Sacrilege or Ingenuity???

Question

I am currently in the process of building a computer controlled engraver/router for some projects I want to make and during a browse around a website I came across the following page.

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My first reaction was one of amazement that someone could do that to a beautiful old Singer. However the more I looked at it the more I thought .......HMMMMMMM!!!!!!!

We have an old Singer 227M (straight stitch only) that we never use as we have three other sewing machines to choose from for our main hobby of kite building (Elna, Pfaff and Viking). Now, I have wanted a scroll saw for a long time as I could use it for a lot of my projects but do I have the courage to butcher a sewing machine to gain a scroll saw.

I love to build things from other things (waste not want not and all that) but there is just something that sticks in my craw when it comes to tearing apart a sewing machine that used to belong to my wife's late Grandmother even if it is never used (it's been so long since it last had power to it I'm not sure if it still runs!)

Ho hum........decisions, decisions!

Valkyrie · Accepted Answer

................I'm gonna need a cool cloth for the back of my neck and lay down for awhile.........Val

Trish Brown · Answer

Don't kill a lovely old Singer! Buy a secondhand 'nothing' machine and rat that!

Jean D Mahavier · Answer

I had to go down to the sewing room and console my Model 15. Told it not to worry, DH bought himself a scroll saw last xmas. But I'll worry that he will think of something else to do with the baby. We are 'waste not, want not' folk here and he sure is a tinkerer. Everything we own lasts ten times longer than anyone else's because he is always fixing or improving something.

Maybe go Sears and buy a saw from them; US$70 or so, and clean up the Singer. It probably will run like a top. (But this won't give you the fun and feeling of accomplishment of making that scroll saw and I truly understand that.)

Jean M.

Ron Anderson · Answer

Seems like a lot of work for something that costs less than $100.00. I wouldrather they not destroy the 201 model however.

AmazeR · Answer

Obviously the guy knows nothing about old Singers! My DH looked at me as though to say... 'and his wife let him do that?' and mumbled something about 'rough!...' and this from a guy who loves tinkering with stuff!

Now don't even go there Larry!!!! LOL

Mavis (hoping you are only joking, Larry!)

twillmon · Answer

>Newsgroups:    >I am currently in the process of building a computer controlled   >engraver/router for some projects I want to make and during a browse   >around a website I came across the following page.   >   >My first reaction was one of amazement that someone could do that   >to a beautiful old Singer. However the more I looked at it the more   >I thought ........HMMMMMMM!!!!!!!   >We have an old Singer 227M (straight stitch only) that we never use   >as we have three other sewing machines to choose from for our main   >hobby of kite building (Elna, Pfaff and Viking). Now, I have wanted   >a scroll saw for a long time as I could use it for a lot of my   >projects but do I have the courage to butcher a sewing machine to   >gain a scroll saw.   >I love to build things from other things (waste not want not and all   >that) but there is just something that sticks in my craw when it   >comes to tearing apart a sewing machine that used to belong to my   >wife's late Grandmother even...

IMS · Answer

Does't it make sense to just buy a scroll saw, that was made to do that function rather than try to make an old sewing machine fit the bill....

-Irene

Larry Green · Answer

OK folks, sorry for not getting back before this but 'real life' has been a 'female dog' this week!

I guess I caused a few hearts to flutter with my previous post.....lol.

You will be glad to know that our Singer is safe for the time being as I stuck my head under the cabinet (couldn't get it out for 'stuff' on top of it!) and it appears the head and base are a single casting which is not really suitable for the job in mind. Although I could attack it with a power saw I suppose .............just kidding.....calm down!

With regard to all the suggestions about just going out and buying one .....well I would if I could but I can't...........lol. I am disabled, fighting for disability support and on a very fixed income. Even an extra 5 bucks a week on expenses hurts us as our outgoings exceed our incomings as it is!

I just happened to see that site I posted and realized I might have been able to build a scroll saw for less than $10 as I thought I had most of the materials 'in stock' and would only need to buy the blade and a spring. Oh well back to the drawing board, I have projects coming out of my ears at the moment (some of which are on a deadline for completion before Xmas) and don't really have the time to start a major project like that anyway!

Sacrilege or Ingenuity???

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