meg_marsh Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 I posted this under a different thread but thought that it deserved to be on its own. Amy was truly a big help when it comes to making everything run smoother!!! So, for adjusting those wheels.................. 1st and foremost is to make sure your table is totally level every whichway!!! Then, make sure that the width between the rails is exactly!!! the same all the way down the table. These 2 items are critical. I actually had to loosen the bolt on one cross cylinder and rotate the cylinder. My rails were about 1/16th inch wider at that point. By rotating the cylinder I was able to get rid of the extra 1/16th". Then you want to adjust the wheels on the table first. As Amy describes it, there should be about a fingernail (or the same depth/height from the throat plate of the hopping foot at it's lowest position = 2 business cards) between the upper part of the wheel and the rail. You could probably go just a very tiny more as long as both are the same, but I tried to follow Amy's directions - just don't go less. This keeps the wheels from having full contact with the rails and provides less drag. Make sure both wheels are adjusted the same. Once you have that, then you adjust the upper wheels to about the same. The top wheels are not as critical, but should not be fully riding on the upper carriage rails either. I adjusted mine to the same as the lower wheels. This has made a huge difference. It is important to get down and really visually look at the wheels/rails from the side as if you are taking a picture and not rely on having those funny screws look the same like the manual tells us. There should be just a smidge of space between the top of the rail and the wheel when you look down the rail from the side with your eyes level with the rail. Now, I just need to practice enough so that I am no longer a beginner and that is a feat in itself. The way Amy had me adjust my wheels makes it feel like my baby will no longer take off and actually my practicing was better today. It is smoother, and easier to control. Plus I can go slower when necessary without any drag. Hope this helps. The maintenance class with Amy was worth its weight in gold!! She has a great personality and gives a great class - easy to understand and learn from!! Amy - if you read this and can describe this better - please jump in!! Thank you for all your help!! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marion Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 In the past two weeks the Millenium has given me much trouble. It was my own fault. First when doing a quilt I had wound the bobbin on the machine and somehow the thread got caught on the hand wheel. Well it was a cone of thread and soon the machine would not move anymore. It was hot to touch. I took the cover plate off and the thread was all wound around inside the head right up to the cover. Almost the whole cone of thread was inside. I used tweezers , kitchen knives , razors, scapels and just kept pulling all that thread out of there. Got it all out and let the machine cool. It seemed to be okay. Next quilt I put on I used a panto and was going along fine until the rollers kept slipping when I tried to roll it. The pulley or whatever you call it fell apart. I was able to roll it by hand and took the quilt off. I tried to put the thing back together but it would not budge. DH who is not in good shape since his bypass had to use a pipe with the allen wrench to loosen a screw and took a lot of strength to put it back together. I have not put another quilt on yet but hope this will not be more recurring problems. I just wonder if it just me or do other people have problems like this. I am not going to use that bobbin winder anymore. I bought the sidewinder but it doesn't like the commercial bobbins so I wind them on one of my powerheads. Maybe that is why the newer Millenium does not have a bobbin winder on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barbm Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 Marion, So sorry you've been having problems with your Millennium! I've had thread wind around the assembly from the sewing side, but never from the bobbin-winder side. It is a lot of work to get all that thread out. There is a "flywheel cover" available for the sewing side of the flywheel, but I don't know whether it would fit/work on the other side. You might try keeping the thread on that side short enough to not reach the flywheel when you're not actually winding a bobbin. As to the rollers slipping, are you talking about the fabric advance mechanism? Are you able to take a digital photo and post it so we know what you're having problems with? That way we might be able to help you get it working right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg_marsh Posted October 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 There was a thread just a week or so ago about innovative ways that people have covered their fly wheels......... from the standard that APQS makes to plastic packaging. We have some very inventive people out there......... As to the side winder - have not had luck with it. I have the Turbo winder from APQS and feel it is a great way to go. A bit pricey, but worth it in my opinion. The description of your thread sounds just awful. It would have scared me to death......... and the rollers........ hope you get all up and running soon!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenni Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 I took the advice from the lady in Australia and bought the sliding door handle from Home Depot to cover the fly wheel. Works great. It comes in a package of two. I found a solution for the sidewinder issues I was having. Again, using the great advice of folks on this forum, I spent $89 for the Gammill stand alone bobbin winder. Works great too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.