DIY Treadle Sewing Machine Base Desk

We made this DIY treadle sewing machine base desk pre-blog, so unfortunately we don’t have progress pictures!  But it’s a fairly simple DIY desk to make, so keep reading for the instructions and tips!  Since making this desk, we have also built 2 additional DIY desks (with detailed tutorials this time!).  Plus we built solid wood countertops and you can use those detailed steps for this DIY desk build as well.

How to Build a DIY Treadle Sewing Machine Base Desk

Because Hubby’s dad is a woodworker, he has the skills (and borrowed shop space) to make the top from scratch – but you could use a butcherblock, an old wooden door, or pre-fab desk top for a similar effect with fewer steps!

Building the Solid Wood Desk Surface:

1. First, the top planks were planed to thickness and then the edges were jointed to get a smooth, straight edge.
2. They were then butt jointed together with a good quality wood glue and all clamped together with bar clamps overnight.
3. Once dry, the top was then cut to length using a circular saw and sanded.
4. To sand the top, Hubby used a stroke sander (for those who do not know, a stroke sander is basically a belt sander, except it is stationary and the piece you are sanding is placed on a table and the table moves under the belt).
5. The top edges were rounded over with a trim router and a 1/4” radius bit.
6. Once sanded, Hubby made two cross pieces to fit perpendicular to the top planks for strength and to mount the base to.
7. To mount to the base, each cross piece is drilled and bolted to the iron sewing machine base.
8. Larger holes chase the bolt holes to counter sink the bolt heads and enable the desk top to sit flush on top of the cross piece.
9. Each cross piece was fixed to the top with seven wood screws that are counter sunk and driven from the bottom.  (This is all assembled and fit, disassembled, and reassembled.  The cross piece is first bolted to the base, and then the top is screwed to the crosspiece).
10. After it was all done, I put coat of clear finish on the top to help protect it.

Here Are Some Photos of the Underside:

Painting the Treadle:

Refinishing the treadle base was also super easy.  I applied two coats of black spray paint to freshen up the finish, with a few prep steps to make it extra durable because I treadle at my desk and it’s been moved quite a few times!

1. Give it a good wash and let it air dry completely
2. Wearing PPE, sand any rusty spots (it could be lead paint so protect your lungs, eyes, and skin!)
3. Wipe off sanding residue
4. Prime with a metal primer (I like this Rust-Oleum etching primer for metal)
5. Let the primer coat dry
6. Then paint with a spray paint designed for metal (I like this one).

Detailed Process for How to Make a Solid Wood Surface

For a similar process, you can see how we built solid maple counters from scratch (this time, with step-by-step photos).