Sewnoma

Sorry, I either misspoke or wasn't clear - what catches the ruler is the slight difference in height between the stitch plate and the table, not where the seams between leaves are. The stitch plate is recessed slightly, about 1/8" or so. That I HAVE checked and the other table at the dealer has the same build - just something I never noticed until I got mine home and tried using smaller rulers with it. Looking at the machine and the table, I don't think there's really a good way around it without changing out the top entirely. The leaves are flush, just gappy in a way that bothers me...I guess just aesthetically. I keep pulling on the leaves because they LOOK like they're not shut all the way, but they are. (I might just be a little twitchy/OCD-ish about it!) The dealer's table has gaps too, I feel like mine are gappier but could be coloring and pattern fooling my eyes. (My table is fake wood, the one at the shop is white.)

I'm thinking maybe a contact-paper-ish covering would help make little "ramps" to help make up for that little height difference around the plate. There's enough space that I think I can stick the paper down to the machine itself around the stitch plate and still be able to remove the plate easily.

I think I've talked myself into trying that extra-wide countertop covering stuff. It's relatively inexpensive and should come off cleanly if it doesn't work out. It's exactly as wide (deep-wise) as the table, but almost long enough to cover it twice so I can wrap the edges on two sides to secure it pretty well. (The roll is 36x144; the table is 36x77)

Someone else suggested oilcloth too (the laminated cotton) - I think that could work too, but would be more difficult to attach since it's not self-adhesive. That might be option #2 though, if the contact paper stuff isn't tough enough to stand up to the wear & tear. I imagine the fabric backing would help make it durable.

The clear vinyl, I think will not work. I played with some last night and it seems slippy until pressure is applied, then it gets pretty grippy, which is what I was afraid of. At least that's how the clear vinyl I have on hand behaves.

I also found rolls of teflon on Amazon that could be another option - definitely slippery and durable! But none I found were wide enough to cover the table in one piece and it's not self-adhesive either, so I worry about sticky gaps. Maybe that's option #3 even though it's probably the best surface as far as "slip" goes.

I feel like some day I might just have a custom top built for this table. The base is VERY sturdy (I think an elephant could dance on it) but the top just makes me twitchy. It's probably (almost certainly) just me being fussy....

And still no buyer's remorse, by the way. It's not perfect but it's very good and the machine itself is wonderful. I'm just picky and weird about gaps.