SEWING TABLE REPAIR SERIES # 1: Preparing a Sound Surface for Veneer Repair On a Singer Table

[@azkaland]

Thank you! I've had a 1910 Singer 27 treadle in a very nice oak table for a while. Looks like a previous owner used it as a plant stand so there are some big splits in the veneer. I've held off on it because buying new veneer that big will cost more than I paid for the machine, and I really don't want to refinish it at all. I thought there surely must be some way to re-stick the veneer, and I've had some Restor-a-finish just waiting for the occasion. I believe this is why doilies used to be more common, to hide these kinds of things 😂

[@Bearcwy]

I would recommend that you square up that missing piece of veneer. That would make it a lot easier to fit the new piece in. Also check the old and new veneer thickness you might have to build up under the new veneer so when it is glued down it will sit level with the surrounding old veneer to either side.

[@kam5876]

Bearcwy, what material would you use to build up the thickness of the new veneer?

[@roosterwilson9371]

I have started using Gorilla wood glue it is very permanent and it can be thinned to use with a syringe to get the glue up under deeper areas of the veneer separation that I have come across on a couple of bentwood projects and seems to work extremely well. It is water based so you get more work time and excess cleans up with a damp rag.

[@cynrich1]

Considerable time has passed since this video was made, and I've seen a lot of your others since then, so I just thought you might be still wondering what that "Hair clip part" might be--it's an older form of a bodkin for feeding elastic or ribbons through folded and stitched tubes in waistbands or other areas where it would be useful. In the slot with the circle, you can slip an elastic or cord through the hole, and slide it up into the thinner slot and it will hold. The two horizontal slits would be for sliding a narrow elastic or ribbon in one, then through the other to feed it back up to the first one and feed it back through sort of like a buckle to hold it in as you feed it through the tube.

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

Thank you for sharing. I recently read somewhere about this but your message confirmed it.

[@cynrich1]

@@VintageSewingMachineGarage I am constantly amazed at the quantity of clever and strange things we find in these old machines!

[@Gabiimade]

I paid $25 for my singer from 1938 with the original cabinet , the machine still working I just need to restore the cabinet

[@jeanburgin160]

Great tutorial, thank you ... I have an old cabinet to replace and repair veneer on.

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

Glad it helped

[@caron-bowman]

Can you please show how one would replace the bottom portion of a sewing desk where the sewing machine rest? In other words how would one replace the leather holder that sewing machine rest in when it is not in the up position. Many sewing desk ,you find with just the hole and no holder inside for the sewing machine to sit in.

[@131dyana]

Gorilla glue gave way in the heat when I used it. Phoenix Arizona is too hot for that glue. I use E6000 glue.

[@eldersandim3008]

Good job

[@tenaoconnor821]

The metal thing that you are using is an elastic guide to guide elastic or ribbon into casings in a waist band or something like that

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

Thank you for helping solve that mystery Tena!

[@Isabel-of4wq]

Thanks for sharing your expertise these are fabulous videos! I did wonder - why do these high quality tables even have veneer in the first place? I confess I was thinking if I bought one with damaged veneer I could strip it off and re-sand it. Is that sacrilege? Thoughts?

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

Hello Isabel. The best once can do is to have any veneered piece spot repaired or re-veneered. Veneered pieces used to have as association with lower cost. Today, veneered furniture can be quite valuable. If you explore further into the construction of your table, you will discover that, compared with most all new furniture today, the construction is superior. Many of the veneers are from tropical hard woods that are scarce today. And one of the most beautiful tables I've ever seen (sewing or otherwise) was veneered in a walnut burl that I have not see since. My greater point here is that I would not look down on veneered pieces from the vintage era. FYI, veneers can still be purchased. There are man sources for materials for such a project. Lee Valley Tools has quite a selection but there are other places online as well.

[@Isabel-of4wq]

@@VintageSewingMachineGarage So it may just be that all the tables are made in solid oak, but the veneer allows buyers to choose a mahogany finish or a walnut finish without making the entire piece out of these hardwoods. Thanks for taking us on this journey of discovery ....

[@ChocolateGirrafe44]

Love you videos, can you please do a video on a buttholer and zigzagger in action? Btw, I got the cord for the Touch and Sew 606! Sounds incredible and is running well.

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

I will try to remember to do a video for those. So glad to hear you got the cord!

[@CO-kd6sd]

What's the best way to contact you about machines you sell?

[@VintageSewingMachineGarage]

You can find our machines on Kijiji or you can email me at our email link which is at the bottom of the "ABOUT" tab page found on this channel home page. It will show the link if you are subscribed.