Sewing machine table ideas

Here is an idea for you who are considering converting various types of furniture into sewing machine tables. If you go to most any home center, they will have a number of interior plywood doors for sale that have smooth surfaces. They are available in a number of widths, and grades of beauty. One of the cheapest is Birch which is a strong, blond type of wood like maple but it accepts stain if you want a darker color to match your decor. They will also have tapered or square legs that screw into a fixture that you can attach with screws to the under side of the table/door. If you varnish, or stain/varnish the door before you start working on it, it will provide a smooth and trouble free finish to last you quite awhile which can also be touched up as needed. At one end you can place a multi drawer cabinet that you would have to purchase separately. This can be fancy or plain as your taste and pocket book dictates. The combination of the cabinet at one end and the legs at the other end or even another cabinet at the other end when screwed together to the under side of the door, will provide a stable, large working surface that is much better than MDF and other such things and is capable of being taken apart for moving if you live in an apartment setting. Depending on the cost of the cabinet, for one end you should be able to get the door, legs, varnish, hardware for under 100 dollars if you can accept the "look of the plain legs and Birch door. The doors are about 35-50 depending on where you buy them. They are hollow core so they are light in weight but if they are finished they give the look of a "professional" looking sewing table top. You should be able to accomplish the whole thing with a screwdriver, screws, paint brushes and elbow grease. I am sure it is within the capability of any of you. You will also get bragging rights with all your friends as to your resourcefulness and thrift. I have made a number of these for people over the years and they have served them well. It is a reasonable way to get a "custom" sized table to set your SM on and get to work.

I hope this provides you with some food for thought, preferably chocolate.

John

I dont know what the wierd double posting is. Google is going balistic, I think.

John

That is right. They would not be suitable for insetting for a flush mount of the machine. They would be good for the use of a table top application though and I have seen them used for such. There are solid core doors, that are available for insetting the SM, but they are more expensive and would push the price up another 40-60 dollars. Either way it provides a large area to handle fabric and you can make it any height you want simply by choosing the proper leg length and adding spacers to the purchased cabinet for the one end. or as you say, a cutting table. You could even use the hollow core door for an insetting as long as you put an appropriately sized piece of wood around the entire inside of the opening, between the two sides, and glue it into place, to strengthen and accommodate the sewing machine cut out. There is also the need to make something to support the bottom of the sewing machine but that could be a 3/4" piece of plywood that was properly spaced to allow the upper level of the door surface to be parallel with the sewing machine needle-plate area. But that is getting a little more complicated for the people who might not have the skills or tools to pull that off. Something to ponder in your quest for the perfect sewing table.

John

Many moons ago [1972, actually] we did just that. Bought a door, painted it green to match the purple and orange of the day [be nice, it was the '70's], bought 6 legs and screwed them to the bottom and I had the best dressmaking cutting out table I ever had. Then in the early '90's we bought a half door, screwed the legs on and it was my SM and OL table. We made this one waist height and I used a stool to sit and that way I was sitting straighter. Now I have a Horn, not enough room and slouching..........oh well, such is progress.

Wendy in Nsw