Talk about an addiction!
I've got the bug to sew and build another shelter and stove. Don't know where that comes from, but it's there again. I hope that I get over it someday, as it does cost money. I have the time otherwise, and the utilities to do it and I enjoy it a lot.
I plan to sew up another tarp style shelter, this time from 1.3 oz. silpoly . It looks to be a little easier to work with than silnylon, with some added benifits. Ripstop By The Roll seems to be the best go-to place these days for a lot of the fabrics that DIY'ers need, and their prices are in-line. I'm looking at a shelter that will have room for two, weigh around 2+ pounds, have a sewn in floor in the sleeping area, tall enough for me to stand by the door and will take a stove. Speaking of the stove, I plan to build one similar to the Ti Goat WiFi stove. They looked pretty flimsy and scary at first, but if I keep my eye on it I think that I can trust it. The stove and pipe will be about 3 pounds. Once I get a couple more projects through the shop, I will be able to get going on this. I'm getting anxious though!

Go man go!

I am intrigued and would love to watch your process. Keep us posted - pictures along the way would be fun.

quote Grandma L: "I am intrigued and would love to watch your process. Keep us posted - pictures along the way would be fun. "

I'll see what I can do. Since this is a winter project, it may be difficult to show much on something so large. I'll at least give an explanation of how I came up with the design and dimensions, and post photo's when it's done.
BTW, based on your positive feed on your Viking Model 6440, and after watching some You Tube vid's, I decided to get one. I searched one out on Ebay and found one in good working order that was $50+ shipping. The downside is that it was the bare machine. It needed a foot control which I also purchased and I also bought a table extension. The total w/shipping came to about $150. I hope it works. Besides the manual, what else would you suggest that I get for this particular model?
Thanks!

quote PortageKeeper: "

quote Grandma L: "I am intrigued and would love to watch your process. Keep us posted - pictures along the way would be fun. "

I'll see what I can do. Since this is a winter project, it may be difficult to show much on something so large. I'll at least give an explanation of how I came up with the design and dimensions, and post photo's when it's done.
BTW, based on your positive feed on your Viking Model 6440, and after watching some You Tube vid's, I decided to get one. I searched one out on Ebay and found one in good working order that was $50+ shipping. The downside is that it was the bare machine. It needed a foot control which I also purchased and I also bought a table extension. The total w/shipping came to about $150. I hope it works. Besides the manual, what else would you suggest that I get for this particular model?
Thanks! "

You will need at least an "A" cam that goes in the top of the back but that is all. I use a walking foot on mine as you suggested. Read the book - it should have a gear down feature - you pull out the disc that is outside the bobbin winder and it goes into "low gear" until you push it back in. I am eager to hear if it works for you. I have two and love them. My first on is now almost 40 years old. Send me and e-mail if I can help at all. Oh, I also learned how to use the heavy nylon or poly threads that are designed for heavy fabrics. My machine repair guy put me on to this. You need to use a larger needle so the thread freely flows and tighten the top tension from the normal "red dot" to about 7 or 8 and it does really well.
Keep up posted!

Thanks, I will get an "A" cam ordered up. By the photo's, it only comes with the "B" cam. I don't need all those stitching variations so I won't buy all the cams. The 'gear down' feature will certainly be handy for heavy projects. If this works as well as it should, I'll likely sell my industrial model as it takes up a lot of space in my utility room.
I ordered a cd manual and extension table for the machine but will likely build a specific sewing table for this machine.