jimerickson Posted September 29, 2014 Report Share Posted September 29, 2014 Several of you have asked me to show photos of some of the modifications I've made to "Zelda" and her table. I've loaded a several pictures, thanks to the specific instructions BossQuilter gave me. They show the 4 roller rack configuration, the gas spring assisted batting access system, my toggle roller clamp system, the horizontal and vertical channel locks, and the leveling roller set up I built. These modifications along with the addition of an Intellistitch stitch regulator have made Zelda thoroughly modern. Hope they are of interest to some of you. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamu Posted September 30, 2014 Report Share Posted September 30, 2014 thank you Jim for posting these pictures! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitepinesquilter Posted September 30, 2014 Report Share Posted September 30, 2014 Thank you, Jim. Because I'm not real mechanical, can you explain in very few details about how your channel locks work? I don't have any on my Ulti I, and have wondered how yours work. Again, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted October 10, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2014 Marci: I answered this thread last night, but apparently the post didn't take. My channel locks are electro-magnets. They come from Gammill and were used on the Classic and "Plus" lines of machines. I don't know whether they still use them on their current line up. You'll note there is black iron under each one. I installed that on my carriage and table so the magnets would have something to clam to. They are powered by a 12v DC power supply I've added to my table. I don't know whether you could build a set based on them for your Ult 1 because of the horizontal wheel system. I haven't had the opportunity to study such a machine so I just don't know. I think APQS's channel locks clamp the wheels with some sort of servo, and I've been told they do not work flawlessly. Mine do work flawlessly. Hit the switch. the magnet is energized and it clamps. Hit the switch again and the magnet releases. They clamp really strongly. You cant overpower them. You must switch the power off in order to move the machine against the direction the clamp is holding. I really like them. I'm glad I decided to try and fabricate the set. I use them a lot, and would not have a machine without channel locks. If there is any more info I can give you, let me know. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitepinesquilter Posted October 11, 2014 Report Share Posted October 11, 2014 Thank you for responding, Jim. I appreciate your time and information and the offer for further info, if needed. I have someone looking at the pics and seeing if we can figure out something to do on mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted June 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2015 This is another post for jacq1013. These are some of the table modifications I've made for Zelda. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Baker Posted June 6, 2015 Report Share Posted June 6, 2015 Thanks for all the pictures! I wish I could handle the vibration on mine (ult ii w intellistitch). Any ideas? I have weights on the axels that is supposed to help but not as smooth as I would like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted June 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2015 Michelle: Vibration is pretty subjective. I don't know why your's should vibrate more than mine, and I don't see why weights on the axles would help. Is the vibration the machine moving, or the rollers? Have you checked the condition of the axle grommets? There should be almost no movement between the two. Perhaps your grommets are worn. Another thing to check is the collars that position the head on the axles. They should be tight against the grommets so there is no lateral movement of the head on the axles. I assume you have a wooden table like mine was when I bought it. It is possible the legs on your table are not bolted tightly, and some machine vibration telegraphs movement to the table. I didn't like the 3 leg sets, and removed the center leg and stiffened the table by removing the switch box cut out on the back of my table. My carriage had a three pound steel weight bolted to the front side. I think it was to help resist lifting of the front of the carriage off the track when working from the back. Since I never work from the back, I removed it just to make the assembly lighter. If your's has the same weight, you might check and make sure it is also tight. Another thing I'd check is all the carriage bolts to make sure all connections are tight and there is absolutely no movement at any joints. The last thing I'd check are the screws that attach the tracks to the table. I doubt any are loose, but check just to be sure. I assume you have a good set of Edgerider wheels on both the machine head and the carriage. If not, then the wheels would be the first place I'd look for deficiencies. Is the vibration more evident in manual or stitch regulated mode? If it's manual mode, changing the speed will change the harmonic vibration. That harmonic vibration won't be pronounced because of the constant speed change associated with stitch regulation. I'd be happy to answer any other questions you have about the table/machine. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacq1013 Posted June 9, 2015 Report Share Posted June 9, 2015 thanks for all the info, jim! iim waiting to hear about the edgerider wheels...one thing they ask about is the channellock. i dont think i have one other than the little 'L' bracket attached to one of my back wheels-i rarely use it but if i do want a horizontal lock i clamp it to the carriage-or just hold it with my left hand. what all do you use them for other than basting? If i want to do horizontal rows of stitching or SID, i need to have the machine free so i can tweak it...am i missing something here? RE vibration-i get it too...enough that it irritates my carpal tunnel. i know my table's no longer level as the machine keeps rolling forward..does that really have an affect? I think i need to check all my bolts on the table legs-there are probably loose ones. There's no weight attached to my machine; a lot of times, when i work from the front, i will lift the back of the machine right out of the tracks if i'm not careful and push down too hard on the handles. speaking of gripping too hard, how do you all quilt-arm movement or body movement? i've been longarming for a while but am totally self taught, never even saw a demo so i probably picked up a lot of bad habits and missed some good ones. thank goodness for youtube! I'm starting to learn a few things. question about the carriage wheels (the ones on the machine that ride the carriage)...they are tight, and the rubber gaskets are tight against the machine, but there is play where the entire head can shift side to side more than 1/8th inch which prevents me from doing any precise stitching/circles, etc. I think its because the wheels are centered in the grooves instead of either pulled to the inside or outside? Do i need to spread out the axles and retighten the grommets so the wheels hug the inner groove on both sides? Same with circles-i tried doing circles on the Hartley attchment but the machine goes off at 2 o'clock & 7-8 o'clock-right where it shifts from the X to the Y axis. The circle issue may be the same problem or a different one; i'm not sure but i was trying to do an overlapping circle pattern on a baby quilt and the first two came out fine-just to get me to commit to the pattern, then the rest were ovals and i ended up ripping everything out. the only modification i've done to my table is add an additional bar for the batting underneath. that way i can wrap the batting on there instead of it laying on the ground. i love all this discussion! i'm relatively new to the forums and am thrilled with all the sharing!! jackie BTW, my machine and i arent to the point where it has a nickname yet, other than '#X%!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted June 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2015 Jackie: Your inability to get the machine to sew in a straight line is because of the wheels. If you check them carefully, you'll probably find that they wobble. Replace the wheels, don't try and adjust them to rub on the carriage tracks. They're worn out. (they weren't all that good when they were new) You won't be able to sew precise circles with the bad wheels. The only channel lock you have is that bracket you mention. You're not missing anything. I'm surprised you were asked about channel locks by the wheel supplier. What you have is all that was ever offered, and as far as I can tell have no impact on the wheels. On the other hand, the channel locks on the Millie involves the wheels. Make sure they know you are seeking vertical wheels for an Ult 2, no other machine. The table level shouldn't affect vibration I don't think. However, everything works better if it is set up as intended, so level you table, and make sure to tighten all the bolts that hold it together. Are your rollers vibrating in the holes in your "buck boards"? That might be where some of your problem comes from As far as body position etc., I really don't have any suggestions. If you feel comfortable while quilting, things can't be too bad. Let me know if you need any more info. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimerickson Posted November 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2016 I'm bringing this post so that Mary Beth can see the electronic channel locks I fabricated for Zelda my Ult 2. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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