Cutting the sewing machine table.

[Piko]

Would any of you guys know if I’d be able to cut this table with a normal power saw? I was going to make a new one out of wood but realize cutting this will be way faster. When i drilled in it, particles came out indicating that this is most likely composite wood.

I am planning on cutting where the red line is and relocate the controller and the thread stand closer to the machine. 

After I cut it I am planning either to clamp it down on the right so that the heavy head won’t topple it or placing a Y shaped support under the cylinder arm to achieve the same. 

The reason for this is that, as it is, the damn thing is too big and lifting it up and down from my desk is killing my back also for the awkward shape and weight distribution. 

I just don’t want to start cutting in it and find out there is a metal armature in it or something.

Anyone knows?

thank you.

Edited Saturday at 05:53 PM by Piko

[nylonRigging]

Cut a few . Nicest, cleanest, best way is to Cut on a Table Saw with the saw using a finish blade. You will be surprised how perfect and smooth clean the cut will be, even on the outside rubber bumper wrap.
You can use hand circular saw, but you need to c-clamp a guide on table to run the blade guard against to keep circular saw moving in a straight square clean cut. You can clean-up any roughness with block sanding.
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edit add: . Is that head and drive set-up just setting on-top a table ?. your cylinder bed machine, looks cantilever hanging the weight out over one side of table top . I would take time to determine all angles of maintaining good stability before removing any of the base it all mounted to.

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Edited Saturday at 09:10 PM by Northmount
fixed a typo

[amuckart]

Keeping Northmount’s point about cantilevering and balance in mind, the way I would do this is:

- Take everything off the table and take the table top off the stand.

- Remove the rubber edging.

- Flip the table top so your marking etc. is on the underside and also so any tear out of the laminate is on the bottom.

- Mark the line you want using a pencil.

- Cut the end off the table using a track saw  if you have access to one, or a circular saw and straight edge guide if not. Leave about 1/16th” extra. “Diablo” blades are good for cleanly cutting through the laminate but make sure you use a new, sharp, blade with a decently fine tooth pitch and only just enough blade extension to get through the material (assuming you can adjust that on your saw). 

- Take the sawn-off end and use it to mark out the rounded corners on your cut edge and saw most of the waste off leaving about 1/16th” clearance to the marked line  

- Get a straight 1/2” router bit that is long enough to cut the full thickness of the table top and has a guide bearing at the tip.

- Clamp the off cut in place lined up with your marked out lines and use the router to trim the corners and cut lines straight and square. If you’ve never used a router before get someone else to do this. It’s not a great cut to be making for a total beginner.

- If the edging is fit into a slot, use a slot cutting bit in the router to machine the slot and reinstall the edging.

- Reassemble everything.

If you’re borrowing a saw to do this it’s polite to buy a blade, IMO. Cutting laminates blunts blades quite fast.

with that servo motor you can get rid of the speed reducer too and get some space back. Using that space for a needle position synchroniser would be a better quality of life improvement unless you have a particular need for _really_ slow stitch speeds. 

[dikman]

He only just fitted the reducer so I don't think it will be going anywhere anytime soon!  Other than that you're pretty well on the money. - fine blade, cut from the bottom etc. Cutting the slot for the plastic edging is a pain, if you don't get it centred it shows up! But to answer his question, no, there won't be any metal inserts in the wood, it should just be a thick piece of particle board.

Another option would be to find a piece of wood roughly the size you want and relocate everything to a new base. Because it's not set up as a normal table the wood doesn't have to support a lot of weight so your wood wouldn't have to be as thick. A nice piece of solid wood wouldn't need the plastic edging either.

[kgg]

18 hours ago, Piko said:

Would any of you guys know if I’d be able to cut this table with a normal power saw?

I have done it with a circular saw with a fine tooth blade, a table saw with a fine tooth blade and I have also used a jig saw. I apply 1 " sticky mashing tape to the table top surface and mark the cut line. The tape helps prevent chipping. I then mark and cut the ends the same as the original ends. If the edging has a center alignment / holding wedge as most do I tape the raw edge and mark it. Then using a circular saw I cut a slot deep and wide enough to allow the wedge part of the edging to fit in. I also cut the inside wedging of the edging so it will go around the bend. I do a test fit and either use contact cement or sometimes I use silicone to hold the edging in place. To help straightening and get the edging to around the new bends I will heat the edging with a heat gun. I also completely remove the original edging so when it is reinstalled the two ends meet about center of the back edge of the table top.

Sometimes I just forego the original edging and use 1 1/2" metal trim edging that has a small lip. The lip will cover up any chips that may have occurred during cutting the new edge. Just depends on the quality of the table top. The cheaper table tops made with a press board core and thin top skin seem to always want to chip.

I have to ask why are you lifting the machine and table top with the motor to your bench rather then using the table frame the machine can with? Are you tight on space???

kgg

 

Edited 20 hours ago by kgg

[Piko]

Thank you for the many answers. I do not have a circular blade saw...I just have a saw that looks like a serrated knife that moves back and forth operated buy an electriic motor: no idea what the tools are called. I do have a router and used it in the past but I was gonna leave the corbner sharp angle : not going for beauty here. 
Not removing the speed reducer, lol, it took me a while to put it on. Glad to hear the table does not have metal in it. 
from what you guys are saying it seems like a lot of work. I was just planning on hanging the table over the edge of my desk and chop it off with my saw. I might have to keep it like this until i come back from Italy though.

yes, the setup is bench top because i live in a one bedroom nd have way too many toys. This thing is so heavy but it is mainly it's size that makes it hard to move.

i guess the easiest way would indeed to get a smaller piece of wood and reinstall everything on it. It's more work i hoped for but if I ve done it once I can do it twice I guess.

thank you again for taking the time to help me out. I appreciate it.