Bouncy Machine!
 

I have a sewing cabinet / table that I had a hole cut in the top, put a shelf a bit further down, and now my sewing machine is flush with the table. I LOVE IT. EXCEPT, now when I'm sewing fast or quilting (like bindings) my machine bounces.

It never did this before. And the shelf is SUPER STURDY ... and ideas?

It sounds like a problem with the shelf..... It may be sturdy, but if it wasn't cut correctly or added to the table correctly it would create a wobble or bounce. I'm thinking that most likely it has something to do with the mounts used with the shelf. Pics might be useful.

It sounds like the machine isn't sitting flush in/on the shelf.

Also wanted to comment about how gorgeous your GSD is!

The speed of the machine in matching the natural frequency of the table which is causing the bounce. Either go slower, faster, or add more mass to the table.

I wonder if that non slip material that is put under area rugs would help with the bouncing. maybe that little bit of cushion and traction would keep things stable. Probably nonsense, but it is the first thing that popped into my head.

This gets my vote. When my machine bounces, I find that moving it directly over the legs helps. Since you have cut a hole in the table and can't move the machine, maybe adding a couple of 2x4s (which adds mass and reinforces) under the table would help.

...spoken like a physicist... love it! And yes, I agree... (but I know enough physics just to be dangerous!)

What about the legs? You can have a very sturdy top and shelf but if the legs are not that sturdy, the vibration will travel to them. I built my own table a couple of years ago with a 1" solid wood top, 2x4 skirting and bracing, and legs that are 2" square the entire length, no tapering at the bottom. The shelf is from the same 1" solid wood with 1/2" bolts on each corner with nuts on either side so it is adjustable. Overkill? Well I am also a woodworker so not for me. Is it heavy? VERY! But it doesn't move or bounce either.

If you have a way to get a piece of wood cut the length from the bottom of the shelf to the floor, stick it under the shelf temporarily to see if that cuts the bounce. It will need to be snug. If it stops the bounce, you know there is too much "give" at the shelf area.

One word of caution about the rubber type shelving/rug stuff - I used some of it under my embroidery machine for about a year. I went to take it up and it was permanently attached to my table. I think the heat from my machine over that amount of time glued it down. I literally had to scrape it off with a paint scraper! I do not use that stuff anymore.

I have attached some pics ... I will try the foam underneath to see if that helps!

OH BOY, now everyone is going to see just how anal I am - labelled drawers LOL

Thanks for the tips, will keep everyone posted ... SIGH, just goes to show, I should have probably just bought a new cabinet LOL

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I'm going to guess it's the shelf support. Those brackets can bend which means they have some give. If possible I would replace them with some solid wood corner brackets. Basically a wood triangle. If possible to put some at the back, I would do that too.