Upcycled Treadle Sewing Machine Into Grooming Table
by
Christi Joyce
(IC: homeowner)
5 Materials
$75
5 Days
Medium
My blonde Cocker Spaniel owns me. To say she needs regular grooming is an understatement. I searched for a table that would fit in a small nook, but decided I’d have to make one. That’s when an old treadle sewing machine that my father had lugged home caught my eye.
I forgot to take a before photo—this was a standard treadle machine that was badly weathered and the wood was peeling.
Dismantled. Having never done this before, and being a homemaker, I really had to stop and think about what could be salvaged and what to do with it.
Decided that I really wanted to somehow use the drawers..so handy! They needed to be lightly sanded, any really loose parts/layers were glued, then a fresh coat of stain and a clear coat to seal. The cast iron base was brushed and swept and treated to a glossy coat of black paint.
Since none of the larger pieces of wood were salvageable, at least by me, I used 3/4” birch plywood for the table. I stained the plywood and the trim before assembling.
My first idea was to put the intact drawers on each side, but the result was a table that was much too high! So I cut them in half and set them side by side. There’s still room in the middle for incidentals. Bonus: I found the drawer pulls in the bottom of a junk drawer! Sometimes it really does pay to save stuff. 🙃
And here we go: The final measurement for the table is 21”x31”. I managed—barely!—to salvage the drawer under the table.
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Suggested materials:
- 1/2 sheet of 3/4” birch plywood (Home Depot)
- Carved ‘Rope’ trim board (Home Depot)
- Stain (Left over from other projects)
- Latex Clear coat (Left over)
- Drawer pulls (Junk drawer)
Published September 24th, 2018 9:36 PM
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2 of 3 comments
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Michelle Dryer Gilhouse on Sep 26, 2018
Love it! Great idea
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Birdz of a Feather on Sep 26, 2018
Great idea; very practical! I'm making over a very similar Singer base too!
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