see if there is any thread caught anywhere both in the bobbin area and also in the complicated mechanism where the auto-thread cassette fits.

• If it is still stiff, remove the needle plate, which also holds-down the cover over the bobbin carrier. (You may need to use a coin and a pair of pliers to undo the 2 screws as there is very limited vertical clearance at this point)
• Remove the bobbin carrier, noting which way it fits. Thread and fluff can build up in this area.
• Thread might have become wound round under the rotating component into which the bobbin carrier fits.
• Put one drop of oil in the edge of the large screw in the centre of the rotating component and turn the wheel a few times. Put another drop of oil in the same place and continue to turn the wheel.
• Look carefully with a small flashlight into the case and see if there is any fluff or thread bits caught in the feed dogs mechanism.
• Put one drop of oil onto any joint between moving parts that you can see.

Now, if there is no improvement and you cannot see any threads caught, you need to see if there is anything wrapped round the bevel gear drive under the bobbin carrier rotating mechanism.
If you go to "How to fix Brother's CS-8060 bobbin auto winder to work?" thread on this forum there is a description of how to separate the 2 halves of the case. (I apologize for omitting to say about Large +Screw #6, located in the top of the case where the Auto-Thread cassette fits)

• Splitting the case enables you to have a good look around under the mechanisms and check for any thread or fluff. Put one drop of oil on any moving joint.
• Rotate the wheel, being careful to keep your fingers out of the way as you do so. Take careful note of the area below the bobbin mechanism, where there is a bevel gear that turns the drive through 90 degrees.
• There is also an eccentric part that moves the feed dogs mechanism. Check there is nothing clogging-up this bit. You can use Lithium-based grease very sparingly to lube the cams and plastic/nylon components
• Put one drop of oil onto the needle-shaft, above where it slides through the mounting. Turn the wheel a few times and put just one more drop of oil.
• Look at the crank mechanism that drives the needle-shaft and apply one drop of oil on any moving joint or component.
• While you are in this area check that all the bits that move do so freely, especially the little joints of the auto-thread.
• Have a good look around the area of the bobbin winder, up by the wheel. - Has the bobbin winder drive rubber gone gooey? Is there anything caught up there?

Hopefully you may find what is causing the stiffness. It is not really likely that one of the shaft bearings is tight but you can put a little oil each side of the bearing and continue to turn the wheel to see if this frees-up any.
Take care to wipe any excess oil off, particularly where it might get on anything you sew.
Don't get oil on the drive belt and don't blow any fluff up into the motor area or, especially, the speed-sensor disk (which is a black thing with fine slots.
Assemble the components carefully. You might take a few cell-phone pictures to help remember how things go.

Sometimes, it makes a difference which way the bobbin is rolling.

Cotton reel on top, take the thread from the reel to the left and over the top guide, straight down throught the tension discs, back up to the take up lever making sure the lever is at the top, through the lever right to left, straight down through any guides and thread needle front to back.
To wind the bobbin, reel of cotton on top, bobbin on bobbin winder making sure it is pushed to the left, take the thread to the left and round the small wheel and back to the winder, wind the thread round a few times on the bobbin, push the windewr to the right, and loosen the stop motion in the balance wheel.

Threading the Machine

Raise the thread take-up lever to the highest point by turning the balance wheel towards you. (Large round wheel on your right of the machine.)
Raise presser foot with presser foot lifter and pass the thread in the order from
[1] to [8]
[1] Pass the thread through the top cover thread guide.
[2] Draw the thread around the thread guide and down into the tension.
[3] Then down around the check spring holder.
[4] Firmly draw the thread from left to right over the take-up lever and down into the take-up lever eye.
[5][6] Then down through the lower thread guides.
[7] Slide the thread behind the needle bar thread guide on the left.
[8] Thread the needle from front to back.

The reason is probably because the winder post is not perfectly vertical, check that and also make sure you put the thread round the pretension wheel before you wind a bobbin, getting to the inside to adjust it is very difficult.

Feel the edges with your fingernail on the one part with a sharp point (the hook). If you feel a burr this is where the thread is catching and giving you problems. Needs to be polished with a very fine crocus cloth or your fingernail buffer pad.
Lay the machine back some and put the hook in the hook race. That is the entire round part. The hook will lay opposite a c shaped metal piece in the edge of the hook race. Then put the round case on around it and snap the locks over.
Hope this helped.
Rick

To wind a bobbin put the cotton reel on the top pin, take the thread to the left and round the little wheel and back to the bobbin that should be on the winder, wind the thread round a few times to take a grip, release the stop motion in the balance wheel, turn the winder button so the winder moves to the balance wheel and press on the foot control slowly.
When you put the bobbin in the bobbin case make sure it turns anti clockwise.

Im not sure if this will help but thought I would pass it along. My Pfaff 6122 tells me to check bobbin for thread unrolling clockwise before you place it back in the machine. I had mine turned to un roll counter clockwise, this is wrong, the bobbin will fall out when you pull on the thread while you are holding it in your hand. You may just keep putting it in backwards. Hope this works for you. J.R.

If this is the machine I think it is the bobbin case is completely round as opposed to half round. If it is half round ignore the following.
Remove the presser foot and then the two screws which hold the needle plate. Lift off the needle plate and then lift out the old bobbin case. Clean all the lint out and then insert the bobbin case so that the less round part of it is to the back and the lip around the bobbin case is resting on the lip around the hook. Turn the hand wheel a few times to be sure it is working smoothly and not binding. Replace the Needle plate , bobbin and presser foot. Insert a new needle,thread the machine, Check your tension to be sure it is working correctly, turn the hand wheel again to be sure it is picking up the thread without binding and sew.
sewman7

I continued to try to get the bobbin out. I finally decided to break it out. Once it was out I tried pulling the case out so I could see if anything was jammed underneath. It took a lot of work but it finally popped out like the manual said it should. I cleaned it out, nothing really dirty, no thread jams. When I went to put it back together I noticed that the way to put it back was not the way the case was sitting when I took it out. So I figure that my son must have jammed it and somehow knocked the bobbin case out of alignment. I put it back in correctly and it works just fine now!