Can you post a picture? There may be a release button that looks like a round nail head in the middle close to the front edge. Just push on it. If you find one, push hard because it may be tight if it hasn't been used in years. (I have a 1925 Damascus which was a brand of Montgomery Wards treadle machine and it has one.) I can't take a picture of it because I don't know how. It may even need a drop or two of oil to loosen it up. There is a hook underneath.
Last edited by quiltingcandy; 08-17-2012 at 08:58 PM.