I do all my sewing on treadle or handcrank sewing machines. The biggest benefit is reliability and speed control. I love it for free-motion quilting:

If you could take some pictures of the one you're considering, I can tell you whether or not it's complete and a good option for a first treadle.

I use a treadle too sometimes and love them. I have always felt like it gave me better control over my sewing. They were the first machines I ever used, so I was never intimidated by them. They work just like electrics but you supply the energy. LOL.

My Ohio Farmer treadle has a gazillion attachments to it and I can do more on it than on my new basic electric.

As Annie says, if it's in good working order, you quickly learn the rhythm necessary to sew well.

The machine has an electric supply attached to it. Is it an easy conversion to get it back to the treadle?
I've been doing all this communication on Craigslist and haven't inspected the machine in person yet.

I would like to have one of those too some day... but are belts still available for them? Also, don't they use a weird shuttle bobbin? Is that difficult to figure out? The are always on CL but people want a fortune for them.... I don't think they are that rare!

Conversion back to treadle should be easy as long as the flywheel and treadle pedal were left intact on the base. Then it's just a matter of getting a new leather belt for it. These are readily available and cheap. Treadles come in all makes and models, some shuttle or long bobbin, some rotary. I machine quilt on a 1950s 15 class machine that uses fairly large round bobbins. Vacuumfreak makes a good point, don't pay more than $150 for one, and then it should be in mint, clean, ready-to-use condition. Like I said, post pictures if you can and I'll take a look.

I am a well-known collector and while I don't want to toot my own horn, I am pretty knowledgable and have hosted seminars on the subject of using and maintaining treadle sewing machines.

When I converted my old machine back to electric, I found they had reversed the wheel and shaft end on the machine and had to flip it back around. There were long and complicated directions on how to do it on the web, I was following, and then just deep-sixed them and figured it out myself. They made a mountain out of a molehill and it was much easier than they made it out to be. You absolutely must have the groove on the shaft coming out of the machine next to the wheel you move by hand, to accommodate the belt.

You will find that many old electric machines can be stuck in the base for a treadle machine and some gals did that when electrics became available so they didn't have to buy a new cabinet. That could lead a person to think a machine was once a treadle machine when it wasn't.

Mine is a late 1800s model and has the long bobbin. I don't mind it, but I don't think it holds as much bobbin thread as a round bobbin treadle. Mine doesn't, anyway.

Yes, belts are still available. I like the old leather belts but they're harder to get. Lehman's non-electric store (they're on the web and I buy a lot from them) has rubber machine belts, but I have to occasionally adjust the belt tension as they seem to stretch more than a leather belt.

What lovely stiching damascusannie! I'm an admirer of those who can use a treadle - God just didn't hand me enough coordination credits! I do love sewing on my Featherweight though - there's some thing infintely satisfying listening to his soft clicking hum as I piece.
Clara

Funny--I can't fm quilt on an electric. I'm not particularly coordinated, but I find treadling to be easy. Once you are comfortable with the rhythm, which does take a few hours of practice, it can be done without thinking.