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    Repurposed Furniture » Secretary Desk | Repurposed Sewing Cabinet

    Secretary Desk | Repurposed Sewing Cabinet

    Published by Gail | Published January 19, 2021 | Updated June 28, 2021
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    Step by step directions on how to make a secretary desk from an unwanted sewing cabinet. Perfect for laptop, or bill paying center. Tips for building and painting. #MyRepurposedLife #repurposed #upcycle #sewingcabinet #secretary via @repurposedlife  via @repurposedlife

    I have repurposed a lot of sewing cabinets, but I turned this sewing cabinet into a secretary desk! Of course you could use it as a library table, or maybe in a nook, perhaps in your kitchen. I found my inspiration for this sewing cabinet turned secretary desk on Pinterest. But upon closer inspection of the pin, I noticed it is actually dollhouse furniture!! Too funny!

    Save & Share on Pinterest!

     

    FARMHOUSE SECRETARY DESK MADE FROM OLD SEWING CABINET

     

    Let’s see how the new piece came together.

    old sewing cabinet
    First, I had to dig in the wood shed for a victim. It’s definitely time to organize this place where projects wait for their makeover!
    sewing cabinet redoI suppose it could be in worse shape, mostly it just needs cleaning up. What you can’t see from this picture is how H.E.A.V.Y this thing is! I was barely able to drag it out of storage.

    DISMANTLE OLD SEWING CABINET

    25 dollar sewing cabinet
    The price tag might say $25, but I know for a fact, I would never pay that much for a project piece.
    dismantle sewing machine cabinet
    The plan was to work on this project in the basement shop. But, as it was—there was no way I could carry this thing all that way. Step one was to start dismantling the soon to be secretary desk. So, I got busy removing the hinged top.

    remove sewing machine base Next, I got busy removing the frame that actually held the sewing machine. Do you see that stamp? Inspected by Clarence Bennet? That’s quality job 1, when a person was willing to put their name on their work. But—you’ll see later that Clarence may not have had his head in the game this day.

    *this post contains affiliate links, read more here*

    painters tool as a pry bar
    These small pieces were glued in order to help secure the sewing machine frame. I used a painter’s tool to break the glue seal.
    take apart old sewing cabinet
    That’s better! If you take your time, your sewing cabinet will be perfect for it’s new use, in this case, a secretary desk!

     

    DIRECTIONS FOR DISMANTLING SEWING CABINET LID

    sewing machine brace on lid
    When the sewing machine lid is opened, there is this brace that keeps the lid from getting too stressed. It isn’t difficult to remove IF you know how!

    sewing machine lid brace
    The last time I worked on a lid like this, I didn’t see this tiny screw on the side. I almost messed the lid up trying to pry the brace out. LOOK for the little screw to remove.

    brace removed from sewing machine lid
    Do you see how long that little screw is? I won’t bother to fill the slotted area, as the bottom of the lid will not be visible. But at least that brace is out of the way.

    HOW TO CLEAN OLD FURNITURE

    clean with tsp substitueThis old thing was really, really dirty. I chose to clean it with TSP substitute and a rag.

    tsp substitute
    So, now the lid was ready for cleaning. Check out how nasty that rag is. After cleaning with the TSP substitute, I realized that the varnish was in rough shape and I would need to sand the top of the secretary desk/repurposed sewing machine.
    sanded table top
    Isn’t that looking better? The top is now smooth and ready to move to the basement shop for it’s makeover into a new secretary desk.

    INSPECT THRIFT STORE FURNITURE

    wrong leg
    Okay, now we’re in the basement shop, getting serious about turning this sewing cabinet into a secretary desk. I’m about to reattach the top . . . as I’m checking to make sure it’s even on all sides, I notice a problem with the leg. Do you see it? The leg on the right has some detail on it, but the leg on the left is plain! This is why I think Clarence was off his game on the day he inspected this cabinet.
    I didn’t take a picture, but the matching leg is on the back left side!

    how to remove the leg on a sewing cabinet
    Luckily, the leg was really easy to switch out. All I had to do was loosen a couple of screws and slide the leg upward.

    REATTACH ORIGINAL LID TO MAKE SECRETARY DESK

    reattach table top
    I reused the original screws to attach the sewing cabinet lid, which is now the new top to the secretary desk.

    old sewing machine cabinet
    Don’t you think it looks so much better without that extra piece in the way? Back in the day, when I did another makeover, I just glued the lid down. But ever since then, I’ve made it a practice to remove that extra piece.

    ADD SHELF AND DETAILED BRACKETS

    designing the secretary desk
    This is where it gets really fun for me. I never draw plans, I just start adding bits and pieces until I get the look I want. Using two different shelf brackets, I try to figure out which I like best. The shelf piece is from a parted out dresser. I had 4 drawer fronts in my stash that were perfect!

    making a secretary desk out of a sewing machine cabinet
    It looks like the smaller brackets are going to work best. This is just a dry fit as I figure out a plan for assembling the shelf that will turn the sewing machine cabinet into a secretary desk!!

    turning a sewing cabinet into a secretary desk
    Looking at all the different wood tones, interestingly allows you to see how it all comes together. After it’s all painted, it’s all going to come together.

    SAND PIECES BEFORE INSTALLING

    sand before assembly
    I chose to sand all the pieces to remove the shine before assembling the top portion of the secretary desk.

    ASSEMBLE SECRETARY DESK SHELF USING POCKET HOLE JOINERY

    kreg jig for pocket hole assembly
    Using the Kreg Jig was an easy decision. To be honest, it was a little challenging figuring out the placement of the pocket holes. If you look closely, you will see I changed my mind a couple of times. I marked the “top” “bottom” and “back” on all the pieces.

    use speed square Clamping a speed square insured that my shelf supports would be squared. I used Gorilla Wood Glue on all the joints.

    assembling shelf for secretary desk
    In this image, the shelf is upside down, ready to attach the back.

    clamp and square shelf
    An Irwin Quick Clamp holds the pieces in place while I secure the pocket hole screws. I use the speed square in order to make sure the pieces are squared.

    wipe wood glue away
    Diluted dish soap is very handy to keep in your shop. It’s great for washing hands, and there’s no need for rinsing. Here, I used it on a rag to wipe away excess wood glue.

    PATCH POCKET HOLES WITH DRYWALL MUD

    patch pocket hole screws with drywall mud
    I chose to patch the interior pocket holes before attaching the secretary shelf. Typically, I use drywall mud for filling holes.

    pocket holes to attach shelf
    Because, the shelf doesn’t allow room to use a drill, the pocket holes that will attach it to the secretary desk are on the outside of the shelf supports. Not shown, I added shelf brackets to add detail to the secretary desk.

    patch pocket holes
    The pocket holes were patched with drywall mud.

    wipe away dust with paint brush
    After sanding the drywall dust was in all the crevices, I used a clean soft paintbrush to wipe away all the dust.

    READY FOR PAINT AND GLAZE

    paint underside of secretary desk
    It’s always best to paint the underneath side of your project, especially if you’re going to re-home it.

    secretary desk with first coat of paint
    This is after a couple of light coats of chalky paint.

    secretary desk with smokey glaze
    Of course I used my favorite Smoked Gray Glaze. You can see my How To Glaze Painted Furniture for more details. I patched the holes a little because I figured I would replace the dated handles.

    ADD NEW HARDWARE | BIN PULLS


    I didn’t take pictures, but I used the Kreg Cabinet Hardware Jig to drill holes for the new bin pulls. Just like I did on this Modified Dresser Project.

     

    DARK GRAY GLAZED FARMHOUSE SECRETARY DESK

    dark grey secretary desk made from a sewing cabinet MyRepurposedLife
    The bin pulls were silver, I painted them black. That jig really makes it so much easier to install cabinet hardware!!

    secretary desk made from old sewing machine cabinet MyRepurposedLife
    The chair sits a little high, but with the little drawer open, there’s plenty of leg room. Can you imagine if I hadn’t noticed the wrong leg in the front. Surely I would have noticed it in these final pictures. This small farmhouse style secretary desk would be perfect as a laptop station, bill paying center or simply a small side table anywhere!
    This old chair needed some work, I may detail that in another post.

     

    gail

    Sharing at Funky Junk Interiors Salvaged Junk

     

     

    See More Sewing Cabinet Project Ideas

    sewing cabinet project ideas

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    1. Jennie

      January 19, 2021 at 4:36 pm

      I have time to find 2 sewing tables that match since my grandsons are only 4 and 1 years old. But the big one starts pre-K hopefully in July. If the world has gone back to normal. They will be sharing a room during the day at my house by then. (I really hope so, right now when I try to do nap in the same room they mess with each other until someone cries and nap is over) and it would be great to have a place for homework. I love the little pencil holder.

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        January 20, 2021 at 7:48 pm

        Yes, as I was working on this, I thought it would make a great homework station. The challenges of doing school at home, right?! This was a really fun project, it's great to be back to work! BUT, this thing was a monster to get out of the basement by myself.

        gail

    2. Gina R Reed

      January 19, 2021 at 3:54 pm

      Great Idea! So stinking cute 😍

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        January 20, 2021 at 7:46 pm

        Thank you so much Gina!!! It was fun!

        gail

    3. Gail

      January 19, 2021 at 10:31 am

      LOVE it! I have a very similar cabinet and was wondering what to do with it. Now I know. That came out amazing! It would look great in any small nook that just needs a little something. Or a kids room to use as an at home desk. Great idea! As always, thanks for the step by step how to do instructions.

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        January 19, 2021 at 11:47 am

        Thanks Gail! I love to find other furniture pieces that inspire me to make my own project out of bits and pieces!!

        I appreciate you stopping by to check it out.

        gail

    4. Roseann DElia

      January 19, 2021 at 9:29 am

      Love it gail!

      Reply
      • Gail Wilson

        January 19, 2021 at 9:45 am

        Thank you!!! It was a fun project to do. I've missed working on projects for the last couple of months. Time to get back to work!

        gail

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    Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally!

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