Originally Posted by
pocoellie
I would love to have my machine set into my desk, but unfortunately I'm unable to do this, one of the reasons I don't, is because I have several machines, and if I have the opening cut out for my big Elna, then when/if I use one of the other machines, they would rattle around in that big opening. Personally, one of the first things I would do, would be to get a comfortable chair, that you can adjust the height and that is on wheels.
The way to get around that would be to make one opening that is big enough for any of them, with room to spare, and then have an insert that custom fits each of the machines. This is the way some sewing tables were designed. There are small metal clips around the edges of the large opening that support the inserts. This is not too hard to do with a scroll saw.
You will love having your machine flush with the desk top - It's much easier to sew almost anything that way, unless you need the free arm, and even that is fairly workable if you have the removable insert that gives access. If you have a machine that has the bobbin cover below the level of the machine bed, as I do on my 40-yr-old Bernina, then you need easy access to that area. If it's tightly fitted into the desk top, it would have to be lifted out each time you change a bobbin.
Another advantage to a rolling chair is that you can place a little table or TV tray of some sort at an L to the main table, and you can easily turn to do ironing, trimming or pinning. If your floor has carpet or a delicate floor, you'll need to get a chair mat to roll on. It's probably a good idea even without the rolling chair.