Industrial Sewing Machine for Quilting?
 

I am very happy with my domestic, but would love to have more room under the arm. I had a machine with 9 inches and that helped, but I don't want to spend $500+ for 2.5 more inches. I'm wondering about Industrial machine for quilting. I am not familiar with commercial sewing machines or anything like that, so I need all the advice you have! The good, bad and the ugly!

I know they are noisy, but I can live with that. I know they are super fast, and that part intimidates me..
Is there any reason they shouldn't be used on quilts? Do I need special needles and bobbins? Is there anything that I don't know about that I need to know or look for?

Thanks in advance!

Industrial machines are fabulous pieces of equipment. The speed , or stitches per minute can not be beat. But there are down sides and all industrial machines are not alike. Most industrial machines , it is not as easy to lower the feed dogs. They only straight stitch( most industrial) . Some require needles/bobbins not available at local sources. Many of the specialty feet do not interchange from domestic to industrial. They are very heavy , so removing it from the table for service can be an issue.
They are not cheap ! Many of the industrial machines that come available on Craigs list or other sources can be very difficult to find parts compatable to that machine. Always check if the table is included, so many are sold with just the machine head. Some are listed without the motor.
Check to see if you have a repair person who will take an industrial machine of the make you are considering.
The upside , is most will sew threw anything and the speed is unmatched. They are not complicated machines and maintainence is lower than the new computerized machines. Keep them oiled and clean and they run almost forever.

Fast can be GOOD! I have a Singer 95-80, which is dated from the 1930s. I've had it since 1986 and it has been in for repairs exactly once. The savings on annual tune-ups has paid for the machine five times over.

I liked it so much that I bought an earlier "clone" of it, a 95-30. Kind of nice to have two of a kind, because when the timing on my second machine was off, I partially disassembled the first to get a good look at how it was supposed to be, and was able to fix it. The manuals are available online through the Smithsonian archives.

Lori is right, that you want the machine WITH the table, and the motor is generally attached to the table so those come as a unit.

You will LOVE the flat smooth sewing surface of the table. And also the knee-lift lever, which leaves both hands free to manipulate the fabric.

BTW my machine only does straight stitch and only goes forward, but that's the majority of the sewing you do on a quilt anyway.

I have looked at several new ones online, but I found an old used one. It does come on the table and doesn't look like it has reverse from what I can tell from the pictures.

Thank you for asking this questions AshleyR, I was wondering about them also!

Well, I had a bid on one and was outbid. http://www.shopgoodwill.com/viewItem.asp?ItemID=9823800

I got lucky and found an older pfaff at an estate sale, and it's not as big as an industrial, it does come with a few more inches, so I'm not too unhappy I was outbid!! My poor husband.... our bedroom is becoming a quilting sweatshop already, that would be the icing on the cake!! We're very happy with the pfaff, I think. I think I would still like to see and test drive an industrial one day!! For the money, it makes more sense to me to get one of those than a "quilting" machine

Bailey Home Quilters are next thing to an industrial sewing machine.
They have a large throat (choice of 3 sizes) - no feed dogs and since there is NO NEED
for a Reverse on a quilting machine, that is not an option. Plain and simple.
Bailey machines are often paired with Grace quilting frames designed for machine quilting.,
It is not designed for sit down and push through quilting.
An Industrial machine might fill the bill for you, if you want to have the struggle of
pushing the quilt through the arm of the machine. Personally, as I have gotten older I am so glad
I bought the Bailey....it is so easy to load the frame and quilt the quilt.
Get more information before you decide. Personally;, I would not want any of my quilts
NEAR that machine you showed on the link. It might be a good machine for some things,
but for me, NOT for quilting.

June in Cincinnati

LOL, I'm sure I can clean it up! :)

I know I don't want a machine with a frame. I don't quite understand what you mean about "if you want to have the struggle"... That's why I want a machine with a larger throat than 6.5 inches.....

I was thinking new industrial for around $500 vs. new quilting machine for $1500 for the same features.

I actually did end up getting a Chandler 8700 for $425 off ebay. It was brand new and works like a clock! I love it. I have to cover the feed dogs, I might be able to drop them, but I haven't looked that far into it LOL! My 15-year old son even uses it because it's not a frilly, girly machine! I have done some practice FMQ on it, and I'm still trying to perfect the dance of speed, tension and moving! But it's exactly like a Juki 8700, and I can use the same feet that I use for my domestic machine, and the same kind of needles and bobbins that the 9 inch (Juki 98, Brother 1500, etc) take. I'm really excited about it, and I'm waiting to finish an applique quilt on my Pfaff so I can really quilt a big ole' quilt on it!