Vintage Japanese industrial table upgrade
Hello all. I am just wrapping up a fun vintage sewing machine project and figured I would share it. The machine is a 1950s ish Montgomery Ward 7-Jewel Automatic Zigzag (made by Happy). It was a machine that my mom got from my grandma so she could pilfer the desk it came with. My mother was going to get rid of it after many years of sitting in the closet(possibly via trash), so I got it from her. After a deep clean and some new wiring, I got it working pretty well. Fast forward a few years... my wife and I decided to do some sewing projects so I decided to dig up the old machine. We still needed a table or desk for it and after much searching and disappointment, I decided to build my own. And since I was already going to the trouble of making the table, I decided to sauce things up a bit and do some upgrades.
For the top of the table I went with 2 layers of 3/4" baltic birch plywood laminated together. The pieces were cut out using a CNC router and I added provisions for the servo motor, belt, hinges, alignment dowels, drip tray, and tool well.
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The frame is made up of 2"x2" and 2"x3" 0.120" wall tubing as well as some 1"x2" 0.095" wall tubing. I had recently purchased an industrial machine with a K-leg table and decided that this one needed more beef. The "industrial" table is pretty flimsy, but this one is rock solid. It is much better even though it is a T-leg design.
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The drip tray is made from 1/8" 5052 aluminum sheet. It was also cut using the CNC router and bent using a sheet metal brake and bench vise. Grooves along the bend lines were cut with the router for easier bends and better radii.
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The foot pedal was made the same as the drip tray. I used precision shafts and Oilite bushings to keep it smooth and quiet.
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Here is the setup nearly complete. I chose an Enduro Advantage 110v servo motor. It peaks out at around 3/4 hp and goes from 100-4500 rpm. The drive pulley is nearly identical to the driven pulley on the machine, so there is almost a direct correlation between motor rpm and stitching speed in stitches per minute. Since the machine is an oscillating hook type it starts shaking pretty violently above 1000 rpm. I have the max set at 700 and the pedal travel scales accordingly. I may put a smaller pulley on the motor so I can reduce the minimum stitch speed for ultimate control. The original 1.5 amp motor was fully functional but inherently limited. Pedal travel with that type of motor will change the current through the motor and stitching speed can vary wildly depending on load. The servo motor is such a nice upgrade even though I will never use its full output. It is also whisper quiet, which I like a lot.
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