jimerickson

Yes.

Sue: I checked the wheels on my Ult 2 yesterday. The OEM wheels have an effective diameter about 3/16" larger than the Edgerider Gammill set. I say "effective" because the profile of the wheel face is different, and depending what type rail they run on, they will sit higher or lower. Since the change is for each set (machine, carriage), the total height might be as much as 3/8" I think on your rails, it would be less than that. On my rails, I think the difference was about 3/8", but I can't really remember, and can't tell from just looking at the wheels. If you're willing to risk the cost of the Gammill Edgerider set, I think they will work on your set up. In addition to the wheel set, you will need to replace the wheel mounting bolts. The bolts that comes with the Gammill set are are metric, while the bolts on your Lenni are imperial (or at least they are on my Ult 2). The hub of the Edgerider wheel is just over 1/4" thicker than the OEM wheel, so you'll need to buy 8 bolts each a quarter inch longer than the original. ( I don't remember if they are all the same length or not). The bolts are standard 1/4 x 20 so most any hardware store should stock them. The Edgerider wheels are two row bearing wheels with a significantly wider base which makes them much more stable and durable than the OEM wheels. You will notice the difference when they are installed. The precision of my quilting improved significantly when I put them on my Ult 2. It also improved noticeably on my Gammill Classic when I installed a set on it. (having the two machines is how I became familiar with the Gammill designed set) I'm curious, so risking the purchase price of a set of aftermarket wheels wasn't a problem for me. In fact, after I fitted my Gammill with Edgerider wheels, I replaced them with another brand of aftermarket wheels. Not much difference, but both aftermarket sets were much better than OEMs. Hope this helps. Jim

This is the system I guessed. The after market wheels have much wider bearing placement than the OEM's, and as a result they are much more stable. I hesitate to make recommendations because I'm not sure they would work, but if it were me, I would try to find a set of Edgerider wheels for an old Gammill Classic and see if I couldn't fit them to my Lenni. I have a set of those on my Ult 2 and they work fine. The "V" shape for the Edgerider wheel will solidly position it on the rail so there would be no back and forth movement allowed by the "U" shape of the OEM wheels. I was able to fit a set to my machine by simply buying Imperial bolts and nuts to replace the metrics supplied with the Edgerider set, and adjusting for any machine height change the new wheels made. I don't know whether Edgerider wheels are still available for Gammill Classics machines or not. They also are a bit pricey. I think I paid about $200 for a set 10 years ago. The other issue is the lack of adjustment offered in the Lenni table you have. I built my table so I could adjust the height of my leveling and take-up roller. I don't think the roller height can be adjusted on yours. If you decide to pursue this modification, I'd suggest you contact a Gammill dealer or Kasa Engineering directly to check the availability of the wheel set. If they are no longer available then the whole modification possibility is mute. Good luck. If there is anything more I can tell you, feel free to ask. Jim

Sarah: I think Dawn is long gone, so you might want to direct your question to Mark. I really have no first hand knowledge of the Ult 1, or the Millie's, but I'd guess you could replace the Ult 1 needle bar with a Millie bar that takes replaceable feet. Probably cost several hundred dollars, but maybe doable. Good luck. Jim

You might want to mention the price an location. Jim

Sue: You didn't add a photo, so I'm guessing your Lenni has the slotted wheels rolling on the edge of the angle iron frame, not the early wooden top type with wheels rolling on aluminum extrusions. Unless the rails the wheels roll on are actually damaged, there isn't much you can do with them. My guess is that your wheels are worn out. I never liked this particular wheel/rail system, and because APQS abandoned it after a few years, I don't think it was very successful. I don't know, but I don't think anyone offers after market wheels for your set up. I know my Ult 2 OEM wheels didn't work very well, and replacing them (that was 2010 and Kasa Engineering still offered replacement sets) made a world of difference. I have an older (1997) Ult 2 with a wooden table top. I've extensively rebuilt the table, and it works great for me. The wooden top, and aluminum extrusion tracks are about all that's left or the original Ult 2 table. If you were particularly handy you could probably add the aluminum extrusion tracks and replace the OEM wheels with someones after market set, and solve your problems, but you probably aren't. I think the best you can probably do is buy a new set of wheels if APQS still offers them. Post some photos of your wheels and rails, maybe I'll see something there that I can help you with. Jim

Will: There are several things to think about. First, who are your customers? What type quilting do you do, and what type do you want to do? Who will see the completed work on these "awful" quilts? What impact will being rude have on your customer base, and potential future customers. I quilt for customers. My target customers are poor (financially) quilters who make an occasional quilt and just want it finished. Most of whom I know. I do NOT sell custom quilting. I'm quick in my turn around, and low cost. As a result I frequently receive quilt tops that are not examples of high quilting skills. I decide what thread to use, and offer roll batting which I sell at cost. I don't accept customer supplied batting (or at least rarely). I occasionally do minor repairs to missed seams and the like, just so the quilting can be finished. If a quilter brings me a top that I'm particularly unhappy with, when I finish the quilting job. I will discuss the faults with her, and warn her that any future quilts must address those issues, or I won't quilt it for her. I don't know whether I've lost customers by doing this or not. Frankly I don't care. I do simple random meander quilting. I do not do pantos. The reason for no custom, no panto is to limit the customer request, and to keep thru put high. I don't make a lot of money quilting, but the hourly rate produced by my "business plan", and low aggravation level is much better than if I custom quilted. As for my reputation, well I've noticed that when quilts are finished most people don't even notice the quilting. They see the quilt pattern, the fabric and the colors. Not much else. So My suggestion: Don't worry so much about how the low skill level of the piecing might reflect on you. Have a discussion with your customer, and tell her what you want changed on future jobs, with a warning that if she doesn't meet your standard, you won't accept any more commissions. Don't accept jobs that you don't like doing. If you don't like it, you probably won't do a great job on it anyway. Just my take. Jim

Monika: The table you have will determine what wheel options that are available. Can you post photos? A picture of the table, and a picture of the wheels on your Lenni will help. Jim

All five you mention are good industrial quality machines. APQS, Gammill and Innova have their own robot systems. I think A-1 and Nolting use Kasa Engineering's IntelliQuilt system. Something to think about. Let me preface what I have to say by saying I have not studied the features closely in about 5 years, so some of what I say may no longer be accurate. While the primary features of all these machines are pretty much the same, there are little differences that can affect how happy you will be when using each. Bobbin size is one. All offer M size bobbins, but a couple still offer L size. Personally, I would not consider an L, but some folks love them. All of the top of the line models have high quality robust tables, but the features from company to company do differ. Here's where there is probably more differences than any other aspect of the quilting systems. Batting access is one item. Innova, Nolting, and A-1 offer roller lift systems that allow you to access the batting as you go. APQS does not, and Gammill's system is a joke as far as I'm concerned. At least one (Innova) has gas strut assisted lift assembly to reduce the lift effort. I think only APQS and A-1 offer power advance and retreat. I'm not sure all of these manufacturers offer power lift features or not. Take up roller structures also differ. APQS an Innova have dual rollers so that no adjustment of take-up roller height is necessary. I think both Gammill and A-1 have single adjusting wheels for raising the take-up roller, while you have to adjust both ends of the Nolting roller. What you plan to do with the machine has a lot to do with the items you find most necessary. Robot use may value some features (M bobbin for instance) differently than hand guided. Edge to edge is different than custom work. If you plan to do robotic quilting, then the features of the robot system itself, and the ease of use becomes very important. Finally, support is important. I think all five company's support their product well. I personally only have experience with APQS, and Gammill, both of which have been very good. If you study each system carefully, and pick the features that fit your type quilting, a quilting system from any one of these companies will serve you well. Start thinking about important aspects of your planned quilting, and study how the different machines support your "style". Careful consideration of this should help you choose properly. Good luck. Jim

Maybe you need to oil more than just the hook. I had my Gammill stall on me for lack of oil. Really surprised me at the time. Jim

Check with APQS. I think they can probably get you one. Regards. Jim

There will be a "box" on the front of the head. It will say "Intellistitch", or if a later model with Ken-Quilt regulator S-stitch or something similar. I don't remember what they called their version. There will encoders on the rails with wires running to the machine. Hope this helps. Jim

Don't know about leaders, but standard needle is MR 4.0 (size 18). Thread is up to you. I use YLI Longarm Professional, and Bottom Line all the time, but that's just my preference. Good luck. Jim

Message Barb Mayfield. She seems to be deeply involved with that group. She'll probably invite to join. Jim

Sherri: It sounds like you may have thread wrapped around something and that's stalling the machine. Start by removing the needle plate. Search around the hook and bobbin basket. If you find any thread, remove it. If you don't find thread there, remove the left side cover on the machine and look inside, it's very possible that thread has been pulled into the machine, and is wound around the take-up assembly. While you have the cover off, add a couple drops of oil to the needle bar bushing. If you aren't successful in these two places, keep looking 'til you're sure thread tangle isn't your problem. Good luck. Jim

Judy wants to change the price. She can chime in here with the new info.

Becky: I'd probably make two wooden brackets, one for each end, wide enough so holes matching the bolt pattern of the roller rack support could be drilled, and long enough to provide a 17" drop from the table bottom, then drill a hole to match your batting support rod in the lower end of the bracket. After the brackets are made, I'd put longer bolts in the roller rack support assembly, and bolt the brackets to it. All could be done in wood, and at a work bench. No need to try and drill you table frame. Good luck. Jim

Stevi: Since Judy hasn't answered yet, I will. The Lenni's have a 20" throat, not 22. Jim

I would be inclined to not charge for the job, or at least offer to do the next quilt for no charge, since it was my fault the quilt was harmed. Do you think it's good business to offer discounts for bad work? Just my thoughts. Jim

Are you sure the table is 14 ft? I wasn't aware that they made any other than 12 ft models. Just don't want someone to be surprised when they buy it. Jim

Contact APQS. They should be able to advise you. If they don't have such manuals, they should be able to tell you if they exist. Jim

Problems arise if there is supposed to be a pattern on the back side. If it's just random quilting , it's OK, but if there's any custom pattern, or any critical positioning of the quilting on the back, it's very difficult to do. I discourage pieced backs from my customers, and refuse to accept responsibility for any misalignment that might occur. Jim

Veronica: Which model do you have? Jim

I hope it goes as well for you as it did for me. Jim

I've done it to my Ult2. I had to weld extentions to one end of the roller shafts in order to provide enough room to clamp them on. I bought 4" hand wheels from Grizzly to complete the retro fit. The roller shafts were 5/8", so I added 1/2" rod butted up to the end so that regardless of the accuracy of my welds, the shafts would slide through the support bearings. Easy enough for me to do because I weld, although if you really want them, taking the 3 rollers to a welding shop probably wouldn't be all that difficult. Good luck. Jim