Thanks for the replies. Here are some of the pics. I did not know about the needle and other parts limitations, although I only paid $50 for the unit so I am not at all concerned. If I decide to get something else then I can always give this thing away to someone who wants it. Anyhow, in one of the pics you can see the top of a small cylindrical container that contains three needles. Plus, there is another needle on the machine.
I am really impressed by the quality of the craftsmanship of these old things. And that includes the table that it is enclosed in. Definitely not something that was stamped out in a factory in China -- but good old fashioned craftmanship. Truely a lost art in today's day and age. But I digress . . .
I am definitely going to tinker with this thing and do some practicing. But to be honest, I am already eyeballing a genuine Singer old school machine. I did a little bit of research and think that a 15-91 would be a good choice. I rummaged around on Ebay and see that there is a guy within 20 miles of me that currently has three for sale. 1949, 1951 and 1952, I think. They all look pretty nice. He has rock solid Ebay history and seems like he really knows what he is doing. It seems like he goes through the machines and tunes them up before he sells them. So, can I get some advice here on which one might be best? I will try to post some pictures.
The only downside for me is that I really like a unit that is enclosed within a table, like the Free. It makes it a lot more convenient to just close it up when not in use. Plus, you have the bigger table as a work surface. One of the units that the Ebay guy is selling comes with a case. That would be my second choice, if I cannot find one built into a table. There are some nice table ones on Ebay but I want to get something local so that I can eyeball it first, and also to avoid the shipping circus.
I'm also thinking that the footprints might be the same so maybe I can just put the Singer into the Free table?
Again, thanks for any advice/input.
Dominic