Originally Posted by
Prissnboot
Hi. I purchased one of Ken Lund's quilt frames and had difficulty using it. I like doing loopy quilting designs, flowers, feathers, that kind of stuff, and I had a hard time using his design for this. It was just too stiff, it didn't want to turn. When I tried making a circle, it came out more like a square with rounded corners.
So I told my very talented and creative father about it, and we came up with the idea of mounting caster rollers instead.
The alterations were made to the top part of the trolley, the part that your sewing machine sits on. As it was originally designed, the bottom part of the trolley runs east/west along the frame, and the top part moves north/south on top of the other trolley. It's the north/south portion that was altered from the original design.
I've posted photos below, I hope between my description and the photos that this makes sense.
We removed the wheels from the top trolley, and replaced them with three caster rollers which rotate 360 degrees. The ball portion of the roller is a little bit bigger than a golf ball, but not quite as big as a baseball, and they are mounted on the underside of the trolley. We then had to put two guides along the side of the trolley to keep it from rolling off of the bottom trolley. The guides measure about 4" x 1.5" x almost 1" thick. Scrap lumber would work great for this purpose if you have any hanging around. Also, make sure to mount these guides about 1/4" above the bottom of the trolley so they don't scrape the bottom of it while it is in motion.
Another suggestion for this frame is to fill the conduit rods with expandable foam to make them more sturdy. I've used the frame with 5' rods and they work fine without this, but the 10' lengths tend to bend. Home Depot sells a product called Great Stuff. It's in a can with a guide, works like a spray can. I haven't used it yet, so I don't know how much it will take to fill all 4 rods at a 10' length, but if you do this, please share with us how it turns out. My Daddy said it would work, so I'm guessing it should! LOL.
Oh, one other thing - be sure to check the placement of the two rear casters before screwing them down - make sure the balls have clearance when rotating - be sure they swing clear from the little guides as they rotate.
See the photos below. I've included a photo with a measuring tape so you can gauge the placement. I've used this and it works like a champ!
Happy quilting to all, and to all a good night!