Old Sewing Machine Base w/ Walnut Slab Top

[Stephen Musial]

Here's an old (c1870ish) Willcox & Gibbs sewing machine base (notice the WG cast into the stand above the circle) It was painted a nasty tenement green color that I spent a while getting off with needle scaler. Got down to the original patina and clear coated it with lacquer.

The top is a slab of walnut from a tree about the same age as the stand. Planed, sanded and scraped then applied about 10 coats of oil/turps/spar finish and followed up with 3 coats clear shellac. (I still need to rub it out and wax it but was anxious to get a picture ). There's an oak bowtie in the left branch (far right in the picture) and I had to fill some voids in the heart with black epoxy.


Walnut TableSm.jpg

[jeffrey bailey]

Just gave me an idea for a slab I have been saving. Been kicking around different ideas for the base and now I have found it.

[Randy Bonella]

Love it! the proportions look great from the pic and the old iron base works well with the top you chose. I think this one will be copied by a lot of us

Great job!!!
Randy...

[Jim Matthews]

Live edge stuff rarely appeals to me -
but this is slick. The ornate casting echoes the grain above.

Kudos

[Jim Becker]

Me Likey!!!!!

[joe valsi]

Beautiful !! where did you get the walnut ? amazing !!

[Stephen Musial]

Beautiful !! where did you get the walnut ? amazing !!

A place here in St. Louis called Lumber Logs LLC (owned by Tom Sontag who is on here from time to time). When the tree companies take down a tree, they'll leave 20 feet or so of the trunk and Tom sends his boom truck up and gets it. He slabs it, either leaves it live edged or saws it off, air dries it and then puts it in the kiln. After that he sells them really cheap. That slab probably cost under 100.00.

[Tom Sontag]

I mentioned this to you before, but this piece does full justice to a terrific piece of wood and you cannot say better than that.

[Stephen Musial]

Thanks again Tom! And by the way, he in no way has any elm that has any potential to be some of the most beautiful slabs ever seen by man and they won't be ready next year but he does have lots of other really nice stuff like walnut, cherry, white and red oak, etc. But nope, no elm...

[Bart Goldberg]

Nice looking slab. A few comments: 1) The sewing machine base appears to be too small for that size slab. I'd be concerned that the table would tend to fall over. 2) I would suggest not adding wax as a final step in your finishing process. If you ever need to repair the finish, shellac is easy to repair, but if you have wax over it, then trying to get it off will be a huge PITA. I would suggest you rub out the final coat of shellac and call it a day.