How to Lift a Sewing Machine Safely

[friquant]

How do you swap machine heads in and out of a table without hurting yourself?

I have a Singer 31-15 that came with a table, which we painted orange. I also have a Singer 144W103. Eventually I discovered that the 144 fits into the same table slot, it just rides lower in the water. So I removed the sheet metal drip pan  / knee protector and started using the 144 in the orange table. Now I want to switch back to the 31-15 for a different project. But lifting that damn machine...

 

 

[kgg]

27 minutes ago, friquant said:

How do you swap machine heads in and out of a table without hurting yourself?

Carefully and with two people. The strongest one on the heavy end. I would suggest making another table and avoid swapping them back and forth???  

kgg

[bruce johnson]

If you have room then yes another table. Besides making your own, you can check around. The cutouts for a lot of these tables are standard. I have been in a couple industrial sewing machine shops with tables in a give-away section. The heads in some industrial settings give out before the tables. FaceBook marketplace sometimes has a "machine doesn't work - $50" listing with a good motor and table under the boat anchor. 

[AlZilla]

4 hours ago, friquant said:

How do you swap machine heads in and out of a table without hurting yourself?

I have a Singer 31-15 that came with a table, which we painted orange. I also have a Singer 144W103. Eventually I discovered that the 144 fits into the same table slot, it just rides lower in the water. So I removed the sheet metal drip pan  / knee protector and started using the 144 in the orange table. Now I want to switch back to the 31-15 for a different project. But lifting that damn machine...

 

 

Put your arm through it and carry it like a purse.

 

[BlackDragon]

I see that you're using the same motor for the two machines. If you don't want to add another motor you can put another table so they are back to back and can share the same motor. You'll just have to switch the belt which you'll have to do anyway if you're switching out the heads.