1874 project treadle
 

this would be fun to polish up a little....would it be hard to find parts?

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/atq/3546537426.html

I'd say the cabinet is worth the money, esp if there are parts inside. See if they will give you the model and serial#, does the treadle work, does the needle go up and down when the handwheel is turned. Does it have the shuttle and bobbins? I believe it's a Wheeler Wilson, so do a search of the rest of the Board for other folk's experiences with this make/model, and look at Steve Heeter's WW restoration thread he just started. I'm not as afraid of rust as I used to be after seeing what he did with a Howe recently! Once you have the model #, check EBay for the missing plate and see if there are lots of other parts easily available.

I think the cabinet is a lot nicer than the head, which dates to the 1890's. Wheeler Wilson 9's are common so parts are easy to find, though bobbins and original needles expensive. Around $50-75 seems fair, but less is better still. You'd have a nice sewing machine when your done if you decide to buy this. Good Luck.

Jon

thanks for the good advice guys...but, I guess I'm going to have to save my elbow grease for another project. It seems this one is not for me after all.

if she turned I'd have picked it up for that price. Those are really nice machines to sew on, and the cabinet is not the common one you see on a #9. I paid 90 for my WW9 treadle in similar condition but the cabinet isn't as fancy.