Sewing Machine Work Stand
07-17-2015, 10:03 AM
#71
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Centralia, WA, USA
Posts: 4,890
Great instructions John!
Nice old jigsaw BTW. I have a weakness for older tools.
One bit of advice to anyone making one of these. Use a good quality plywood for your parts. Nasty old construction grade plywood is rough, has gaps in the layers and sometimes the layers aren't as well glued as you might like. While you can make it work, it will be frustrating. Far better to use at minimum sanded shop grade or better yet a smooth hardwood like birch or maple plywood that is intended for furniture or cabinets for the parts. You don't need much so spending a little extra for quality materials isn't a big deal. Many hardware stores sell 1/4 or 1/2 sheets of plywood for small projects.
If you're not sure what you need, just ask someone at the store.
Rodney
Nice old jigsaw BTW. I have a weakness for older tools.
One bit of advice to anyone making one of these. Use a good quality plywood for your parts. Nasty old construction grade plywood is rough, has gaps in the layers and sometimes the layers aren't as well glued as you might like. While you can make it work, it will be frustrating. Far better to use at minimum sanded shop grade or better yet a smooth hardwood like birch or maple plywood that is intended for furniture or cabinets for the parts. You don't need much so spending a little extra for quality materials isn't a big deal. Many hardware stores sell 1/4 or 1/2 sheets of plywood for small projects.
If you're not sure what you need, just ask someone at the store.
Rodney
09-25-2015, 04:50 AM
#73
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 4,258
VS-2 Fiddle Base
The phone rang. It was Janey. Having been out and about, she wondered if I wanted to go look at an 1889 Singer VS-2. We needed to hurry.
It was at a thrift store across town that closed at six. It was now five-thirty. We hopped in the car and were off, trying to negotiate rush hour traffic. It seemed like we hit every light red. And they seemed to take longer than usual to turn green again. We made our difficult way across town, pulling into the store's parking lot about five minutes until six. We went inside and sure enough, they still had the VS-2. Senior discount day, too. Half price.
We bought it and carried it out just as they were locking the doors. In the parking lot, we took the head out of the simple flat top, which was attached to a good set of irons. The top and the irons went in the back of the car, I rode with the head up front to keep it safe. We picked up some sandwiches and headed home.
Recently, posted in another thread:
As an unmistakable case of fortune-telling:
Finally home, we set the VS-2 head on the kitchen counter and ate our sandwiches, while pondering the new acquisition. Surprisingly, the machine turned fairly easily, at least for a hundred and twenty six year old sewing machine having had no oil recently.
The spool pin was pretty badly bent, but not difficult to straighten and we did that right away.
In a more careful look at home, Janey noticed that the needle clamp was missing. A wire thing at the end of the needle bar caught my eye at the store. I didn't see what was missing. From a parts machine (a much newer Signature) Janey took the needle clamp and it seems to work. We'll see when its time for it to sew.
(VS-2 Front View)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]531752[/ATTACH]
A New Baseboard
This older machine requires its own unique baseboard for our workstand. It didn't take long to make, since it doesn't need the stepped edge. The hinge pins needed a little special attention, since they're non-removable. What was tricky was the lack of points of reference that I'm used to, since the base is all curves. For the baseboard color, we used a light blue.
(VS-2 In Workstand)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]531753[/ATTACH]
This machine has unusually good access to the pillar with a removable contoured cover on the back. Janey removed all of the small parts. It then got a couple of days doused with Kroil inside a black bag in the sun to loosen up old grunge and grease.
Now in the workstand and turning very smoothly, the process of cleaning up all the smaller parts will probably begin. It needs a lot of work, a real fixer upper, but it's the oldest machine that we have. (I almost think I can hear Janey's voice adding, "...so far...", but maybe I just have an over-active imagination.)
John
The phone rang. It was Janey. Having been out and about, she wondered if I wanted to go look at an 1889 Singer VS-2. We needed to hurry.
It was at a thrift store across town that closed at six. It was now five-thirty. We hopped in the car and were off, trying to negotiate rush hour traffic. It seemed like we hit every light red. And they seemed to take longer than usual to turn green again. We made our difficult way across town, pulling into the store's parking lot about five minutes until six. We went inside and sure enough, they still had the VS-2. Senior discount day, too. Half price.
We bought it and carried it out just as they were locking the doors. In the parking lot, we took the head out of the simple flat top, which was attached to a good set of irons. The top and the irons went in the back of the car, I rode with the head up front to keep it safe. We picked up some sandwiches and headed home.
Recently, posted in another thread:
Originally Posted by Janey(OurWorkbench)
I thoroughly enjoy seeing the machines from before 1900. I sincerely doubt that I will ever be "up close & personal" with any of them.
Originally Posted by Rodney
Don't be too sure you won't stumble across one. Steve has run into some real beauties locally. Your area has been around long enough that there should be a few jems hiding there too. I know I've seen a lot of nice machines around Denver on Shopgoodwill. Nothing quite as old as Steve's Singer but still the possibility exists.
The spool pin was pretty badly bent, but not difficult to straighten and we did that right away.
In a more careful look at home, Janey noticed that the needle clamp was missing. A wire thing at the end of the needle bar caught my eye at the store. I didn't see what was missing. From a parts machine (a much newer Signature) Janey took the needle clamp and it seems to work. We'll see when its time for it to sew.
(VS-2 Front View)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]531752[/ATTACH]
A New Baseboard
This older machine requires its own unique baseboard for our workstand. It didn't take long to make, since it doesn't need the stepped edge. The hinge pins needed a little special attention, since they're non-removable. What was tricky was the lack of points of reference that I'm used to, since the base is all curves. For the baseboard color, we used a light blue.
(VS-2 In Workstand)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]531753[/ATTACH]
This machine has unusually good access to the pillar with a removable contoured cover on the back. Janey removed all of the small parts. It then got a couple of days doused with Kroil inside a black bag in the sun to loosen up old grunge and grease.
Now in the workstand and turning very smoothly, the process of cleaning up all the smaller parts will probably begin. It needs a lot of work, a real fixer upper, but it's the oldest machine that we have. (I almost think I can hear Janey's voice adding, "...so far...", but maybe I just have an over-active imagination.)
John
Last edited by OurWorkbench; 09-25-2015 at 05:04 AM.
09-25-2015, 05:31 AM
#76
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Somewhere
Posts: 15,507
Originally Posted by Rodney
That would certainly get it hot enough to speed up softening the old oil.
Congrats on a great find!
Rodney
Congrats on a great find!
Rodney
09-25-2015, 09:25 AM
#77
Banned
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: San Lorenzo, CA
Posts: 5,361
Those VS2's are one of the best machine Singer ever made. Mine is my second goto machine, behind the Jones Handcrank. And it is without a doubt the smoothest running of all of MY machines. Only Heathers Frister & Rossman Model E (naked lady) is smoother.
P.S. That little wire down by the needle clamp is a thread guide and is necessary for it to stitch it's best. Also, you can see that the needle clamp you chose is pretty close to the original
[ATTACH=CONFIG]531787[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]531786[/ATTACH]
P.S. That little wire down by the needle clamp is a thread guide and is necessary for it to stitch it's best. Also, you can see that the needle clamp you chose is pretty close to the original
[ATTACH=CONFIG]531787[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]531786[/ATTACH]
09-26-2015, 03:28 PM
#79
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Washington
Posts: 4,001
Lovely machine Steve. I am sure the one Janey found will turn out to be a very nice machine as well. How exciting.
I really like the swing for cleaning the machines. I am late to the party, but would make my life so much easier as I would only have to lift a machine maybe once or twice and not try and maul it all over my dining room table, wow. What a great idea and have you pantented it yet? I can see that type of thing being used for many different applications besides sewing machines as well, think bigger and get it on the market!
I really like the swing for cleaning the machines. I am late to the party, but would make my life so much easier as I would only have to lift a machine maybe once or twice and not try and maul it all over my dining room table, wow. What a great idea and have you pantented it yet? I can see that type of thing being used for many different applications besides sewing machines as well, think bigger and get it on the market!
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