JLRC32188
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MA USA
Member since 9/12/11
Posts: 9 |
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Date: 10/5/11 11:44 AM I have been looking and looking for a sturdy sewing or craft table that is real wood, not particle board. I am up to 4 stores I've hit this week , only to find out it is not wood, but "woodlike"
Where did quality craftsmanship go?
Can anybody suggest even website that is good?
My "woodlike" cart that I picked up from Target (just to hold me over$ 7 months ago just fell the rest of the way apart.
7 months. Nice. My Webpage |
poorpigling
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TX USA
Member since 12/28/07
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In reply to JLRC32188
Date: 10/5/11 11:58 AM
I would sketch out something close to what you wanted. And then get an estimate from a cabinet maker .. bearing in mind that adding drawers will add to the cost. Often this is cheaper in the long run then continually buying units to replace those cheapies that fall apart..
Might also look at such at thrift stores.. keeping in mind that they can often be altered to fit your needs.. Maybe even a dining room table with the legs shortened.. something like that.
IF you only want a really simple one.. you or you DH could maybe make it over a weekend.
I hope you get the table of your dreams.. so sad the quality of goods we are getting now in furniture.. |
mssewcrazy
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MS USA
Member since 3/4/03
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Date: 10/5/11 2:06 PM I enlisted my husband who is not a cabinet maker, detests the sanding and finishing and just pretty much won't do it. He made me two sturdy wood tables on rollers that were sort of copied from an old word processor table that was particle board and a non rolling longer simple table to the height/length I wanted for a corner of the utility room where I have an embroidery area near the kitchen. My original table actually collapsed while luckily I was in front of it and caught the machine before it hit the tile. This inspired my husband to make the wood tables. My point here is lots of men/neighbors will do simple basic sturdy tables if you skip the drawers and do the finish/sanding yourself. If you will paint instead of stain, the wood can be lots cheaper or recycled which suited me fine since my bernina is in a purchased white cabinet. We actually used leftover ceiling paint I think to paint them. A lady I know found her sewing room furniture at a thrift and a second hand office supply and it is sturdy. For my heavy janome straight stitch machine I found a low heigth weird office table with 3 drawers at a thrift (maybe an old typing table) that some person had used for sewing. It was really ugly and had contact paper and crinkling paint all over but being a determined sort I got a heat gun and stripped it using a blade that actually wasn't too difficult. It had ivory formica on the top that I just cleaned; I removed the hardware and spray painted it the original beige color. Total cost $15 to clean up and redo. I put some rubber shelf liner in the drawers and am really delighted with it-very sturdy. I really didn't want to pay a cabinet maker as I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted and dh and the elbow grease required was free. I think the thrift would have given me the 3 drawered table as it was hideous looking. Dh was not initially pleased to see it as it was dreadful but he thought it turned out very well. The cabinet makers here are really expensive and I was afraid if I didn't like what I had built I'd be stuck with it forever so I decided to try cheap with work attached. If you stick with the simple table concept, I don't think it is difficult to hammer one together that is sturdy and it will cost about what a cheap particle board will cost. |
happiness5
Member since 4/19/11
Posts: 156 |
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Date: 10/5/11 2:19 PM OOOh, I just got my sewing table and cutting table this week. They are solid wood and the cutting table was made custom for my needs. I got it from a company called Gristmill in Pennsylvania. They have a website. I love that it's not just practical and utilitarian, but truly beautiful furniture that I'll have for many years and eventually be able to hand down to my family. |
allycovey
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AR USA
Member since 11/16/07
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Date: 10/5/11 2:30 PM DH is a furniture manufacturing teacher at West Fork High School, he actually made all my furniture as demonstrations instructing the kids on how to do things. (we paid for the wood of course) He retires in 2 more years maybe he should think of making Sewing furniutre to sell after retirement.
I wouldn't want him to get bored he he |
minggiddylooloo
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VA USA
Member since 5/17/05
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Date: 10/5/11 4:35 PM DH and I are planning to take adult continuing education courses in woodworking next semester for fun. Aside from some furniture I want for the house, a nicer sewing cabinet might be next on the list!
I really like the functionality of the Koala tables but they are expensive and I'm not sure if they're solid wood either. ------
I'm finally a blogger!
sewming.blogspot.com |
Coconuts
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MI USA
Member since 12/2/09
Posts: 1100 |
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Date: 10/5/11 4:36 PM Bear in mind that particle board is stable, where wood planks will warp.
You could go with Ikea legs with a butcher block countertop on top pretty cheaply. You will have to finish the wood though. |
allycovey
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AR USA
Member since 11/16/07
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Date: 10/5/11 5:32 PM Here's the Bench DH made for our back deck
 |
mssewcrazy
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MS USA
Member since 3/4/03
Posts: 2303 |
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In reply to happiness5
Date: 10/5/11 5:49 PM How nice to get something so beautiful-craftmanship is getting to be a thing of the past. My only regret is buying the wheeled cheap fold up table and mat as opposed to getting one built from plans that would have a drawer to hold the scissors,pins,etc and would have been sturdier and more attractive. The one I bought was cheap however and I cover it when it is folded up with an antique quilt my mother did as it lives in my formal living room in a corner. I got rid of two wing backs and their ottomans so I would have plenty of room when it is open. If I had it to do over I would have splurged on this one piece. It did need to fold up however as every flat surface here accumulates clutter and I keep it folded up for that reason plus it really does live in a living room that I try to mostly keep looking like one. The mat lives behind the piano against the wall so it is win win for me since I don't have room for a cutting table in my small sewing room.I would love a custom built one with oodles of storage if I did have space. You will love your new pieces. |
mssewcrazy
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MS USA
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In reply to allycovey
Date: 10/5/11 5:59 PM fabulous bench! I am amazed at what a wood worker can do. We took dimensions from one of those PB places when my daughter was in vet school and dh made a few pieces for her condo like a tv stand and a book case that would hold her heavy textbooks and cubicles for basket storage. I liked it so much he did a tall one for our bedroom to hold a lot of our books-trying to get another and a sewing table but it's hard to get much woodworking out of that farm shop. He can build pretty well just has no patience for something that might take more than a couple of hours. You are so lucky that he will build those nice things for you. |
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