# sewing center for SWMBO



## cedarwood (Feb 3, 2012)

Well the oak has finally arrived and I have been busy turning it into her sewing desk and so far it is going well.
The plans are the shaker style from Rockler, I also purchased the hardware kit and sewing machine lift from them.
Did think about importing the wood kit too but more expensive to ship it here than buying the Oak boards.
Will update with more pics as I go.


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## TwoSkies57 (Feb 23, 2009)

Looking good Roger.  This project already has sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet written all over it!!


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

Great job, so far, Roger. I am sure she will be pleased. (love your router....)


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## cedarwood (Feb 3, 2012)

So do I love my router James that one is the JOF001 bought new, plus I have 2 TRA001's. One of them is in the table and the other I use hand held for when I need more power and weight than the JOF. First pic is up the right way of the TRA under the table with plunge spring removed, very easy to set height with the crank knob and the fine adjuster. Second TRA is on floor waiting to be used lol. Bought both the TRA001's off ebay as non working, with the intention of making one good one from the two. But one just needed new brushes the other needed a new armature and brushes, all of which were readily obtainable so I repaired both. Total cost of both plus parts was £210 which is about the cost of just one of them brand new over here.


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## LiLRdWgn (Dec 31, 2011)

Awesome look project Roger. Please keep us posted with the progress.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

Looking good Roger.

Is that a Leigh dovetail jig you are using on the sewing machine project?


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## cedarwood (Feb 3, 2012)

Yes it is Dan Would of liked the bigger model but I don,t use it enough to justify the extra ££££'s, this sewing center is the only time so far that have needed to dovetail wide boards so I cut the dovetails before glueing the boards together.


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## AndyL (Jun 3, 2011)

Lots of dovetails! Looking good. How are you liking the JOF001 for handheld work? Been thinking of getting one myself. I have an MOF001 but sometimes it's a bit top-heavy for hand-held work.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

cedarwood said:


> Yes it is Dan Would of liked the bigger model but I don,t use it enough to justify the extra ££££'s, this sewing center is the only time so far that have needed to dovetail wide boards so I cut the dovetails before glueing the boards together.


I hear ya on the costs, good tools are not cheap but once you buy them and use them it is well worth it. How do you like the Leigh dovetail jig? Is it easy to setup or is it like everything, a bit of time to getting over the learning curve?


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## cedarwood (Feb 3, 2012)

Your right Dan good quality is worth paying for, having said that once I have found a good piece of kit I still hunt out the keenest price for it inc shipment cost. The jig is easy enough to set up but I always check with the manual to make sure that I am doing it the right way for the joint I wish to use. What I really like about the Leigh jig is the ability to set the fingers precisely how you like the joint to look.
I did have one hiccup when routing the drawer dovetails I was into the fourth drawer and suddenly they didn't fit, well after some head scratching and a test of the router bit depth I found that it had moved in the collet. So I took it right out cleaned the shaft and collet reset the depth making very sure it was secure and carried on.
The new straight bits arrived today so I was able to rout the rebate's in the drawer sides and begin the glue up.


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

You know I don't think I have ever done a project and not have a hiccup. It is the hiccups that separate the men from the boys.  

I have been thinking of getting one of those jigs but I tried out another type and it seemed to work for me. I haven't done big projects like the one you did but it worked fine for my glass holders.


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## cedarwood (Feb 3, 2012)

Well it's not been a bad week pedestals and draws are finished and attached to the top, did have a bad time with the draws 2 of the smaller ones had to be re-made when the dovetails didn't fit because I had routed the rebates for the bottoms on the wrong side. (I know stupid mistake but all to easy do)
Have now also today glued the back together and will be sanded and finished tomorrow, have also cut and routed all door parts and done a dry fit very pleased nothing wrong here one is glued up and the other I will glue tomorrow (don't have enough clamps :sad: )


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

Looking great! Did you use any plywood or is it all hardwood?

What made you go with 3/4" drawer sides? I see the fronts are but you had to to incorporate the dovetail.


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## cedarwood (Feb 3, 2012)

Ply over here is nearly as dear as solid wood Dan, it's also very hard to get double sided oak ply and then there is all the edge banding to do besides we like the real McCoy SO it's all solid timber.
As for the draw sides I did try re-sawing some of the Oak boards to half inch BUT despite the timber being kiln dried joinery grade it bent like a banana soon as it came out the other end of the band saw, and it isn't possible to get less than 19mm board here. 
I could of put it through the thicknesser but that seemed such a waste just to have a half inch more inside width to the draws, anyway with all that extra weight it sure is gonna be a sturdy desk unit :yes4: .


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

Plywood is a lot cheaper here but I can only dream it would be the same price as solid wood.

As for the wood cupping on you after you re-saw it on the bandsaw, is it possible the wood has not yet dried properly and adjusted to the shop humidity? Do you measure the moisture content in the wood? If so what is the moisture percentage at?

One thing I have noticed is when re-sawing I let it sit and allow for some cupping and then plane it down to size. When running it through the planer I take off equal amounts from both sides to avoid warping and cupping.

Never the less you do great work and a term I like to use is "Bomber". In Technical Rescue when rigging for rope rescue we need to build anchors which will withstand forces when hauling up people. These anchors need to be "bombproof" and I have no doubt this sewing machine is "BOMBER".


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## cedarwood (Feb 3, 2012)

Well today I finished the sewing center, I had a bit of a break from it last week with some wood turning commissions for Christmas.
Pic 1, dry fit of first door.
Pic 2, first door glued up.
Pic 3, the back partly polished.
Pic 4, door polished ready for fitting.
Pic 5, all put together "closed".
The rest show how it all opens up.

:lazy2: Now I just need to find a new project to pass the time :laugh:


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## TRN_Diesel (Feb 24, 2009)

You did an amazing job. Looks great and very functional.


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## jw2170 (Jan 24, 2008)

SWMBO should be pleased......VBG.


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## dick in ia (Jul 23, 2007)

Great job.
This will give SWMBO many years of enjoyment
It looks like you had a definite size in mind when you built it to just fit the corner, but you also left it very flexible by utilizing the casters.


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