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W&W bookcase cabinet

 

I picked up a W&W D-9 in a bookcase cabinet on Friday. I've been in love with these cabinets for quite a while and was so excited to find one. It is dirty, musty, and absolutely beautiful.

I'm quite confident that the cabinet will cleanup beautifully with some work. It is complete and the treadle works. The faux books are extremely faded. They were originally a deep burgundy, but are almost white now. It will take some thought and research to figure how to add color to them?while retaining the gold gilding.

The D-9 also needs some attention, but I think it will clean up well. It is missing its front plate, but I can borrow one from my other D-9 until I can find one for this machine. Did I need another D-9? No, no I didn't, but I couldn't pass up this cabinet.

Pictures:?W&W Bookcase Cabinet
 

Am so glad for you, Tammy!! ? It¡¯s quite wonderful!

Thanks for sharing photos. ? I love my W&W sewing machines.

?Sent from my iPad?

Mary T
?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mmaryts/
?
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy?
enough people to make it worth the effort.
Herm Albright (1876 - 1944)?
 

What a find! Cabinet and machine will be beautiful when you¡¯re done. The D9 makes such nice stitches. Smooth sewing. Judy
 

Congratulations on finding a bookcase cabinet and machine. I have a W&W bookcase cabinet also. My "books" are in excellent condition, but I need to replace the glass in the lower two openings. The beveled mirror shows some wear. These cabinets are not rare, but are certainly hard to find. I generally don't bore anyone with my sewing machine stories, but this one is lovely. And it was less than 45 minutes from home.

The previous owner told me that during the 1970s, he hopped into a VW van and drove west.? No destination. Just West. While on the west coast, he attended an auction. He does not remember what he paid or where or when he purchased the machine and cabinet. The previous owner believed the cabinet was a really cool bookcase. Several years later, he found the sewing machine inside. He managed to keep the "bookcase" after his divorce.

Years later, the owner returned to Iowa, remarried and stored the cabinet and machine in his MIL's basement. The MIL died and the treadle and machine were then stored in his garage as the MILs house was on the market. The owner placed a notice on craigslist. I responded. The treadle owner asked about Carter Bays books. Luckily, I have a couple copies of the second edition. He flipped through the pages examining all of the photos and information.

Both the owner and his wife were amazed that the machine head could be lifted out of the cabinet. they asked me how many sewing machines I own. When I replied "More than ten", the wife huffed and left the garage.

The owner and I chatted about sewing machines. After we loaded the cabinet into my Subaru, he told me that he was convinced I was destined to have this W&W and cabinet.?

A couple decades ago, a friend purchased the bookcase cabinet. The removed the machine and treadle parts, added shelves and used the cabinet to store cds. I have the machine and internal treadle parts. If anyone would like them, please contact me privately. I live in eastern Iowa and prefer not to package and ship.

Phyllis in Iowa
 

Congratulations, Tammy! Great find! Have fun with it. That cabinet is on my list, too, but I have never seen one for a reasonable price. I will be interested to see what you come up with for coloring the books. All of the ones I have seen in person were very faded, so I'm guessing if I ever find one it will have the same issue.

Phyllis,
"the wife huffed and left the garage"
What was so offensive about that, I wonder?? ;) So funny that the one owner had it for years without realizing there was a machine inside!

Kelly
.
 

Wow, I love it! What material are the faux books covered in? Could you stain them, or dye them with a transparent dye? Or watercolor paint? That should let the gilding show through with little change.
 

Thanks, everyone.

Phyllis, Great story. None of us here are ever bored by sewing machine stories. Funny, I also tell non-VSM folks that I have more than 10 machines when they ask. They would never understand if I told them the actual number.

Kelly, This is the first library cabinet I've ever seen within a day's drive of me. I've spotted two of these cabinets that were way too far from me, but were close to collectors I knew and they were able to get them. I hoped one today it would be my turn. And it finally happened, and I got a really good deal on this one. Hoping one day, one crosses your path.

If been researching book restoration, and I think I will be able to restore the 'covers'. Going to practice on a real book first. Book restoration is really fascinating.

Tammy
 

Tammy,

? I have, before when asked, answered "100" then paused and after a pause say "100 years old".

Mike


On Sunday, March 19, 2023 at 08:54:32 PM PDT, Tammy Tatum <tammy.tatum@...> wrote:


Thanks, everyone.

Phyllis, Great story. None of us here are ever bored by sewing machine stories. Funny, I also tell non-VSM folks that I have more than 10 machines when they ask. They would never understand if I told them the actual number.

Kelly, This is the first library cabinet I've ever seen within a day's drive of me. I've spotted two of these cabinets that were way too far from me, but were close to collectors I knew and they were able to get them. I hoped one today it would be my turn. And it finally happened, and I got a really good deal on this one. Hoping one day, one crosses your path.

If been researching book restoration, and I think I will be able to restore the 'covers'. Going to practice on a real book first. Book restoration is really fascinating.

Tammy

 

HI
Funny and Sad bit of machine storage

Funny = I have 24 machine hidden in my living room only one is on display a Singer 28k 1891, very nice bentwood case.
Two treadle machines that are used as tables, one of the tables has 3 machines under it.
Three 201k behind the sofa
Six stacked out of sight
The rest squirreled away under chairs / dining table some are small machines like an Elna Lotus
Let us not talk about other rooms in the house ;-)

Sad bit= One of the machines now has a CRACKED BED
?last year I stored this machine??
A German machine made by?HAID & NEU and badged Faudels (A London UK store)
I unfortunately stored it sat on top of a box with a 1/4 inch thick leather strap, this was enough to snap the bed (I actually heard it snap, but found out a few weeks later.)
The thin wood based had warped with the pressure from the leather strap, also I had screwed the hinge tighter and the front bed screw was tight.

I will be making a jig on top of the bed to hold everything square then I will make a formed plate that conforms to the casting webs under the bed and epoxy glue it to the base.
Fortunately my family were blacksmiths so making the backing plate is not hard.
If I did not care about the paint work I would have welded it with special stick rods and heat treatment to stop it cracking when it cools down.
The top jig will hold the needle alignment and the rectangular bar that slides the shuttle.
I will wait for summer to do this, I do not like the cold garage.

I did shed a tear when I found the damage

The two decorative nut / bolts (foot pressure and thread tension) came broken with the machine, I found the case latch would unlock after you lifted the machine, I guess the machine must have been dropped in the past ?

TIP I always wrap a packing strap around a machine for lifting I never trust handles or latches (the singer ones are quite good though)

Apparently the old Singer cases were strong enough to used end on as a stool, but maybe not me 6ft2 and 110kg (only the British mix measurements)?

All the best to all
John

? ? ? ?


On Mon, 20 Mar 2023 at 03:54, Tammy Tatum <tammy.tatum@...> wrote:
Thanks, everyone.

Phyllis, Great story. None of us here are ever bored by sewing machine stories. Funny, I also tell non-VSM folks that I have more than 10 machines when they ask. They would never understand if I told them the actual number.

Kelly, This is the first library cabinet I've ever seen within a day's drive of me. I've spotted two of these cabinets that were way too far from me, but were close to collectors I knew and they were able to get them. I hoped one today it would be my turn. And it finally happened, and I got a really good deal on this one. Hoping one day, one crosses your path.

If been researching book restoration, and I think I will be able to restore the 'covers'. Going to practice on a real book first. Book restoration is really fascinating.

Tammy

 

I have a couple number 8's.? The bed on these are thinner than what is normally used.? One arrived with a cracked bed that had been repaired by someone in UK.? They put a brace and tapped then screwed it in.? It works fine.? Likely done with simple hand tools and maybe a drill press.

Mike


On Monday, March 20, 2023 at 05:30:55 AM PDT, John Harrison <jdhtyler@...> wrote:


HI
Funny and Sad bit of machine storage

Funny = I have 24 machine hidden in my living room only one is on display a Singer 28k 1891, very nice bentwood case.
Two treadle machines that are used as tables, one of the tables has 3 machines under it.
Three 201k behind the sofa
Six stacked out of sight
The rest squirreled away under chairs / dining table some are small machines like an Elna Lotus
Let us not talk about other rooms in the house ;-)

Sad bit= One of the machines now has a CRACKED BED
?last year I stored this machine??
A German machine made by?HAID & NEU and badged Faudels (A London UK store)
I unfortunately stored it sat on top of a box with a 1/4 inch thick leather strap, this was enough to snap the bed (I actually heard it snap, but found out a few weeks later.)
The thin wood based had warped with the pressure from the leather strap, also I had screwed the hinge tighter and the front bed screw was tight.

I will be making a jig on top of the bed to hold everything square then I will make a formed plate that conforms to the casting webs under the bed and epoxy glue it to the base.
Fortunately my family were blacksmiths so making the backing plate is not hard.
If I did not care about the paint work I would have welded it with special stick rods and heat treatment to stop it cracking when it cools down.
The top jig will hold the needle alignment and the rectangular bar that slides the shuttle.
I will wait for summer to do this, I do not like the cold garage.

I did shed a tear when I found the damage

The two decorative nut / bolts (foot pressure and thread tension) came broken with the machine, I found the case latch would unlock after you lifted the machine, I guess the machine must have been dropped in the past ?

TIP I always wrap a packing strap around a machine for lifting I never trust handles or latches (the singer ones are quite good though)

Apparently the old Singer cases were strong enough to used end on as a stool, but maybe not me 6ft2 and 110kg (only the British mix measurements)?

All the best to all
John

? ? ? ?


On Mon, 20 Mar 2023 at 03:54, Tammy Tatum <tammy.tatum@...> wrote:
Thanks, everyone.

Phyllis, Great story. None of us here are ever bored by sewing machine stories. Funny, I also tell non-VSM folks that I have more than 10 machines when they ask. They would never understand if I told them the actual number.

Kelly, This is the first library cabinet I've ever seen within a day's drive of me. I've spotted two of these cabinets that were way too far from me, but were close to collectors I knew and they were able to get them. I hoped one today it would be my turn. And it finally happened, and I got a really good deal on this one. Hoping one day, one crosses your path.

If been researching book restoration, and I think I will be able to restore the 'covers'. Going to practice on a real book first. Book restoration is really fascinating.

Tammy

 

Tammy,

Thanks for the reminder that these machines come in what appears to just be a bookcase. I¡¯ll have to return to searching for a small bookcase again. It was such an unusual design, and pretty impractical too. ?It makes me wonder what the intent was behind this design, besides hiding the sewing machine away??

Carol

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