# Singer table, my version.



## woodtickgreg (May 1, 2020)

I have seen these sewing machine tables made many times in many different versions. And although I admired all of them and I have always wanted to do one I just couldn't help but think that a square top or a live edge board just didnt do the ornate cast iron legs justice. So this is my version of a antique singer sewing machine treadle base table.
I started with selecting some big leaf maple boards.


 
I milled and dimensioned them and glued them up. Almost a full inch thick.


 
I gave it a scrape to remove glue squeeze out and level the boards if they where off a little.


 
Then I layed my pattern on the top and marked the outline.



I then cut the top with a jigsaw.


 
All done with the cutting. I then sanded the edges on the spindle sander.


 
I routed the top with a table edge bit, sanded it to 320 and applied a minwax stain.


 
The color is colonial maple and it's on maple wood.


 
The finish is oil based minwax stain, shellac sanding sealer and 5 or 6 coats of water based polyurethane.


 
I predrilled the mounting holes, beeswaxed the threads of the screws and attached the top loosely with some washers. This will allow for some seasonal wood movement.

Reactions: Like 1 | EyeCandy! 1 | Great Post 1 | Way Cool 2


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## woodtickgreg (May 1, 2020)

And this is the finished table. I think it is more inline with the Victorian style of the ornate Singer cast iron base.
I think I got the proportions right and the top is neither too big or too small.


 

 

 

 
I also did not repaint the base, it has some rust and what I call a patina. I just sprayed it with a very light coat of shellac to seal it and preserve the look.

Reactions: Like 3 | EyeCandy! 6 | Way Cool 5


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## TimR (May 1, 2020)

As much as I like this...you do realize I have one of those Singer bases waiting in the wings for a top. Still may do a natural edge piece of curly ambrosia ...but that one of yours has real panache!

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Eric Rorabaugh (May 1, 2020)

Heck, I've got like 4 bases waiting for tops. Not enough hours in the day!

Reactions: Like 2


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## woodtickgreg (May 1, 2020)

TimR said:


> As much as I like this...you do realize I have one of those Singer bases waiting in the wings for a top. Still may do a natural edge piece of curly ambrosia ...but that one of yours has real panache!


There is nothing wrong with that Tim, I have seen many of those done nicely and have considered doing one of those myself. I didnt mean to imply that all the others where wrong, just that to my eye they just needed something a little more. I have more of these bases and some are from different brands and kinda plain compared to the singers. They may get a nice live edge or plain top. But this one was for me so I tried to do something a little different and special.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Eric Rorabaugh (May 1, 2020)

I like it Greg! Very classy looking whereas the live edge is more rustic looking. Depends on the setting it is going to what would look best. Great work on it!

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 3


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## Tony (May 1, 2020)

That's super cool, I didn't realize that's what it was for. It looks great man!

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## woodtickgreg (May 1, 2020)

Tony said:


> That's super cool, I didn't realize that's what it was for. It looks great man!


It was the big reveal, lol.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Mr. Peet (May 1, 2020)

Eric Rorabaugh said:


> Heck, I've got like 4 bases waiting for tops. Not enough hours in the day!



Eric,

An old timer here is looking for an antique machine base for a dinning room table top support. Wonder if 2 Singer bases would work...Thanks for the idea.

Reactions: Like 2


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## B Rogers (May 1, 2020)

That looks awesome. How thick is it? Do you mind sharing the brand router bit you used as well? I’d like to get one.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## woodtickgreg (May 1, 2020)

B Rogers said:


> That looks awesome. How thick is it? Do you mind sharing the brand router bit you used as well? I’d like to get one.


It's just a hair under 1" thick. The bit I just ordered on Amazon. The brand was Yoniko. It worked well for this hard wood but will need a sharpening before the next time I use it. You also need a variable speed router to slow it down because it's a 2 1/2 inch diameter bit. It took many passes to get to the final cut. Slow and steady is the key. Your not going to hog off all that material in one pass, it took more than 6 passes, probably closer to 8 or 10. The deeper I got with it the shallower the cuts had to be.
Also the bottom of the top got routed with a roundover bit to form the bead edge.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Useful 1


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## B Rogers (May 1, 2020)

It really does look great. You did a great job on that edge. I’m sure patience is a necessity there.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## woodtickgreg (May 1, 2020)

B Rogers said:


> It really does look great. You did a great job on that edge. I’m sure patience is a necessity there.


There was a lot of wood burning torwards the end, mostly on the end grain. But it sanded right off.


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## ripjack13 (May 1, 2020)

Very cool Greg. That looks so much better than the plain ol plain old tops everyone does. Well done sir....

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Eric Rorabaugh (May 2, 2020)

Mr. Peet said:


> Eric,
> 
> An old timer here is looking for an antique machine base for a dinning room table top support. Wonder if 2 Singer bases would work...Thanks for the idea.



I've seen something like that before. I'll look and see if I can't find a picture of it. Now to remember where it was.....


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## Eric Rorabaugh (May 2, 2020)

@Mr. Peet 
Mark here are a few I just pulled off the net. My wife was wanting a new dining room table. I may save two of these bases and use for the table. Thank YOU for the idea!

Reactions: Like 4 | Thank You! 1


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## tocws2002 (May 2, 2020)

You nailed the top, it looks great with that base. Love the color/stain as well.

-jason

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## Bean_counter (May 2, 2020)

Awesome top Greg! Not my style but you nailed it!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Nature Man (May 2, 2020)

Thanks for the tutorial! You hit it out of the park on this build! Chuck

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## djg (May 2, 2020)

I agree with all the others. I probably would hand gone with a boring rectangle top and put all the emphasis on wood and grain selection. But wow!. You hit a home run (any one remember baseball?) with this combo. I love the top profile as well as the edge profile. Really nice.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Schroedc (May 2, 2020)

I like that. A little fancy for me (I'm more a mission style guy) but it turned out beautiful and well executed!

For others thinking about ideas, here is one I did. Used the later, steel 1940's style singer base-

Reactions: Like 4 | Way Cool 1


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## Gdurfey (May 6, 2020)

makes my live edge look dull!!!!!!!! Nice work Greg, really nice!!! will show that to my wife for a later idea as she also has collected several bases or destroyed cabinets.

Matter of fact, we ate in a small place in Albuquerque where all the tables had some type of antique base under them.

Reactions: Way Cool 1


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