Question On Sewing Machine Bed Sizes (longwinded)
Over the last few months I have been refining the original workstand, building another in an effort to perfect each aspect of it. The first prototype workstand was simply a home-brew project, mostly done as a proof of concept. Had it not been for other peoples' interest, I would have been quite content with the first one, which works quite well.
In recent posts I have detailed the making of a better swing frame, using a more elaborate jig to hold the pieces together. In the process, I made an adjustment to the pivot point. I made a new base, to experiment a little with the color design of the workstand, using a natural finish on the redwood material. Most recently I detailed a method of making a more perfect lock disc mechanism.
This brings me to the final aspect of the new workstand, the baseboards. I have a question for the many expert people here and to those who have large collections.
It is a difficult question to even formulate and needs some background.
Setting Up The Question
The baseboard which we use the most is what we call the Singer Universal baseboard. Somewhere around the early 1900s (others here would know better), Singer began using a standard cutout for their treadle domestic sewing machines, which I have chosen to call "classic method of mounting". Becoming a widespread standard, sizes and shapes might vary between manufacturers, but for more than half a century the mounting method for domestic sewing machines was fundamentally the same. This uniform method of mounting is what makes this sewing machine workstand practical. A diagram of this type of mounting cutout is located above on this page
Over the years, Singer made machines with this same bed size and shape, allowing machines to be interchanged in a treadle base. Somewhat surprisingly, many other manufacturers adopted the identical mounting, allowing even non-Singer machines to be interchanged. As a result of this standardization, some people enjoy putting a motorized machine in an older treadle base, even today.
One might speculate that a time came when sewing machine manufacturers believed that the treadle was obsolete. They may have thought, "Who would want to pump a sewing machine with their feet when motors are now available?"
With the apparent assumption that treadle belts were a thing of the past, manufacturers made some machines that were an additional two inches in bed length. They adopted the two inch treadle belt area to add to the bed. The pillar was usually larger and frequently contained the motor. This made for a cleaner design, without the outboard motor in the back. An example of what I am calling an oversize machine (using the Singer Universal baseboard) would be a Necchi Supernova, although I've seen many others, including newer Singers.
Therefore, I have made the Singer Universal baseboard cutout 16-5/8 inches to accommodate either standard or over-size machines.
Question
Apart from the Singer standard size, were other sewing machines made that were widened to include the treadle belt space?
1) Singer three-quarter size and Pfaff K (maybe others) use the same type of cutout, but smaller
2) Many older Whites use a similar cutout, with a slightly different size and more rounded corners
3) Kenmore, which mounts the same way, is different in dimension and has more squared corners.
I believe all of these were treadled at one time. But I have never seen an example of a later produced machine that was over-sized. I'm thinking that this was done ONLY in the most common Singer standard bed size. Is that right?
If I'm correct in my observations, I won't need to add the two-inch treadle belt space to the other baseboards (1, 2 and 3 above). Anyone's thoughts or advice would be appreciated.
Thanks,
John