kgg

As trash treasure has said cutting a table down is not that hard a job with some basic tools. I table mounted / inlaying a Barracuda using an old Singer treadle base, making a 1 1/2 " table top and making an arrangement to utilize the the treadle foot peddle to activate the foot peddle of the Barracuda motor. If you can modify a standard sewing table then I would forget the portable sewing machine and go with a real walking foot industrial machine either new or used. If you are buying new and only need a walking foot I would recommend something similar to the Juki 1181N. If you go with an Chinese clone there are too many options to recommend one or another. Comparing brand name machines with clones on the Rock is probably going to be near impossible. Some clones are good others not so much. Buy Once, Cry Once. kgg

Haven't see a pair of scissors like that for a long while. I would suggest finding someone with a machine similar to the Twice as Sharp machine that can do multi angles. The steel is going to be hard but when properly sharpened the edge will last a long while. Do not, I repeat, Do Not let anyone use a bench grinder on them. They will ruin them and probably take the temper out of the steel. I had a set of nice $450 scissor for dog grooming which I let some ass try to re-sharpen that I wasn't aware of their sharpening method. Ruined. After that I got my own Twice as Sharp as well a nice 16 inch plate sharpener for clipper blades. Ask a tailor or better ask a high end hair dresser where to send them. It is not uncommon for hair dresser scissors to cost $2-3000 a pair. kgg

The Sailrite Leather/Delicate Foot looks a lot more refined and probably work fine. I look forward to seeing your mods on the feet. kgg

These machines are not the quality you would expect from a Juki so the presser foot can be a bit aggressive with rough/sharp machining. This can lead to hooking, marring or leaving impressions with some materials. So you may have to also play with the amount of tension on the presser foot as well as sand, fill in between teeth or tape over the bottom of the presser foot. The trick is to going to be finding that sweet spot of getting the right amount of downward pressure without damage to the materials surface yet enough to move multi layers of material along. The foot pedal and motor on all the portable sewing machines that I have used act like what you would expect from a domestic sewing machine not that of a servo motor driven machine. The tiny foot speed control pedal is going be a lot more sensitive too downward foot pressure and can be less forgiving. You may have to make a little angled platform to sit the pedal on so you get a more comfortable operating foot position to prevent foot twitch. If you decide on a portable sewing machine keep it well oiled. kgg

Some good options have been suggested by others. From a manual prospective I think you are down to the Cowboy Outlaw, Tippmann Boss , a older Singer 29k with the side crank or a Chinese patcher. kgg

As a note I do have experience with the reliable barracuda and the Sailrite. I found the Barracuda to be a nice capable little machine and if you put the Barracuda alongside the Sailrite with your eyes closed I think would be hard pressed to tell the difference. kgg

If you wish to purchase a portable sewing machine in Canada I think you have three basic options: 1. Reliable Barracuda ( https://reliablecorporation.ca/products/barracuda-200zw-portable-walking-foot-zig-zag-sewing-machine ) at ~ $650 CAD 2. Techsew 611 ( https://www.techsew.com/machinery/industrial-sewing-machines/portable-walking-foot/techsew-611-pro-portable-walking-foot-straight-stitch-zigzag-sewing-machine.html ) at ~$720 CAD 3. Omega WF22ZMW ( https://walking-foot.com/product/omega-wf22zzmw/ ) at ~$475 CAD All appear to be of the same design and features just different names on them. The questions I would check are warranty, if the holes in the bed are tapped for allowing accessories like swing-away binders /folders to be attached and what the max thread can be used. You may find that on any of these machines you are going to probably have too smooth out the presser foot so it doesn't mar your leather. kgg

I use mostly in 1 lb spools Coats Dabond bonded polyester in V69 if I want seams to stand up to heavy bleaching. I also use 1lb spools of American & Efird Anefil bonded nylon in V92 and V138 for extra seam strength for something not going to be greatly exposed to heavy bleaching. I also use some cheap Chinese V69 stuff in 8 oz spools which has much more problems related to spring back particularly in black. kgg

Nicely done. Simple and reusable that gives nice consistent results. It is pretty amazing how 3d printing is changing things. I would expect in the next 5 years as the metal 3d printers become more reasonable in price 3d printing will really move forward. Problem, design solution, and print it. kgg

I would give Chris at Japan Sewing Machine & Supply Co (905) 764-0100. Their website, ( http://www.japansewing.com/ ) is not that good but their service as well as prices for Juki and their own clones are very good. Drop him an email or phone call. I dealt with him for my Juki and found him to be a straight shooter, no BS. kgg

I would go with a brand name like Juki if you are looking to purchase new. For that price you should probably be able to get a Juki 1541S out of Ontario. kgg

Like nylonrigging suggested get a small spool and see how it works for your stuff. For my stuff so far I find bonded polyester better then bonded nylon. kgg

You have a great budget for a machine. I think you need to decide on what thread size you are going to use and how thick the item you are going to sew 90 percent of the time. For the other 10 percent buy a good used machine. No one machine is going to be able to do everything well. You need to find the sweet spot, to light a duty machine and it will struggle or worse not be able to do the job while too much machine will have to be dumbed down and still may not do a nice job. Both situations can be frustrating to say the least. I would advise you take a sample of your stuff that you are planning on doing to a dealer and see what does a nice job. It sounds like your local dealer has both a brand name machine (Juki) and clone machines so you could do a honest side by side comparison. Buy the best you can afford. Buy Once, Cry Once. kgg

Nice simple functional design. kgg

In my case I ask for a quote for the same model Juki, some needles, spare bobbin holder, extra bobbins, couple of spools of thread, binder with swing arm from a fairly local dealer in Ottawa (about an hours drive) and a dealer in Toronto about 4 hours away. The difference was approximately $1000 dollars in the difference. Both dealers are in major centres in the same province so their overhead / paperwork / taxes etc. should be about the same. Why the difference, the dealer in Toronto didn't sell at a loss so it pays to shop around. kgg

I like to buy local when possible as it is great to support local businesses but the prices have to be fairly competitive. The magic number for me is $200 CAD on expensive items else I look elsewhere. The method of costing some items locally of $1 for the item plus a $1 for profit plus a $1 for "dealing with the customer" just doesn't cut it anymore. kgg

I don't have experience with any post bed machine but looking at the specs for both machines the Cobra can handle V92 thread while the Techsew can only handle V69. I guess it is going to come down to what maximum size of thread you are planning are using now or in the future. This may mean that neither of those two machines are going to be suitable for your needs. I feel that the heavier a thread a machine is rated to use, the more robust the construction. kgg

Condensation may become a problem depending on how well the structure is insulated and the temperature / humidity swings inside the shop. The ideal situation would be to keep the shop well above zero probably around the 55 + F mark but this may not be an expense that is feasible if you are only occasionally using the shop area. Large temperature as well as humidity swings can play havoc on fluids, all sorts of materials and equipment. I think a converted attached garage or basement area maybe a better option with proper ventilation to get rid of any chemical odours. kgg

For me when I am looking to purchase something handmade I want quality workmanship using quality materials. For me handmade is something made by hand. But you got to be willing to pay for it. I equate back to my grandfather (master tailor) days the difference. He would call some of the other tailors in the family, factory tailors. Yes they could do some nice work but were lacking on some skills. They relied predominately on patterns and machines to provide items that would fit a range of individuals. A master could do that but also had the knowledge and ability to create an article to fit a individual perfectly from scratch with nothing more then scissors, tape, caulk and thread. The difference in workmanship is amazing just compare your off the rack $100 suit with a $5000 suit. kgg

Have you tried contacting someone who repairs industrial machines maybe a good used brand name such as Juki, Singer, Pfaff, Alder like Mark Rofini of Industrial sewing machine at industrialsewmachine.com kgg

For the serious pullers, like Akita's / Alaskan Malamute's / Mastiff's / Black Russian Terrier etc. is a good quality prong collar like mdv99 suggested. When a quality prong collar is properly sized, put on properly and most importantly used correctly it is like having power steering on your car. You could almost walk them with the prong collar and a shoe string for a lead. You can get cheap prong collars do not use them. A quality prong collar has the prong ends rounded nicely so there are no sharp bits that could stick or stab the neck of the dog. A way to test is rub the end of the prongs over your arm if it scratches your flesh then it is of poor quality. A lot of pet shops do carry them but you have to ask for them as most stores don't openly display them. What I have done for difficult dogs is put their regular collar on and the prong collar. Hook the lead to the prong collar for a time then transfer the lead to the regular collar and see what happens. Loss of control then hook backup to the prong collar eventually just putting the prong collar on the dog will cause the dog to behave properly. When I have had to use a prong collar to correct the pullers it is only for short ten minute bursts in an enclosed safe area, lots of special treats and then followed by twenty minutes of enjoyable time. kgg

I look forward to seeing the pattern cutting stuff. Working on a 3d print for a adjustable (0-50mm) swing-away edge guide and a adjustable (20 - 50mm) bias folder. kgg

We are using the new MK3S which comes with the new and 'improved' rough texture PEI flex steel removable bed. The only way to get consistency with first layer sticking is to use Elmers blue glue stick. Only alternative is to take rought steel wool and roughen it up. Which we do not want to do. Glue works perfect for PLA, but PETG is too sticky for just glue - thus tape layer. Its old school but it works. At some point will replace with the older 'smooth' version (as soon as the new firmware is bug fixed for having multiple bed plates - right now 3.8.0 is buggy - as that way we can dial in z-height for both beds... or use one for PETG which needs a slightly higher nozzle vs PLA). It is on the list of upgrades. For temperatures we used a modified version of 'Pretty PLA' and 'Pretty PETG' that has been dialed in for our specific machine. Usually 160 noz + 60c bed for 49 point bed levelling (the PID can get wonky with fully heated nozzle) and then increases to 215/70C for PLA, or 240/80 for PETG. Of course fan is off for first few layers 3 to 7 depending on material to keep curling to a min, and extrusion width is set to either .95 or .92 depending on material (once again dialed in for our machine so may be different for others). For the hassle factor of PETG we will at some point go to carbon fibre or nylon or more exotic 3M materials (such as the 316L they recently released)... and build a tent for a heated enclosure. That of course also means going from a E3D NozzleX .4mm to a .6 NozzleX or .8mm so as to reduce clogs with the larger fibres. Never going back to brass nozzles as the Nozzle X never clogs (even leaving PETG in the head for a day or three and then using PLA it just flows out first time, every time). We have set the orientation so that the gcode tells the printer to print lines mostly via X or Y travel rather then X plus Y travel - it's faster and more precise that way. kgg

I would investigate dealers within a two hour driving distance and then expand the radius to four max. Seattle should be fairly close and have industrial sewing machine dealers. kgg

Have you considered making a road trip to a couple dealers that way you could take some of your stuff along and see what machine would work best for you. Purchasing at a dealer fairly close to home maybe something to consider from a support/repair point. kgg