Help fitting a worktop

[Student]

In the attic of my daughter's house in France, we found an old treadle sewing machine stand that my daughter-in-law has taken a shine to and would like it for her sewing machine back here in the UK. The original top was some sort of veneered plywood completely beyond repair. I've brought the stand back home, wire brushed it and started spraying it with hammerite and it's coming up quite well.

However, I have a problem with the top. I decided to make it out of oak and have made an 18 mm thick oak worktop about 40 cms wide. The stand has 3 holes on each upright 5 mm in diameter and 15 cms apart. I am averse to trying to drill the cast iron stand to create a small slot to allow for expansion, not that there's much room to do this and wondered about alternative solutions - use 3 mm screws in the existing holes?

 

[Giff]

Could you put the top in place and drill 3 pilot holes then drill and fit 5mm threaded inserts into the oak and use machine screws from underneath. Geoff

 

[RogerS]

.... use 3 mm screws in the existing holes?

A bit small perhaps but if you used enough of them I don't see why not.

 

[sawdust maker]

If you cannot put the slots in the cast iron, put them in the top. Make some steel plates like this.

set them in the top with an enough room for the head of a 5mm bolt and to move a long the slot a washer between the bolt and plat will help with movement. The bolt hanging down and passing through the holes in the cast iron legs where they can be secured with a nut. Provided you place the plat so the slot is across the gran, any movement in the oak top will force the bolt a long the slot in the plate.