Bernina 830 with Bernina Quilt Frame
 

Hi there,
I’m new to this forum and quilting. I’m looking at a used set up. I know some of you had this set up some time ago, but does anyone still use this combination? I’d appreciate any assistance and suggestions. Thank you.

Welcome from western NY and happy quilting :)

Did you get any responses to this question about a bernina 8 series with a bernina quilt frame? I'm late to the party but so frustrated I'm about to throw my 830 from the roof! I can't seem to get the threading correct and it was all working beautifully before getting everything situated with the frame. I've had way too many issues with this monster!

There is some confusion because Bernina re-used number series. Do you have the (old) 830 Record or the (new) computerized 830 Embroidery?? The modern computerized 820/830 did not go over well with the public. My 820 (same body but no embroidery) had to have the thread sensor replaced and has always been rather fussy with the thread.

The old 830s are generally felt to be very reliable machines.

My thoughts on putting a DSM on a frame, especially one that could do embroidery and has a lot of fancy stitches is Just don't do it. I would just find a simple straight stitch machine to put on that frame. Cuz that is the one and only stitch you will use while quilting on a frame to the best of my knowledge. There is a bit of work to take a machine on and off a frame so I would just get one that can stay there. Just my humble opinion. I had a DSM that only had a straight stitch and it worked from on the cheap, not wonderfully made frame for a bit, But once I bought a demo APQS Lucey, I will never go back. Machines designed for use on a frame just go so much better. And I also recommend that if you are new to long arm quilting, take a class, many shops will rent out time on their long arms and some people decide, they don't really like longarming after all and you will be learning a lot of things in the meantime. Just my thoughts. A good quality long arm is expensive. But well worth it if you intend to keep on quilting for a long time. I especially appreciate my now 11 year machine as I am getting older.

Welcome from Southern California. I think you're getting some good advice. I hope you're near a Bernina dealer and can get the help you need.

Welcome, Staylor! I have the same Bernina 830 and quilt frame. I've only used the machine on the frame for quilting a couple times, so not an expert here. My issue was trying to manually thread the needle instead of using the automatic threader. I was doing it wrong and she just wasn't having it. The other problem was not having the quilt frame perfectly level. I felt like I was pushing a wheelbarrow uphill on the first half of the frame, then once I reached the middle it wanted to race downhill to the other end. Both user error problems because I'm old and not a techie so there you go. If I remember correctly you'll get about nine inches of quilting space for each pass so plan your quilting design accordingly. For me the whole experience was just too steep a learning curve and frankly made me hesitant to try again. I wanted to play with just the five foot wide frame instead of the full ten feet but my husband wouldn't change the frame for me. Hope this helps, I know the Bernina 830 somehow gets a bad reputation but I can't see it. I think it was too much all at once, especially for people like me and the overwhelm just sunk the boat. My advice would be start small, pay attention to what works and take notes. Once you get the basics down it will go easier. Take things a step at a time and don't try to make a wedding quilt as soon as you get the machine out of the box. Who did that??? Ha! Ha!

on the little dsm (I ;think it had an 8.5 inch neck) I had on a bad frame, I was down to 4 inches by the time I got to the end of a full sized quilt so I just basically did meander and a fairly small scale one at that. also the little frame I had required leveling almost every pass....so I spent more time rolling and adjust than I did actual quilting. On my Lucey...she has a 26 inch neck and I often do not even advance the quilt the full amount each time I do as I find it a bit of a stretch to reach the furthest distance. I am only 5 foot 4. Umm...just like I recommend you get a set in cabinet for your DSM as it makes it so much easier to work on large projects, I would recommend getting a good table for your long arm. Mine has a 12 foot length and a leveler bar so no adjusting with each roll of the quilt, just have do the rolling, I don't have the auto advance that some tables have. I do have a manual horizontal channel lock which greatly helps when loading the quilt. As a good set-up is pricey, I do recommend taking lessons and renting out time first. to make sure you are going to like it.

While the old 830 (record) is a basic home machine, for those unfamiliar with the modern 820/830 -- it has a full 12" of throat space to the right of the needle. It has a nice, wide stable platform (even without the embroidery unit) and many nice features, including the fully auto threader and wonderful lighting that makes it very desirable to me with vision issues.

It is big and heavy, yes it is! But even without rails I feel I can do a pretty good job with a queen sized project -- if I was physically up to doing one anyway.

But the model didn't go over well, there do seem to be some lemons out there, I don't think mine is one. It was originally bought by a friend of mine, she kept it just a bit too long to decide that although she is a big Bernina fan, she didn't like this one. The dealer offered her less than half on trade in, and my friend said "well, I'll give you half!". She used it for 5 years and ultimately she also went to a different Bernina model and gave it to me with the warning that it was fussy with threads, but seemed to like Aurifil.

I worked "Bernie" hard in piecing and quilting and did pretty good for a year, minor annoyances. But then I kept getting a threading error. I'd click the picture, hold the thread and go for a bit until the error code came back on. Of course I did all the usual stuff, cleaning and rethreading and all that, until finally one day the sensor finally went and the machine shut down completely. Wish I could say that I got it fixed with the thread sensor but still had issues. I'll have to look for it, but there is a thread where I shared the "cap" that finally seemed to solve my problems, at least with that brand of thread. I needed just a bit more tension that I could get, so I threaded the spool through an empty bobbin, and then plopped it on top of the spool/holder and threaded as usual. For the first time in a year, I was able to sew consistently and without popping that error message every few seconds to minutes.

Lil'Chickadee mentioned the threading. Is a good point. It should thread easily and consistently. If not, there is an easy way to reset it. If I can't get it first try and have made sure I am both threaded and the needle is in correctly, I do that.

This is a fairly long but pretty good video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUxur-aptWA

Edit if I'm back in time: Here's the thread with Cranky Bernie and his hat.
https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f...s-t315035.html
Read the other responses, apparently I did not have the spool in the right position but all I know is the hat worked!

I had a Bernia 830 computerized as well. Wow! What a headache. I bought it new, had to take it back to be repaired 4 times in the first year. The dealer didn't know what to do anymore, so he sent it to Chicago...Not once but twice in 2 years. I would not touch that machine with a 10 foot pole. Dealer took it back on trade for a 770.

Thanks to everyone for your responses! First I have a Bernina 8 series 830 machine with the Bernina (made by Grace) 10-foot quilt frame. I as well have an 830 record but that would not work as DSM quilting machine. I have been able to mostly figure out my issue with threading my machine after watching many threading videos of the 8 series machines. They are VERY persnickety about threading. I think I was not keeping enough tension on the thread for the whole threading of the upper machine, and it was not going through the now hidden take up arm correctly. It is quite difficult to thread while sitting on the carriage for quilting with a frame bar going through it to boot!

I am now about half way through my quilt and have only had to rip out a couple of small areas that I messed up on. It has been going fairly well for my first ever quilting adventure, wait knock on wood! I totally agree with sewingpup, a DSM with all the fancy stitches isn’t perfect or even preferred for a long-arm machine. I have been interested in the quilting part (not so much the piecing part) of quilt making but really wanted a cheap entry into it and suddenly found myself looking at options for a new to me DSM. I found a really sweet deal on the whole set up; machine, embroidery module, and quilt frame.
I will certainly outgrow the notion of using the 830 as a long-arm type machine but it allows me the opportunity to see if I might enjoy it enough to actually consider a long arm. Thanks again for all the info!

Bernina warranties are great ( 20 years for parts ) , but they are only for the machine’s original purchaser.

That's also the case for virtually every sewing machine brand. Warranty is for original owner only. Anyone purchasing a used machine does not get the remainder of a manufacturer's warranty. Very different than the automobile industry.