Treadle Sewing Machine Cabinet Repair

by Robin @ Redo It Yourself Inspirations

12 Hours

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When her father passed away, my son's fiancee had the painful task of going through his belongings. When she discovered this sewing machine that belonged to her grandmother in the attic, she asked me if I could fix it for her.
We both agreed, being a family owned piece, it should remain antique looking for memory purposes.

antique treadle sewing machine cabinet repair and upcycle, how to, painted furniture, repurposing upcycling, woodworking projects

It was missing the front drawer. (By looking inside of the structure, I could tell it was a single drawer.) It very well may have been a flip open as most were. The space allowed is narrow, because of the way the sewing machine lays when inside the cabinet.

It was also missing the two side drawers and its framework on the right.

The top cover had a lot of veneer damage, right down to the under wood. It was also age stained.

Luckily, I had some parts from a previous treadle machine upcycle I worked on:

I could utilize the drawer framework and the front from my salvaged project for the missing parts.

The not so lucky parts:

I didn't have the extra side drawers.

I scrounged around everywhere on Ebay and Craigslist for some, thinking I'd buy four to make them all match, or even just two and make them match, but didn't find the right size, nor did I have the time for Ebay bidding, shipping and repairs in time to surprise Emily for Christmas. Thinking she would appreciate having this during her first Christmas without her father, I really wanted to have it done.

After several crazy drawer ideas swirling in my head, the best one hit me, why not cut into the existing drawer frame to divide the drawers to go on to each side of the cabinet? They would be original, but modified.

I cleaned and painted the iron.

Cut off the frame work on the left.

And built the frame on the right side of the cabinet.

Added the leftover pieces from my salvaged parts: Two front pieces and a swing drawer.

Kept the machine antique by sanding and conditioning the wood. Painted the drawer pulls to match the iron.

And there was an elated Granddaughter. She loved the modification and was happy to have her heirloom restored.

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Frequently asked questions

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3 of 8 questions

Linda sullivan on Apr 26, 2018

i have this type of machine cabinet too . The veneer is splitting away from the top and edges of machine. How did you remove the veneer with out damaging the wood under it?

1
Emma Bowker on Aug 17, 2018

Hi

Stunning transformation through a lot of attention to detail work and of course plenty of love!

Could you tell me how you cleaned the piece and, after sanding, what wood conditioner did you use?

Thanks

1
Roger on Jan 25, 2019

How a bout just removing veneer and sanding and staining undelay. Thanks

1

Comments

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3 of 266 comments

Itsmemic on Aug 16, 2018

what a wonderful wonderful job you did !!

2 Reply
- Robin @ Redo It Yourself Inspirations on Aug 17, 2018
  
  Thank you!
  
  Like
Corina Roberts Lilly on Jul 31, 2021

I have one like that, I can't wait to see how it turns out. Did you apply anything to the iron below? It looks very black and shiny for an old machine.

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