Sewing Machine Makeover

 As covered in an earlier post, it was important that my Mom’s sewing machines stay in the family. One reason is sentimental, the other is that DW was a prolific sewing enthusiast in her younger days. Work and other adult stuff led to that activity hibernating, but with her planning to take that up again when she had more time. So the machines sat in our spare room for a couple of years.

With the pandemic and retirement, her interest in sewing  resurfaced. Also, while the spare room saw no use this year due to lack of out of town visitors, now it was being used more often after becoming the holding library for DW’s children’s book collection. With that, there was less room for the machines. The only wall left was the one from where the photo was taken.

The easiest solution would be to saw off the overhang where the side drawer mounts. Would provide another foot which would allow for the machines to be side by side and for the closet door to open fully.

Machines to be where cat and daybed are

While that would be easy to do with a track saw in situ, it would generate a lot of dust and an ugly end result. That meant dismounting the machines then removing the tops. The part I was least looking forward to was the first.

Underside of the Fomax

The main challenge of the Fomax disassembly was the position and weight of the motor. The overlock machine in one aspect was easier as the machine and motor were not attached to the top but to a supporting platform that hung from the top with bolts. Below shows the scaffolding for that platform was done to allow for removal of the top. It also shows quite a bit of sagging- one of the many reasons I despise particle board.

The machines are built like tanks given that they were meant for professional use. The tabletops though, were made of particle board and formica veneer and left much to be desired. Again, easy solution to the placement problem is to chop off the side where the drawer goes in the shop, remove the edge veneer on the othe sides, replace with new edging and reinstall- but that would not solve having to live with particle board and formica. So between DW’s renewed interest in sewing and my non-work activity options limited thanks to the pandemic, it was a good time for making new tops.

The cutouts for the machines were straight forward given that I was making the replacements from planks as opposed to plywood panels.

The old tops served as templates for drilling mounting holes for the machine and for the tops.

One source of concern had been the difference in table thickness as the hardwood was 1/4th inch thicker than the original top which might have made a difference in the motor belt tension. Thankfully the motor provided a mechanism to compensate for that. Another little wrinkle that was easier to solve with the machines partially disassembled was providing leather pads for the metal feet. The last problem was addressing both the sag and the appearance of the overlock machine platform- Replacing it with a plywood one would have been more work than it was worth. The rabetted hardwood piece in front both hides the end "grain" and with glue and screws corrected the sag.

Here are the machines with the new tops. The change from 48 to 41 inches long for the tops allows them to be along a shorter wall. 

The room looks much more lived in now. Have to think Mom would be pleased with the new tops.