DIY sewing machine table

Hanne,

That's exactly what I want too.

Am I correct in thinking that someone bought a table and altered it to suit their needs or is it an IKEA product made like that?

Di In very very wet Victoria, Aust but not as bad a NSW.

Di,

Sadly, there is no IKEA piece that is just made for us!

They didn't use IKEA table (but I will, because then height/width will be perfect for my other use + it is cheap).

In fact this guy did a table that you can unscrew the legs, to put it away. The other end clips onto the cutting table on the left. So, really, he wanted something that can be put away, that is not a priority for me - in fact, I long to be able to leave my sewing out!

But I think any table that comes with a frame for the top to rest one would be easy to alter. Lots of small tables only have the corner legs, in which care you'd need to add a support that runs along the length of the table at the front (the guy did that in the pics).

Hanne in DK

Den 04-03-2012 01:02, Di Maloney skrev:

Thanks for your reply Hanne, I will print off the pictures and have a look at IKEA to find one that might be suitable.

Di

Hanne, I made a table like that using an inexpensive 6 ft. banquet table that I bought at an office supply store. I used L-brackets to hold the shelf for the sm. The only caution I'd advise is consider the metal framing under the table when you position the cut-out. Think a bit about what you want to keep to the right side of the sm- pin cushion, scissors, etc. and allow enough room. Be sure your legs/ knees will fit under the lowered sm- if the table is fairly low it could be a problem??? And then think how far back you want the cut- out. I like having a fair amount of space in front of the machine to rest my arms. Some quilters may like the sm closer to the edge of the table. My current table is made using 2 bathroom-type cabinets (not as tall as kitchen cabinets) with a 3X5.5 ft. Formica top. I LOVE it!

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

For anyone like me who needs some help with Swedish I found that Google translate does a pretty good job!

Also, a while back I saved a page with good instructions for a sewing machine table. Fortunately the archived page is still there at:

Allison

I'm glad that is still around. He used to be a "regular" here, I miss his perspective and sense of humor.

Mary

I believe the names are kept the same all over - I'm going to be using a melltorp table. The top doesn't quite rest on the bar at the front, but it comes with spacer, so I think it should work.

Hanne in DK

Den 04-03-2012 02:25, Di Maloney skrev:

Leslie,

Very cool table - I have been thinking of something like that, particularly since you can get cut-offs of worktop cheap and long!

My machine is a pfaff and its built-in extension table is curved, not flat on top. This means that without the loose piece coming in from the front, I'd need to have one that fits on three sides (something that just looks more complicated to me).

The beauty of the IKEA table is that I can cut and build for the SM before I attach the metal bar in front :-)

Thanks for the pointers about placement of the SM.

Hanne in DK

Den 04-03-2012 03:43, Leslie & The Furbabies in MO. skrev:

Nice link!

I have HUGE sew steady table, but I think putting that in would make the shelf less stable. And I don't have easy access to a plexiglass inset (which would be smart wrt changing bobbins). Hm, what to do, what to do...

I'm in no rush (haven't bought the new place yet), maybe I should wait and get an inset next time I'm in the US.

Hanne in DK

I found the Meltorp table Hanne, now I just have to convince DH that he should do the conversion for me.

Di

Maybe you could get a glass company (one of those places that cuts glass for windows, replaces auto glass, etc.) to make a plexiglas insert for you. I broke my extension table, so took the pieces into a glass company and had them make a new one, using the broken one as a template. They reused the legs from the broken table. It was about half the cost of buying a new extension table online or from the sewing center.

If you are getting an insert for a table, you don't need the legs on the insert. You could make a paper template for them to use for the insert.

Julia in MN

I was chit-chatting about this with a friend (my friends husband, who is my goto guy in this area for drilling and stuff that needs two people working, he also sews and I think it would be easy to talk him into helping me with this project).

He also mentioned about the bobbin. Basically, I cannot see how my hands can reach under the table regardless of wood or clear inset (there is a bar at the front of the table to go under). So I'm guessing I'd have to lift/slide the inset to change the bobbin. No other levers at the business end of my pfaff (controls are either above or way to the right, where I would not have the inset over anyway.

Still considering the "perfect way" of doing this :-)

Hanne in DK

Den 04-03-2012 15:12, Roberta skrev:

My google page translated the whole thing into English. Well, most of it. I= t's pretty self-explanatory, and if you're comfortable using power tools pr= obably would be simple. I really want table like this. Maybe this summer I'= ll find something to use at a garage sale. Can't wait for garage sale seaso= n!

Sunny

The table does have that bar on both sides. I might change my mind and use a different table - I don't have the table yet - was just thinking to have the same kind as my existing table to make it easier to reuse for dinner parties :-)

Hanne in DK

Den 05-03-2012 16:14, Roberta skrev: