Originally Posted by PJisChaos
This is an Industrial Singer attached to a rail that moves in all directions, freely, and there are 3 poles to roll the quilt onto. All 3 poles have a flap of very thick material attached. That is how the quilt attaches, right? The head rides a rail and goes forward and back and side to side. You stand behind the head to do the quilting. There are handles on each side of the base the head sits on.
It was purchased new by the owner approx 20 years ago from a place in Iowa. I just don't know if the "new" is the whole system or jsut the frame system. This frame is 12' long, metal and wood with an area for the design papers to lay under some plexiglass for you to follow when quilting. I think the head had 96-?? stamped onto the area above the Singer seal but can't remember the exact model now. The serial# starts with AF 884???, I don't remember the last 3 though.
Ok, now I understand what you are talking about! The machine you are describing is definitely a long arm! A true industrial machine just sits on a large table with you sitting at the table sewing. Now, I also understand why she paid $2500 some 20 years ago and now wants $3000. Has she done a lot of improvements to the table and machine over the years? She probably paid that for the machine if it was a true 'industrial' type machine that she took, put on a long arm quilting table, and adapted it to become a long arm quilting machine. I'd have to see the machine and set up to determine whether I thought it was worth $3000, but you know if you have looked at long arms that the cheapest you can get one is about $2000 (new) - and, this is for an 8' foot wood frame and a machine with a 9" harp space. Pretty small for quilting, but doable if you only do small quilts.
Nancy