Sewing Machine Work Stand
02-19-2016, 12:31 PM
#111
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Far Northern California
Posts: 1,020
Thank you very much for taking the time to post this wonderful FREE tutorial. Having done quite a few tutorials I know the amount of work/time involved. Thank you for your generosity. I think my hubby is going to try to make one of these this summer..( after he gets our kitchen remodeled) 
03-04-2016, 05:31 AM
#112
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 4,258
WORKSTAND AREA
An area for the workstand is finally coming together. I just finished some hangars to hold the baseboards and I thought I'd post some pictures. The workstand sits to the left of the main workbench, at a comfortable height to work. Any small items from a machine that need to be removed and worked on can be handled on the workbench, which is generally kept clear. Janey found a perfect table having adjustable height, which the workstand sits on.
The space is on the north side of the basement and will be nice and cool in the summer, but a little chilly during the colder months. Janey got a rubber mat for the floor under the table, which helps to keep feet warm.
Above the workbench are several pieces of test equipment that I also use for working with electronic equipment. Occasionally helpful with sewing machines, too. A soldering iron is available whenever needed. There's a ready computer monitor which makes working on desktop computers a little easier.
(Workstand Area 1)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]543982[/ATTACH]
Hanging behind the workstand are the various machine baseboards. With each baseboard are the templates used to make the cutouts in the baseboards. The pegs will help to keep things organized. Before I made these hangars, the baseboards and templates were in various places. Now it's all together. The empty peg is for a Kenmore baseboard, which I still need to make.
(Workstand Area 2)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]543983[/ATTACH]
Shown in the workstand is an Emdeko machine, a recent acquisition. This is a really heavy machine. I may need to re-adjust the pivot point for the frame. I'll post how that goes.
More soon,
John
An area for the workstand is finally coming together. I just finished some hangars to hold the baseboards and I thought I'd post some pictures. The workstand sits to the left of the main workbench, at a comfortable height to work. Any small items from a machine that need to be removed and worked on can be handled on the workbench, which is generally kept clear. Janey found a perfect table having adjustable height, which the workstand sits on.
The space is on the north side of the basement and will be nice and cool in the summer, but a little chilly during the colder months. Janey got a rubber mat for the floor under the table, which helps to keep feet warm.
Above the workbench are several pieces of test equipment that I also use for working with electronic equipment. Occasionally helpful with sewing machines, too. A soldering iron is available whenever needed. There's a ready computer monitor which makes working on desktop computers a little easier.
(Workstand Area 1)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]543982[/ATTACH]
Hanging behind the workstand are the various machine baseboards. With each baseboard are the templates used to make the cutouts in the baseboards. The pegs will help to keep things organized. Before I made these hangars, the baseboards and templates were in various places. Now it's all together. The empty peg is for a Kenmore baseboard, which I still need to make.
(Workstand Area 2)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]543983[/ATTACH]
Shown in the workstand is an Emdeko machine, a recent acquisition. This is a really heavy machine. I may need to re-adjust the pivot point for the frame. I'll post how that goes.
More soon,
John
03-19-2016, 04:56 AM
#114
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 4,258
EMDEKO
It was a Saturday and Janey and I stopped by the local Goodwill. Usually I go directly to one of the places they tend to have sewing machines, mixed in with blenders, stereos and other stuff. Sometimes Janey takes a little longer to get there. I had already spotted a likely looking unmarked case and had it out on the floor removing the top when Janey walked up. As I looked at the unknown sewing machine, Janey let out a gasp. As I turned to look, she was off like a shot, soon returning with a cart. Without the usual "does the handwheel turn?" or "is the bobbin case there?" the machine went into the cart. Plop.
Flashbacks are On
Flashback about eighteen months. Janey had found a nice set of cams in a large clamshell case, for a good price. As it happens, it was at the very same Goodwill. The clamshell case had probably been left in the sun or some other source of heat, making the case bow outward. It closed, but if you shook the case, the cams would come loose from their little pegs. Janey had the idea to put the case under a stack of phone books to flatten it out. We may have checked it after a few days, putting it right back. I don't think we thought of it again. After all, under a stack of phone books is a pretty easy place to forget.
So it was a gasp of pleasant surprise, when Janey realized that this machine took the cams we had forgotten, while at the same time remembering the cams we had not thought of in well over a year.
(Emdeko Machine and Cams)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]545266[/ATTACH]
This Emdeko is one heavy machine, which was immediately apparent in carrying it from the store to the car. At home, it fit nicely into the workstand, using the Singer universal baseboard.
Stand Readjustment
Being so heavy, the workstand is even more helpful than usual. I had guessed its weight at over forty pounds, but when I weighed it, it is actually thirty-six. Because of the weight and the lower distribution of it, I decided to move the pivot point of the frame uprights from the 3" position to the 2" position, which achieved a nearly perfect balance. (The picture above was taken before doing this) I remember Janey's look, as the kid in me had the Emdeko spinning around in the workstand more than once a second, just tapping the upright a little on each rotation. That's more than 60 RPM.
One reason for the weight of the Emdeko is that there is a very substantial motor which is covered by a cowling which is molded on the rear of the pillar. It makes for a very solid and seemingly rugged machine.
Another Swing Frame
This experience with the Emdeko has me thinking that I should change the hole spacing in the uprights by about one-half inch. I generally leave the pivots at the 3" offset, accepting a little variation from machine to machine. Using the 3" location, many machines are just a little "bottom heavy."
Since there are holes every inch, this will require making another swing frame with the half-inch change to the uprights to test how it works. It will also give me a chance to photograph the process, since I didn't take pictures of the making of the first swing frame. I'll post pictures of the making of the new swing frame here.
John
It was a Saturday and Janey and I stopped by the local Goodwill. Usually I go directly to one of the places they tend to have sewing machines, mixed in with blenders, stereos and other stuff. Sometimes Janey takes a little longer to get there. I had already spotted a likely looking unmarked case and had it out on the floor removing the top when Janey walked up. As I looked at the unknown sewing machine, Janey let out a gasp. As I turned to look, she was off like a shot, soon returning with a cart. Without the usual "does the handwheel turn?" or "is the bobbin case there?" the machine went into the cart. Plop.
Flashbacks are On
Flashback about eighteen months. Janey had found a nice set of cams in a large clamshell case, for a good price. As it happens, it was at the very same Goodwill. The clamshell case had probably been left in the sun or some other source of heat, making the case bow outward. It closed, but if you shook the case, the cams would come loose from their little pegs. Janey had the idea to put the case under a stack of phone books to flatten it out. We may have checked it after a few days, putting it right back. I don't think we thought of it again. After all, under a stack of phone books is a pretty easy place to forget.
So it was a gasp of pleasant surprise, when Janey realized that this machine took the cams we had forgotten, while at the same time remembering the cams we had not thought of in well over a year.
(Emdeko Machine and Cams)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]545266[/ATTACH]
This Emdeko is one heavy machine, which was immediately apparent in carrying it from the store to the car. At home, it fit nicely into the workstand, using the Singer universal baseboard.
Stand Readjustment
Being so heavy, the workstand is even more helpful than usual. I had guessed its weight at over forty pounds, but when I weighed it, it is actually thirty-six. Because of the weight and the lower distribution of it, I decided to move the pivot point of the frame uprights from the 3" position to the 2" position, which achieved a nearly perfect balance. (The picture above was taken before doing this) I remember Janey's look, as the kid in me had the Emdeko spinning around in the workstand more than once a second, just tapping the upright a little on each rotation. That's more than 60 RPM.
One reason for the weight of the Emdeko is that there is a very substantial motor which is covered by a cowling which is molded on the rear of the pillar. It makes for a very solid and seemingly rugged machine.
Another Swing Frame
This experience with the Emdeko has me thinking that I should change the hole spacing in the uprights by about one-half inch. I generally leave the pivots at the 3" offset, accepting a little variation from machine to machine. Using the 3" location, many machines are just a little "bottom heavy."
Since there are holes every inch, this will require making another swing frame with the half-inch change to the uprights to test how it works. It will also give me a chance to photograph the process, since I didn't take pictures of the making of the first swing frame. I'll post pictures of the making of the new swing frame here.
John
Don't know how she remembered those cams!
03-20-2016, 11:13 AM
#116
Banned
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Victorian Sweatshop Forum
Posts: 4,096
Great find! I've passed up a couple of Emdekos, not sure if I should kick myself for it or not.
Lynn I get it because I've done the same thing. I bought a cute little set of cams once and threw them in the "stuff" box. About 6 months later I bought a machine that came with nothing. When I got it home I found one cam in it. In the back of my mind that cam looked familiar and it kept niggling at me until I got out the "stuff" box and started searching. Sure enough, that cam set I'd bought earlier were the right ones.
Cari
Lynn I get it because I've done the same thing. I bought a cute little set of cams once and threw them in the "stuff" box. About 6 months later I bought a machine that came with nothing. When I got it home I found one cam in it. In the back of my mind that cam looked familiar and it kept niggling at me until I got out the "stuff" box and started searching. Sure enough, that cam set I'd bought earlier were the right ones.
Cari
03-27-2016, 09:59 AM
#118
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 4,258
A Trip To The Welding Shop
This may seem a bit off-topic for some readers but it's not. This is all about my effort to make a better swing frame for the sewing machine workstand . I've located a welder who is willing and interested in helping me to get the welding done. He's a very nice fellow to work with. He agreed to let me take some pictures of his shop and his welding setup. I thought I'd post them here for any who are interested.
(Welding Setup)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]546183[/ATTACH]
The interesting table he uses can be seen above with the welding apparatus in the background. This special table, which weighs almost two tons, is made of steel about a foot thick and has square holes in it. Welding produces a lot of heat, which would be absorbed by the table, building up over long periods of use. The holes are vents, allowing the heat to dissipate. The table surface is perfectly flat and serves as a good work surface. An electrical connection to the table may be seen at the bottom of the frame below, eliminating the need to clamp an electrical connection onto the piece(s) being welded.
(Welding Table)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]546184[/ATTACH]
I need to make a jig for the welder to tack weld the frame pieces together precisely, something I did not do for the first swing frame. I'm planning on building the holding jig early this week, weather permitting. I'll post pictures of the jig here when I get it done.
More soon,
John
This may seem a bit off-topic for some readers but it's not. This is all about my effort to make a better swing frame for the sewing machine workstand . I've located a welder who is willing and interested in helping me to get the welding done. He's a very nice fellow to work with. He agreed to let me take some pictures of his shop and his welding setup. I thought I'd post them here for any who are interested.
(Welding Setup)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]546183[/ATTACH]
The interesting table he uses can be seen above with the welding apparatus in the background. This special table, which weighs almost two tons, is made of steel about a foot thick and has square holes in it. Welding produces a lot of heat, which would be absorbed by the table, building up over long periods of use. The holes are vents, allowing the heat to dissipate. The table surface is perfectly flat and serves as a good work surface. An electrical connection to the table may be seen at the bottom of the frame below, eliminating the need to clamp an electrical connection onto the piece(s) being welded.
(Welding Table)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]546184[/ATTACH]
I need to make a jig for the welder to tack weld the frame pieces together precisely, something I did not do for the first swing frame. I'm planning on building the holding jig early this week, weather permitting. I'll post pictures of the jig here when I get it done.
More soon,
John
04-04-2016, 04:38 AM
#120
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 4,258
COMPONENTS FOR WELDING JIG
I'm trying to post something every week or so. It doesn't look like much yet but here's where I am with the welding jig.
To recap briefly, I'm building a jig to make another swing frame, correcting a couple of imperfections, and having a little different adjustment than the first. The jig will be used by the welder to keep all pieces straight and square.
The platform for the jig is made from birch plywood. It is more stable and flat than common plywood. Holes have been cut where the welder will tack the frame together, just enough to hold the pieces in the proper shape. The frame will then be removed from the jig for final welding .
(Birch Plywood)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]546937[/ATTACH]
(Cutting Jig Parts)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]546938[/ATTACH]
(Close To Assembly)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]546939[/ATTACH]
With just a few more things to work out, I'll be putting it all together. The parts will make more sense then and I can explain more easily. I'll post those pictures soon.
John
I'm trying to post something every week or so. It doesn't look like much yet but here's where I am with the welding jig.
To recap briefly, I'm building a jig to make another swing frame, correcting a couple of imperfections, and having a little different adjustment than the first. The jig will be used by the welder to keep all pieces straight and square.
The platform for the jig is made from birch plywood. It is more stable and flat than common plywood. Holes have been cut where the welder will tack the frame together, just enough to hold the pieces in the proper shape. The frame will then be removed from the jig for final welding .
(Birch Plywood)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]546937[/ATTACH]
(Cutting Jig Parts)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]546938[/ATTACH]
(Close To Assembly)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]546939[/ATTACH]
With just a few more things to work out, I'll be putting it all together. The parts will make more sense then and I can explain more easily. I'll post those pictures soon.
John
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