And the question is....frame or no frame?

I think 9" of space would be heaven after the 6" space I have, frame or no frame. But it seems like that's not a lot of space to make a frame really worthwhile. However, I know nothing! That's why I'd like your opinions. Is having the 9" on a frame a transformational event? You can see I all about transformation! Thanks in advance for your info!

I have the Juki on a table - no frame. I love it! I've heard that people who want it on a frame wind up buying two of them so they can have one for piecing. They are also great for tough sewing. I like making tote bags on it because it easily sews through thick layers. Mine is purely mechanical - extras are just the thread cutter and needle threader (which is a bear to use!).

But, not only is the throat wider, it's higher too. And the lever for the pressor foot is out of the way and does not catch on the quilt. I easily quilted a queen size quilt on it.

That's the pro's, the con is that its a very heavy machine and it needs to be oiled on a regular basis.

I have heard others say that if you want one on a frame, that you should buy the largest one you can afford and don't plan on taking it off the frame for table top sewing. I have heard others saying something about having to take time to adjust the tension whenever you do that. Does not sound worth it to me.

I have been using my Juki on an original HandiQuilter frame for years and have had great luck with it. I can quilt up to a queen sized on it if I use warm and natural batting since it is thin and rolls up tightly instead of taking up the the throat space. I can do a twin with poly bat just fine.

my juki is on a frame and never comes off except for deep cleaning. you really only get about 5/6" of actual space to quilt. Pennyvalley makes a machine with a 13" throat that would fit on my frame but the quarentee is only 6 mo???? seems weird but may be worth it to have more space.

One definite benefit to using a frame is not having to baste quilt layers together and, therefore, no basting to remove while it's being quilted. I had to dismantle my frame when my son lost his job and came back here to live, so I've set my 9" machine up on a table; the machine is surrounded by styrofoam which is covered with heavy vinyl + I've a slider in the needle/throatplate area. The table is butted on the back & both sides by walls/shelf unit, so the quilt stays on the table. I haven't used it enough to give it a rating; it seems to work o.k., but, as I said, I am back to having to sandwich & baste. On the plus side, I'm no longer confined to the narrow quilting space that the 9" on a frame provides.

its actually pennywinklefarms.com....can be used on a table also....check it out

I have a juki on a grace pinnacle frame and it does well. I have a separate machine for piecing because getting the juki on/off the frame is not hard but I do not want to do it all the time because it does take some time t get it lined up right.

Ditto! Same thoughts, exactly, on my Juki TL98Q.

I have a Pfaff 1200 on a frame. It's nicer for me than having to pin or baste and then wrestle the fabric around, but if I could afford it, I'd go for a larger throat/harp.

By the time you get to the end of a queen size quilt, you're working with just a few inches, because the roll takes up space in the throat. Great for meandering or stippling, not so much for designs other than narrow pantos. All the starting and stopping to complete a design make for a LOT of sitting and burying threads unless you do them as you go, which makes for a LOT of standing and burying threads. ;)

There is a mid-arm set up at our LQS that we do our Community quilts on. It works and does get the job done but it would be nice not to have to stop and roll after one pass down and one back. It's a Husqvarna machine and usually takes about 6 bobbins to finish a twin size quilt using an overall stipple or meander. More space and a larger bobbin would work much better for us.