Treadle Machine Top Being Upgraded!

My darling girl is upgrading the top of my treadle sewing machine base.  Years ago I saw a treadle machine base at a friend's house.  Her husband had made an oak table top for her.  I loved it. 

My oldest daughter, knowing my love for sewing, found and bought me a base at a flea market.  It had no top at all.  Bless her heart, she hoisted that thing all the way to the car by herself (with a recliner under the other arm).  It is made of case iron, so you know she looks like Hercules.

Today I took the plunge and started repainting the thing.  My husband had sawn the legs off an antique rickety table that used to grace our foyer.  That table was seriously a danger.  I kept expecting one of the legs to give way and have all the decorations come crashing to the floor.  So today I sanded down the bottom edge of the table where the legs used to be and painted the sides.  Rachel is painting the top.  And doing a marvelous job.

In this first picture, I had already removed the drawer and painted the front and sides.

This top seriously needs help.  Will a coat of paint be enough?  The wood is rough, the beveled edges of the top even worse.  I did not want to sand it because it was so wavy.

In my defense, I always had a quilted table runner on it, so all that was exposed was the nasty edges.

Here it is with the top half painted.  Looking better already, eh?

My lovely assistant (get a load of those curls, will ya?).

Finished!!  Now I need to entice her to wash off the cast iron part...it's very dusty.

This might be foyer-worthy again!  For now, it's in my bedroom.

~Joan