Making My Darling Wife a M.U.T.
06-21-2012, 12:23 PM
#11
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Bakersfield, Ca.
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I used one of Janice's other treadles as an example and then cut two 1/2 inch by 1 inch slots for the drive belt to go thru the table top.
For the hole for the multiple sewing heads, I had Janice give me the demensions of the heads she wanted to use for this treadle. Based on those demensions and the desire to use the full width of a store bought plank of wood I cut the hole 17 1/8 inches by 11 3/4 inches. The most important thing to remember in the placement of this hole is the relationship of the hole with the drive belt. I left 3/4 inch between the drive belt holes and the hole for the heads. You will see in future pictures that the head I'm using for this first project will be over hanging the plank and partially sitting on the table top.
Because the table top has a core of pressed wood (and I hate pressed wood) I lined the table top hole with 1/4 inch oak slats on the two sides and the rear edges using mitred corners. This cleaned up the edges and also serves to protect the pressed wood core. This gave me a finished hole of 16 7/8 by 11 1/4.
For the hole for the multiple sewing heads, I had Janice give me the demensions of the heads she wanted to use for this treadle. Based on those demensions and the desire to use the full width of a store bought plank of wood I cut the hole 17 1/8 inches by 11 3/4 inches. The most important thing to remember in the placement of this hole is the relationship of the hole with the drive belt. I left 3/4 inch between the drive belt holes and the hole for the heads. You will see in future pictures that the head I'm using for this first project will be over hanging the plank and partially sitting on the table top.
Because the table top has a core of pressed wood (and I hate pressed wood) I lined the table top hole with 1/4 inch oak slats on the two sides and the rear edges using mitred corners. This cleaned up the edges and also serves to protect the pressed wood core. This gave me a finished hole of 16 7/8 by 11 1/4.
06-21-2012, 12:48 PM
#12
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Bakersfield, Ca.
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After the clue had dried on the slats, I cut a piece of oak plank to fit the hole. I found out that the hole was not perfectly square and the plank would not fit in the hole! By using a file and some sand paper I got the plank to fit. Because this is going to be a muli-use treadle I worked the hole instead of the plank so all the future planks will fit with the minimum of work.
In order for the oak plank/sewing head assembly to be held in place on the table top I mounted 1 inch by 1/8 inch steel straps on the two front corners and across the back of the hole on the underside of the table top. I said I hate pressed wood, I don't trust it to hold! In both mounting the table top to the treadle and the straps to the table top I used the largest screws I could find to fit. I used #12 by 1 inch screws plus a flat washer to mount the table top and I used #12 by 3/4 screws plus a flat washer and two part epoxy glue to mount the steel straps. As you can tell by now I tend to over build!!
In order for the oak plank/sewing head assembly to be held in place on the table top I mounted 1 inch by 1/8 inch steel straps on the two front corners and across the back of the hole on the underside of the table top. I said I hate pressed wood, I don't trust it to hold! In both mounting the table top to the treadle and the straps to the table top I used the largest screws I could find to fit. I used #12 by 1 inch screws plus a flat washer to mount the table top and I used #12 by 3/4 screws plus a flat washer and two part epoxy glue to mount the steel straps. As you can tell by now I tend to over build!!
06-22-2012, 08:45 AM
#14
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Location: Bakersfield, Ca.
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Before I go any further I need to bring out a very important point, all my measurements are taken and lined up with the center line of the table top, the treadle base, the sewing head, hole in the table top and the plank that will fill the hole. The next important feature is the front edge of the hole and making sure the drive pully from the treadle and the pully on the sewing head line up. So as I go further on my directions on this project keep this in mind and I'll try and bring this out.
Now I have the center lines of the hole and plank lined up and I also know where the front nose of the sewing head will be in relationship to the front of the hole and the drive pully (the blue tape on the table top has the outline of the nose marked on it). The next step is to transfer all the notches and holes from the bottom of the sewing head to the oak plank. Since this is my first try at this, I'll be doing that in two steps.
First I cut a piece of 3/16 inch hard board to the size of the hole, this will represent the plank. I then determind and drew the center line on the hard board. I then detemined where the center line was under the sewing head. Using a jig saw, I then measured and cut out the center section of the hard board being careful to cut it undersized of what was needed for clearence. I then started to wittle away at the hard board in the places I needed to gain clearence of the different screws, cams and other things so I could get the hard board to sit flat against the bottom of the sewing head.
Once that was done I noticed that I got a little carried away and had some gaps that were a little to big, so for the next step I put blue tape over those gaps so I could tighten them up for my next step. I then cut a piece of 1 inch by 12 inch pine to fill the hole and marked the center line. Then I traced the clearence hole of the hard board, including the areas I marked in blue tape and the cut that out using the same jig saw. After comparing the pine cut out to the sewing head I needed to tighten up a few more places.
After I was satisfied on the fit, I traced the cut out one more time on the actual oak plank. After drilling some relief holes inside the cut out area I used a scroll saw to make the cuts into the oak plank. Because I had tightened up some of the areas a little too tight (which is good) I used a file to improve the fit.
Now I have the center lines of the hole and plank lined up and I also know where the front nose of the sewing head will be in relationship to the front of the hole and the drive pully (the blue tape on the table top has the outline of the nose marked on it). The next step is to transfer all the notches and holes from the bottom of the sewing head to the oak plank. Since this is my first try at this, I'll be doing that in two steps.
First I cut a piece of 3/16 inch hard board to the size of the hole, this will represent the plank. I then determind and drew the center line on the hard board. I then detemined where the center line was under the sewing head. Using a jig saw, I then measured and cut out the center section of the hard board being careful to cut it undersized of what was needed for clearence. I then started to wittle away at the hard board in the places I needed to gain clearence of the different screws, cams and other things so I could get the hard board to sit flat against the bottom of the sewing head.
Once that was done I noticed that I got a little carried away and had some gaps that were a little to big, so for the next step I put blue tape over those gaps so I could tighten them up for my next step. I then cut a piece of 1 inch by 12 inch pine to fill the hole and marked the center line. Then I traced the clearence hole of the hard board, including the areas I marked in blue tape and the cut that out using the same jig saw. After comparing the pine cut out to the sewing head I needed to tighten up a few more places.
After I was satisfied on the fit, I traced the cut out one more time on the actual oak plank. After drilling some relief holes inside the cut out area I used a scroll saw to make the cuts into the oak plank. Because I had tightened up some of the areas a little too tight (which is good) I used a file to improve the fit.
06-22-2012, 08:50 PM
#18
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Bakersfield, Ca.
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The reason I went with the scroll saw on the oak plank instead of the jig saw is my jig saw is a cheap one and it doesn't have any adjustments and no matter what kind of blade I use it tears up the back side of the board you're cutting. The scroll saw doesn't have such a violent motion and with a fine saw blade the board isn't torn up. I had no choice but to use the jig saw when I cut the top and as you can see I had to use some putty to patch the areas where the tore up the venere.
I cut out the oak plank, filed and sanded where it was needed and it fits like a dream! Janice and I like the look of natural wood so I used some Teak Oil for the finish. Tell me what you think!
I cut out the oak plank, filed and sanded where it was needed and it fits like a dream! Janice and I like the look of natural wood so I used some Teak Oil for the finish. Tell me what you think!
06-22-2012, 09:34 PM
#20
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Location: Bakersfield, Ca.
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I have to share something I had to do to make my life simpler while I was notching and cutting out the relief in the planks. When I first started to work on the hard board pattern I was fighting the sewing head, lifting it up, setting it upside down and try and balance it while trying to take measurements for the relief. Lucky for me I didn't throw out the base for the coffee table, I cut a notch out of the top of one of the legs and made a cradle! I had to make a shim and I used an old t-shirt to protect the finish on the head but once I pushed the head into the cradle the fit was tight enough to hold the head upside down as long as I needed to make all my measurements and adjustments!! It will sure come in handy when I start on making the other filler board for Janice's other sewing heads!
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