Thaniks! Glad I could 'plain it this time. Any tips on making the marks accurate for the holes? I usually just measure from the edge(s) Laura

Two dowels on each side would be better if enough room but did not look it. First use a pencil and ruler to mark both sides. This line across both pieces will help with alignment. Bring this line down the edge of both sides of all pieces then mark dead center on each line. Take a small nail(like a 1/2" brad and drive in the center mark on each side that will mate align and press together remove the nails and both sides will be marked for drilling. Keep drill as straight as possible when drilling.

Skip

Probably a good call. I might-possibly-pay $20 for a machine that needed that much work, but it looks to me like it needed to be in the freebie category to get involved with it. At some point, enough machines and thier cabinets will be destroyed that there actually will be a rare Singer. ( Like the passenger pigeon) Until that time, no, we can't save them all. Laura

A few of you wanted to see pics of my home made spool protectors. I've been busy going through my stash of woolens and wool mix felts. I thought the greens would look great on my green Elnas and 185, the blacks nice on my black Singers, the browns on my mocha 301's and 401, and the pink on my pink Morse. Guess I'll have to get a blue machine next. I think I'm going to make some in yellow, gold and maybe some herringbone types. My machines are going to be spiffy looking:>

Whew! Tired. Have been working all day on that Köhler cabinet. Let me just say that it's being a challenge! To start with, the Post WW2 East Germans/Russians that made this cabinet were NOT interested in craftsmanship. I'm finding more spaces where there shouldn't be any than I can shake a stick at! The finish on it, Skip and I decided, (well....Skip decided, but I agreed) is some kind of a water based poly finish. This cabinet was not a candidate for a refresh...too many areas where the finish was gone. What was left has taken TWO applications of stripper, and that's just for the finish, not the stain! It doesn't "bubble" like shellac or varnish do, and when it peels off, it comes off like dried jello, sticky, stringy, nasty and messy!
At the spousal unit's request, I won't be doing the burled walnut door, and will just do my best to refresh that...he's afraid that if I take the finish off of it, that it will fall apart...so I told him I'd leave it alone, altho it's been hard!

I finally have the stain on the top pieces....will do the main body of the cabinet later this evening, and the one part of the door will get stained tomorrow. Then I'll start in on shellac!

It seemed to work fine without lowering the feed dogs, so I might not mess with it until it bothers me. The knob turns easily; I think the problem might be more in whatever connects the 2. I'm thinking of putting some kind of thin cushion on the hopping foot where it hits the needle clamp to see if that helps the noise.

This poor machine was frozen up tight when I got her. The bed has some kind of marks that look like maybe she was put in a clamp to try to get the main shaft on top to turn. I found some tool marks on that too when I was cleaning her up. Glad they didn't bend it! The motor and wiring looked great, so I think she froze up fairly early in life, probably from 3-in-1 or something similar.

Nice looking spool pin covers

Charlee, stripping water based poly is nasty business huh:thumbdown:

Skip

Those are a nice change of pace from fire-engine red.

Oh Baby!! You ain't just whistlin' Dixie!! I've worked my tail off today...but I want it ready to go back together when William gets back from Cali...that would be Thursday, so it may not happen by then, but hopefully shortly after that!