Has Anyone Built Their Own Industrial Sewing Tables? --Can You Critique My Idea?

[thesergeant]

Hey guys, so the table from my 1940s Singer 111 is shot. A leg is broken, it's wobbly and the table top is warped beyond salvage.

I was about to just buy a new table top and k-legs but my wife saw a photo of the setup and insisted I make something since she thought the k-leg setup was an eyesore. I'm always up for a project so I figured I'd give it a shot. I took a 6 week welding class a couple months ago and recently picked up an oxyacetylene setup. I thought this might be a good project to practice those skills. This is what I'm thinking:

For the table top I think I'm going to go the easy route and just pick up a finished 1" thick all wood top from Ikea for $40. it's 2'x4' and is made of pine (not ideal, i know) so I might reinforce either the underside or the perimeter if I feel it might sag. From there I'm just going to remove the old top, trace and mark all the cutouts and just drill/cut/route everything out. I've made a few hinged sewing tables before so I'm not too worried about this part. After it's finished I'll stain and poly it. Here's the table top: http://www.ikea.com/...ducts/40136558/

For the legs I was debating between using threaded black pipe and fittings or just brazing the whole thing with 1" & 3/4" pipe. If I go with the pipe fittings I'd do an H-Leg design with a 3/4" bar across the bottom for the pedal and perhaps and extra support across the back. This is the style I'm going for, t-fittings, floor flanges and all:

OR I was thinking of brazing 1" copper pipe in a similar fashion. I think it would make for a cool industrial look and go well with the beat up machine and leather drive belt. Maybe use fitting too just to make alignment easier.

What do you guys think? Have any of you guys built your own? I'd be curious to here about your experiences And yes, I realize that I can buy a complete setup for $200 shipped to my door, but this is something unique and will be a fun project, assuming it's sturdy enough.

Suggestions & criticisms welcome, please!

Edited June 22, 2013 by thesergeant

[gottaknow]

I would laminate two of the tops together. A 111 head weighs about 75 lbs and you're going to be cutting a big hole in it. On a standard sewing table, the frame supports the right end of the table. Don't forget you'll be hanging a motor on it too. On the other hand, I've seen the $200 aftermarket table tops warp like crazy. Neat idea.

Regards, Eric

[Tree Reaper]

For another $25 you can get one ready to go if it fits your machine.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Industrial-Sewing-Machine-Table-Top-206RB-226R-LU-563-DNU-1541S-111W-155-3115-/300889790286?pt=BI_Textile_Equipment&hash=item460e6dd74e

What they call 1 inch is usually dressed out to 3/4, not very strong.

If I was making that I would go with laminated hardwood, starting with 2 inch lumber and planing it to 1 1/2 once laminated.

You would need the tools, saws,,jointer, router, clamps and then you have to get it planed.

The cast iron pipe and fittings would be much better than the copper , you would be able to adjust the legs for an uneven floor surface.

[Trox]

I know those ikea plates they are to thin. I used two and glued them together. Normally you should cross the wood when you glue plates like this together so they do not bend as they dry out. However, when you making a flatbed table you do not have that option (as if you where making a top for a cylinderbed half the size). Add a couple of wooden stiffeners and some screws underneath, then it will do the trick. If you are going to make the stand legs underneath the table, do not use copper pipes or round tubes. Use square or rectangle steel tubes or profiled steel. You can also use wood, but remember these machines are heavy and they do not sit still. Its going a big motor underneath and the round legs will not take up the sideways force of it. You do not need a industrial look, but an industrial quality. If you do not have the option of welding the steel, you can bolt it together with screws.

Good luck

Tor

[shtoink]

Just tossing out the idea for the table top...

http://picnicpark.org/keith/woodworking/workbench/

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/22183

Those links are good example of what comes to mind for the table portion of your iron-pipe-legged beast of a table. You can use a 2 part epoxy type glue and clamps to bond the 2x4's together and then attack the top with a belt sander (or whatever your favor) to flatten it all out. If you really want to go nuts, you can even cross drill through the boards and clamp them all together with fender washers, bolts, and threaded rods, but that might be just a bit of an overkill.

You don't plan on moving this thing around very often, do you? After it's all said and done, the table might weight quite a bit.

As an added bonus with those flanges for feet, you get the ability to level the table with them. Built in adjustability!

[Ferg]

Talk about overkill, you guys are dreaming up something that is totally unnecessary.

If you wish to make a top with laminate as a finished surface, obtain a piece or 4 x 8 foot sheet of particle board 1 1/8" thick. You can build an under carriage/leg set from 2 x 4's you can buy at Lowe's or HD if you like but the "H" set of legs available that are made for this purpose, I know your wife thinks they are ugly, has everything where it is supposed to be with no interference when you mount a motor, cut a belting hole, etc. You think that 11/8" particle board isn't heavy enough? I have three of them and I see absolutely no problem with any of them.

IMHO, Buy the "H" leg set and cover it with something that makes it look Industrial if you will.

BTW: If I put a table under one of my machines with that black pipe for legs my wife would make it disappear. LOL

ferg

[thesergeant]

Thanks so much for the feedback guys! Really appreciate it!

I think I'm going to go for the 1" solid pine Ikea table top since it's cheap ~$50 and I can put a stain on it. I'm going to fillet braze a steel frame out of 1" square tubing for the perimeter of the table top and then run a brace down the middle (directly to the left of the machine) to keep it from sagging. Figure the cost will be $50 for the table and $15 for the steel.

As for the legs, as much as my wife wants me to use black pipe the cost is unreasonable. I priced it out and it's almost $150 in fittings. Not worth it in my opinion. So I'm just going to use some 1" square tubing and weld it into an H frame with a round 3/4" tube for the foot pedal. I'm going to braze everything together with brass/copper and force a patina on the steel to bring out the welds. I'm hoping it will come out looking pretty cool. Figure the cost for the steel is another $40-50.

I'll post some photos. When it's complete.

Here's a shot of the last table I made for my Singer 201 prior to finishing.

[Ian1783]

I have no doubt your table, however it's made will turn out looking great! Do post pics when complete (or in the process - that'd be cool!).

FWIW, I like the industrial-style table that came with my Singer 153 W 103, a medium weight machine, so a medium weight table. It's almost spindly - quite delicate, I think, for an industrial table. I gave it a fresh coat of paint (black), and with its faux-wood laminate top, it looks good enough to have my wife think so. Graceful little curves at the feet where I attached fairly light-weight lockable wheels. The whole thing should weigh quite a bit less with a servo motor, rather than the monster that it came with.

[Trox]

Overkill? those ikea plates are 23 mm soft pine, Using two of them is no overkill. Its normal to use 50 mm in table tops, and better material than the crappy ikea stuff. I already regret using them. However, thats what I had when I did the top. I forgot to mention its a heavy Adler 105 going on the top of it.

[Trox]

Nothing is "solid" when it comes from Ikea. Those plates are called "hobby plates" here and made by 23 mm soft pine, used for book shelf and flower pots. The wood is taken from the outside layers of the log and curl up whit a three degree weather change . With a frame around its of course stronger. Ikea uses only the cheapest stuff and child labor, Its reasonable priced however. Maybe Ikea has managed to make a name for them self in the USA, here they fool nobody. I have installed a fair amount of Ikea kitchens in my time, I know what I talking about. ( cra........)

Before all tops where made of 2 inch American plywood, now they use the bad fiber plates (particle board); they do not hold up. I have a plate like that on my Adler 204 machine/ with a heavy Efka variostop underneath. The table moves ten inches sideways every time the motor kicks in. The particle board sucks up water and give bad support for screws, the vibration from the machine makes it all worse. They do not use water proof particle boards in those cheap sewing machine tops, they do not hold up for long.

I know it is a economy crisis, but come on. Its better to spend a couple of dollars more the first time than have to do it all over again when it breaks down. I know Erik will agree with me, he knows that is the most economical solution in the long run.

Tor

[gottaknow]

Nothing is "solid" when it comes from Ikea. Those plates are called "hobby plates" here and made by 23 mm soft pine, used for book shelf and flower pots. The wood is taken from the outside layers of the log and curl up whit a three degree weather change . With a frame around its of course stronger. Ikea uses only the cheapest stuff and child labor, Its reasonable priced however. Maybe Ikea has managed to make a name for them self in the USA, here they fool nobody. I have installed a fair amount of Ikea kitchens in my time, I know what I talking about. ( cra........)

Before all tops where made of 2 inch American plywood, now they use the bad fiber plates (particle board); they do not hold up. I have a plate like that on my Adler 204 machine/ with a heavy Efka variostop underneath. The table moves ten inches sideways every time the motor kicks in. The particle board sucks up water and give bad support for screws, the vibration from the machine makes it all worse. They do not use water proof particle boards in those cheap sewing machine tops, they do not hold up for long.

I know it is a economy crisis, but come on. Its better to spend a couple of dollars more the first time than have to do it all over again when it breaks down. I know Erik will agree with me, he knows that is the most economical solution in the long run.

Tor

When I do build a custom table, I have to build it to withstand factory use. I tend to build it for how heavy I think it needs to be, and then go a bit beyond. My concern even with the reinforcement is the area immediate to the machine cut-out. It's certainly ok to try different things, and in his situation the thinner top might be just fine.

Regards, Eric

[shtoink]

Talk about overkill

If it ain't overkill, it ain't worth doing.

Go big, or go home, right?

[Massive]

you have to be careful framing solid wood. It is not how the stuff works. That is why the typical forms float a panel in a frame, think door or kitchen cabinet. You can frame a ply or particul board top, but not solid wood. The reason is that it expands and contracts with seasonal moisture changes, and will tear your frame appart.

Something like this is ideal. http://www.grizzly.com/products/Solid-Maple-Workbench-Top-48-Wide-x-30-Deep-x-1-3-4-Thick/G9913

I get it is way more expensive than you want to spend, but from hanging out on wood boards I can tell you threads come up constantly with outrageously good prices for this kind of stuff. This is similar to butcher block used in kitches, which is another source of the deals.

[thesergeant]

Boy am I flip flopping on this project!

Alright, so I'm going to forget about the ikea table and trying to brace it. You guys have convinced me and I'm fairly certain I'll thank you for it.

Massive, thanks so much for the info on framing solid wood. Clearly I'm a noobie at wood working. Second, thank you for the link to that table top. That is EXACTLY what I was looking for -- hardwood, "workbench look" and 1 3/4" thick. I might actually go for the smaller table size (24"x36"x1.75") as well.

[Trox]

Erik is polite, Massive shows the good stuff right there.

Thesergeant, Its nice with a big table if you have room for it. You can glue and screw an other plate from the bottom to make your table stronger.

Tor

[J Hayes]

If you have a "Woodcrafters" store nearby they will have the same stuff as Grizzly, and even thicker, I think they typically have 1 1/2. I have also seen the "butcher block" stuff at home improvent centers. Occasionally You can find pieces of bowling alley lane on craigslist.

Good luck, creating is rewarding no mater what the material used.

Jeremy

Edited June 26, 2013 by J Hayes

[gottaknow]

Trox, don't go telling people I'm polite....

Regards, Eric

[thesergeant]

Jeremy, I wish you never would have directed me to "woodcrafters"!! THey have the table tops but unfortunately are too long -- BUT -- they have a lot of other interesting stuff there. I have a feeling my wallet is going to lighten up a bit--plus there's one 30 minutes away from me.

I did a little more searching and found a place a hour north of me that makes and sells these table tops in a variety of thickness and sizes. I'm going to go for a 24"x48"x1.375" hard rock maple for $88 (!!!). For another $50 I can get a dark walnut in the same size. HMMMMmmmmmm, is it worth it? Lol.

http://www.perfectplank.com/hardrockmaplefj.html

[ElConquistador]

Jeremy, I wish you never would have directed me to "woodcrafters"!! THey have the table tops but unfortunately are too long -- BUT -- they have a lot of other interesting stuff there. I have a feeling my wallet is going to lighten up a bit--plus there's one 30 minutes away from me.

I did a little more searching and found a place a hour north of me that makes and sells these table tops in a variety of thickness and sizes. I'm going to go for a 24"x48"x1.375" hard rock maple for $88 (!!!). For another $50 I can get a dark walnut in the same size. HMMMMmmmmmm, is it worth it? Lol.

http://www.perfectplank.com/hardrockmaplefj.html

[ElConquistador]

Hi, I have been making sewing machine tables and the most easy way to make them is out of 3/4" oak vener , from a regular 4'x8' oak vener I will cut it into 4 pieces , and then I will glue 2 tougether like a sandwitch wit a lots of glue between and holdig it together with 1 1/8" screws every 8" let to dried sanded stain and apply polyurethane and finish . Do your cut out as you need for your machine out of a 4'x8' you can get 2 table machinesfor $40 and solid like a rock .

[thesergeant]

Just wanted to thank everyone once more for their input. Thank you to all of those that steered me away from the IKEA 1" pine and encouraged me to go with a solid hardwood top, I'm really glad I listened to you all and went with it. I picked up my 25"x48"x1.5" maple top last week for $95 out of the door and got to work on it this weekend. Here are a few snap shots for those interested. I'm going to clean up the belt cutout today, route a soft rounded edge all the way around the top and polyurethane it this afternoon.

I'm still undecided about the legs but I might weld the old legs back together and use that for the time being. I'll post pics when finished.

Thanks again guys! Great community here.

Edited July 23, 2013 by thesergeant

[Samalan]

I have made hundreds of tables 1.1/8 thick lam top &btm with 1/16th lam you can use 3m spray 90 for glue , self edge wood T- mold this is very clean and strong just like Ferg said . IMHO.

[shtoink]

I'll post pics when finished.

I'm liking the way it all turned out. Really clean looking job with cutting out those tabs for supporting the machine while keeping it all flush with the table.

This may be a bit on the crazy side, but what about lining the interior surface of the cutout for the sewing machine with a wool felt to act as "dust seal", so to speak. It's help take up any bit of slack with the machines position in the hole and keep bits of stuff (fluff, thread, needles, and so on) from making their way into the groove between the table and the deck of the sewing machine. It would mean that you'd need to take care when dropping the machine in the hole so as to not knock the felt loose, but it does seem feasible and potentially a decent idea. It would give you the opportunity to felt the tabs for protection of the underside of the machine, too.

[Trox]

Just wanted to thank everyone once more for their input. Thank you to all of those that steered me away from the IKEA 1" pine and encouraged me to go with a solid hardwood top, I'm really glad I listened to you all and went with it. I picked up my 25"x48"x1.5" maple top last week for $95 out of the door and got to work on it this weekend. Here are a few snap shots for those interested. I'm going to clean up the belt cutout today, route a soft rounded edge all the way around the top and polyurethane it this afternoon.

I'm still undecided about the legs but I might weld the old legs back together and use that for the time being. I'll post pics when finished.

Thanks again guys! Great community here.

That more like it, very nice. Now you have an industrial quality table your machine deserves. Normally we use some rubber ears the machine bed rests on, to avoid vibrations and such. You can use some furniture knobs instead. A coat with green soap or paint will preserve and protect it.

Nice job

Tor

[thesergeant]

Thanks for the feedback guys I just finished taking the router to all the edges to put a smooth but subtle rounded edge on all the corners and cleaning up the belt cut out a little more. Going to give it a final sanding before I apply a couple coats of poly to it.

Schtoink-- I like your idea about lining the inside with felt to act as a "dust catcher". Very clever. I'll give it a shot with some grey felt and some spray adhesive and see how it works out.

Trox, Schtoink -- The original table had leather pads that the machine rested upon. I thought about reusing them but they were pretty thick (>1/4") and thought it was overkill. I'm going to use either some felt of some 1/8" closed cell foam on each of the tabs. I almost forgot about the hinges so I'm going to route those out real quick as well.

I took photos of everything at each step so that a first timer could follow along if they wanted to try it for themselves. I'll post a link to that album when I'm completely finished with the project.