Sewing Machine For Sale

How do I find out which type of sewing machine will fit in my used sewing cabinet?

I recently found a great deal on an older (1960's) sewing cabinet at a thrift store (solid wood in excellent shape with drawers!). It didn't come with a machine, but appeared to be able to accept a most machines. So I got it and brought it home, hoping to take the machine I have in an older cabinet out. However, I found that the older machine (1950's?) will not fit in my new cabinet. (It mounted differently and was too short.) I plan to sell my old machine and cabinet at a yard sale, and want to find out what kind of machine I need to look for to work with my new cabinet. Instead of having a place for a standard rectangular base, it has more like an "L". The machines I have seen in the stores recently don't match this. I love the cabinet and want to find the correct machine to fit it so I can use it for my hobby sewing. Any help you would give me on this would be great. Thanks!

Public Comments

1. u probably can go to an sewing machine repair shop and pick up a cheap used sewing machinge less that 50.00 and it probably will fit i used to be a sales manager at singer years ago i hope this helps
2. That is a toughie, I know from experience!! 3 cabinets!! Like you I love the cabinet but could not made it work. Finally, 3yrs ago I got a new Janome - which now all of them are the portable. I took a shelf out of my computer printer stand and put it on top of the hole, of course the top of the cabinet wouldn't shut - so I mounted velcro on the top and shelf to keep from slipping and so I can take it off the shut the cabinet - which in the winter I sew all the time. Don''t give up if you love the cabinet you will find a way - I did. Good Luck!
3. When I bought my sewing table a couple years ago I also bought a plastic insert which was made to fit my sewing machine perfectly. These plastic inserts come in many different sizes to fit different sewing machines. I would recommend you make a template of the opening in your sewing cabinet and take it to a sewing store to find out what it fits. I don't know where you live, but I go to a sewing machine store in Ballard, by the Ballard Market. I think it is called AAA Sew and Vac. They have always been very helpful. There is also another sewing machine store next to Pacific Fabrics at Northgate. Good luck!
4. Hi Monica: You may be able to improvise the cabinet to fit your sewing machine. I bought a blond 1950-60 cabinet on eBay for $20 to put an antique Singer machine in. The cabinet also had an "L" lift for a machine, but my Singer didn't quite fit. I improvised by adding 1x2 boards below the "L" lift and now everything fits just like it should. Because I am big into oriental furniture and everything else oriental inside my house and in my yard, I painted the cabinet high gloss black with gold accents, then added a Chinese pull to the front door, and brass corners to the top of the cabinet. I can send you a picture of how the cabinet looks now if you will send me your email address. Mine is kathydu@alltel.net.
5. I bought an older (probably 80's) solid wood cabinet and wanted to adapt it to my new machine. It had a spring-loaded manual lift in it. My BF took out the old lift and base platform. He put in an airlift from Rockler woodworking supply (like the ones in the Horn cabinets you can buy) and made a rectangle platform for the machine to sit on. Then I ordered an acrylic insert to fit around the bed of my machine from http://www.dreamworld-inc.com/ that fit perfectly. The guy at Dreamworld was very helpful, if you measure the opening in your cabinet, perhaps they could tell you what maker your cabinet is or how to adapt it for what machine you want. Good Luck!