Originally Posted by june6995
If you have a handy-man around the house, he could build you one.
I "had" one that was made from a sheet of plywood. My hubby built a frame with the legs attached, then put hinges on the leg-to-top section. This can be made counter height, which is much more comfortable for stand-up cutting. The room where I sewed doubled as a gues room, so it was folded against the wall and a sheet covered it nicely.
Now that I have a sewing room, I have one made from a hollow core door. It is usually full of a lot of my "stuff" on the back side near the wall. It is great for doing lots of cutting and also great for trimming quilts. I use it every day.
I cannot tell you the cost comparison, but I do know it was not expensive to make. If you have ever had muscle pain from leaning over the dining room table to do your cutting, you will want to consider a higher table.
My table measures 36" wid (deep) X 80"long X 37 "high. It is one inch higher than the counter in my kitchen, where 36" is standard. I am 5'6" and I never have back pain or stress from doing a lot of cutting.
I hope this information helps you think through what kind of cutting tabel you want, or need. I used the dining room table for years and they are not designed for fabric cutting, unless you are very petite. .
June
i have a hollow-core door also, and it's supported by a dresser that i found on the street waiting for trash pickup. i covered the door with 2 very old all-wool blankets and preshrunk tight weave muslin. the other end of the door rests on cleats that my dh built onto the wall. i would not advise muslin because stretches. i plan to recover in that silver ironing board stuff. if you have enough space, go for a permanent table, the largest size you can. if not go for the largest size folding one you can. i only wish i could find another dresser. a friend has those folding rolling ones and she wouldn't be without it! that's my 2 cents worth.