Okay!! Okay!! This is a great topic for discussion. I love to buy at the thrift stores, and I currently have from Goodwill Stores in Denver, Colorado an antique Singer industrial (large head) sewing machine with the metal oval plate which says February 20, 1899 on it. I paid 1/2 price on a Saturday morning, paying only $120 for it. It quilts beautifully with the super power of an industrial strength sewing machine. The local industrial sewing machine shop (Ralph's Industrial Sewing Machines, 2030 Clay Street, Denver, Colorado) showed me how to change the throat plate, remove the feed dogs under the throat plate, and change the presser foot to the free-motion presser foot so that I can use this machine like the "GEORGE" long arm quilting machine. The sewing machine sits in a butcher block table surface, with cast iron frame. It is heavy. It's so perfect.... for only $120 from Goodwill Stores. I shopped Craigslist for several months before finding my industrial machine, and it has so much power! Go find yourself an industrial sewing machine. I just love mine.