Quote Originally Posted by J. Robinson View Post
OK! So you have an industrial machine with a "walking foot". That's what I wondered. Many years ago my wife (an accomplished seamstress and theater costumer) stitched the interior for my C-cab delivery. By the time she was done, her 2-year-old Singer was shot. That interior cost me a new sewing machine, but it was still cheaper than paying an upholsterer. That was in 1979.

Now, 42+ years later she has 3 high-tech sewing machines, a serger, and an embroidery machine, but she won't touch my upholstery with any of those machines...
Yep, sewing the thick material is tough on a regular machine, and the "foot" can chew up the surface if you're not really careful. One thing about slowing the machine down with reduction pulleys is it boosts the torque, and they can push through several layers even at a crawl. Gotta admire those guys who lay down a straight line next to a seam, where any deviation is obvious.