Show me your tables! Im thinking of redoing my sewing table.. is it worth it?

[myjtp]

1 hour ago, brmax said:

Is this top sagging to degree that's just un-cool.  I have seen some that are or have been oil soaked and have weakened the particle board.  

This finally gives them a sag and may need attention. I have also had new ones from no usage but came from storage and banding on pallets that helped put a sag in them. With these I found a new metal frame constructed to brace these tops of standard factory option to be just the ticket.

Many of these machine heads really need more support and a good seal on the exposed wood surfaces that are near any oil. 

 

good day

Floyd

Now that I took a look BOTH are sagging! you are 100% correct! I could just buy two 2"x6"x8' boards https://www.homedepot.com/p/2-in-x-6-in-x-8-ft-2-and-Better-Kiln-Dried-Heat-Treated-Spruce-Pine-Fir-Lumber-161713/100037451 ( $6.04 each ) cut them in half and square up the edges glue them together making them 48" x 22" x 1.5" thick for $12.08 in wood ( buy some dark stain ) then route out the opening.  Would that work? 

[myjtp]

Actually I might just buy a sheet of 4'x8' x 3/4 plywood and cut it half then those in half and make two tables for $52.98 ( $26.49 ) per table top.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Columbia-Forest-Products-3-4-in-x-4-ft-x-8-ft-PureBond-Red-Oak-Plywood-165956/100046409

[Evo160K]

Menard"s is having a sale currently on their Butcher Block Top,  25" Wide x 48" Long x 1.5" Thick for $71.19 after mail in rebate.  https://www.menards.com/main/kitchen/countertops-laminate/all-countertops-laminate/butcher-block-top-25-wide-x-48-long-x-1-5-thick/4857016birchbblock25x48/p-1444430610144.htm

That's what I used on this patcher, it's the natural color with polyurethane..  They stock them at the store here in town.  I'll do it again if I have the need.

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Edited October 15, 2018 by Evo160K

[Trevor Baret]

I have started on four table tops.  The photos below show what I have so far.

I went to the local hardware store.  In Australia, this is Bunnings - In USA it would most likely be Home Hardware to get what you want.

The beautiful decorative timber table top is precut to size and was one of numerous colours.  3/4" thick and precut to 2' by 4' (Metric 600x1200x20)  (It also comes in other sizes)  This size is almost exactly the same size as most of my industrial machine tables.

I glued and screwed it to 3/4" marine ply for the sake of extra strength and rigidity for the first two.  The ply was also precut - about 1/2" longer and wider than the decorative timber.  Cut to size first, before attaching.

You can see that I have routed the ply on two of the four table tops - I will do the same with the others when they are glued and screwed. 

Next, I will lay the old table on some butcher paper to mark the size and shape of the hole for the machine.  Check that and cut and rout the new table tops - making sure I leave supports for the machines.

I will do some minor filling with putty, then sand, stain and coat with polyurethane. 

All of my machines are Singers (look at the signature file below), and I have great original Singer industrial legs including heavy duty bases for those with motors and a couple of sets of excellent industrial treadle bases in perfect working order.  I will select the bases for each machine, attach them to the table tops and mount my machines.  looking forward to documenting the entire process.

I hope this gives you some inspiration.

 

[DonInReno]

9 hours ago, myjtp said:

Would that work?

Even kiln dried framing lumber has much more moisture than it will have at equilibrium with the conditions in your house.  It will shrink, twist and warp a considerable amount.  If you stacked that same lumber under your bed or behind the couch for 6 months so it has a chance to dry out then cut and glued it up flat it would turn out just fine.

[Handstitched]

G'Day, 

I never really gave my sewing tables  that much thought , but heres mine .  The tables are the same ones that came with the machines . The only ' custom ' part of the table, is that daggy looking bit in the corner,  just above the drawers. ( I'm not a woodworker, as you can see    ) I did that because I do horse rug repairs,  some canvas , & shade sail repairs,   and the extra bit of space became helpful. I could do with more, so   I will later add a bit more to it with an extra  folding extension right at the end going the full width of both the machine table & bench , as space is a prime , so when I get a sizable  job, I can fold it out.  I will also make a flat piece to fill the gap  to the right.  

I just need to get a " roundtoit" ,...... never seen one in the shops though  

The drawers on the right , is where I keep my threads. 

HS 

[myjtp]

37 minutes ago, DonInReno said:

Even kiln dried framing lumber has much more moisture than it will have at equilibrium with the conditions in your house.  It will shrink, twist and warp a considerable amount.  If you stacked that same lumber under your bed or behind the couch for 6 months so it has a chance to dry out then cut and glued it up flat it would turn out just fine.

Ahh great point! So if I go buy 2x6 from the big orange store and cut them right away and glue them together your saying they will eventually twist and shrink and crack?  So would getting the 4x8 oak ply be a better bet then?

[brmax]

I tell ya, you can spend a lot of money on a table top. I think if your looking for a wood grain as an interest thats cool. 

But if your also looking for a custom sized or certain shaped table top. This I totally understand and can more easily promote. 

In this above Im not trying to use my wants, its your funds. Rather just here as many offering a bit of historical info 

I can easily say good quality plywood is above 60$ a sheet typicaly as I see the big box lumber stores. These are as you mentioned one style, a hardwod veneer type. The typical others are marine grade and the mdo used for various applications. 

With the above material they are all easily better or more stabil than regular sheetings just by their wood spec., design and glue up. 

We should recall truly why some gym floors, bowling alley lanes, butcher bloc tables and finally many furniture makers bench is understood with their build of this thin side by side glue up of woods. 

The stability has long ago been known. If in stretching the stabil limit quality it we can and have seen in typical flooring, widen these widths a little. 

It has been pretty well established that partical board is the stable go to for manufactures. As we all have some in cabinetry in our lives. I have found it is a very good product in many builds. 

So in building any I sugest a three layer thick plywood or even particle board. I think if wanted, and access to some wood working tools you could as planed fabricat a nice table top, no doubts from here.

There are several glues one can use in a layer up build. What Im working up to is if your really hell bent on a wood grain.

I think a base material of partical board with a glued/laminated top layer of whatever. Be it the veneered oak ply as you mentioned or another actual thin wood in not wider than 2-1/2” width.

Additionaly you can always use a masonite layer for fine tuning in between a layered thicknes for certain measures needed. With some good landau glueing outdoors, this for sure “wood” work

In any of your choices 1-1/2 is bare minimum thickness imo, Just sayin some factory tops here. Now modified, that have a 2 x 2 angle steel frame supporting a singer and few juki 15? series. I guess they get heavier  over time.

This bit above is only important on the imediate area of a machine table, and disregarded if implementing machine head into a big giant work table. As this would be better discussed on another path. 

 

Happy trails

Floyd

[DonInReno]

12 hours ago, myjtp said:

So if I go buy 2x6 from the big orange store and cut them right away and glue them together your saying they will eventually twist and shrink and crack?  So would getting the 4x8 oak ply be a better bet then?

I’m a big fan of Douglas fir and framing lumber can be an inexpensive way to build all sorts of furniture, but it can’t be used right off the shelf.

When framing lumber is kiln dried it’s moisture is in the 16% range.  “Sun dried” is between 16% and 19% and “green” lumber is 19% or more.  After Doug fir aclimates to your house it’s probably in the 9% to 12% range depending on how humid your particular house is.

To get lumber that’s at equilibrium with your house you can simply buy lumber and store it for a number of months until it stops shrinking and you can cut and glue it nice and flat and it will stay that way.  The easiest way I know to keep tabs on the wood is to simply measure once a week or month with a dial caliper on both ends and the middle.  You’ll see the ends dry out much faster than the middle.  If it dries out too fast the surface will develop checking (cracks) - if this is happening coating the ends with melted wax and maybe even loosely wrapping the boards in plastic. Eventually the boards will stop shrinking and they are ready to use.

Another source of dry framing lumber is in the classifieds or at a surplus building supply store.  Something that’s been around for at least a year is safe.  More and more people are interested in recycling and there are great deals on some very nice wood.

Edit:  this 6’x6’ table is built with framing scraps and a couple layers of 5/4” ply as a base for a tile top.  I selected straight grained scraps as they were available and coated them with a layer of varnish and simply set them inside the garage....about 9 months later they were stable and ready to be cut.

Edited October 16, 2018 by DonInReno

[myjtp]

1 hour ago, DonInReno said:

I’m a big fan of Douglas fir and framing lumber can be an inexpensive way to build all sorts of furniture, but it can’t be used right off the shelf.

When framing lumber is kiln dried it’s moisture is in the 16% range.  “Sun dried” is between 16% and 19% and “green” lumber is 19% or more.  After Doug fir aclimates to your house it’s probably in the 9% to 12% range depending on how humid your particular house is.

To get lumber that’s at equilibrium with your house you can simply buy lumber and store it for a number of months until it stops shrinking and you can cut and glue it nice and flat and it will stay that way.  The easiest way I know to keep tabs on the wood is to simply measure once a week or month with a dial caliper on both ends and the middle.  You’ll see the ends dry out much faster than the middle.  If it dries out too fast the surface will develop checking (cracks) - if this is happening coating the ends with melted wax and maybe even loosely wrapping the boards in plastic. Eventually the boards will stop shrinking and they are ready to use.

Another source of dry framing lumber is in the classifieds or at a surplus building supply store.  Something that’s been around for at least a year is safe.  More and more people are interested in recycling and there are great deals on some very nice wood.

Edit:  this 6’x6’ table is built with framing scraps and a couple layers of 5/4” ply as a base for a tile top.  I selected straight grained scraps as they were available and coated them with a layer of varnish and simply set them inside the garage....about 9 months later they were stable and ready to be cut.

damn nice work!