Been sewing for the last 9 years or so, using a my machine on my dining room table. Noticed that after sewing for a couple hours, my back hurt. Found a used portable sewing table at a thrift shop and wow, what a difference. Much more comfortable to sew. Yes, you have to move your machine to a different surface to use the free arm, but I don't do that often. Check with the manufacturers to see if they make a solid insert, some really high end cabinets will let you raise your machine to make it flush with the table and also raise it all the way to use your free arm. VERY pricy.