I am 78 years old, and I have to say I sewed for many years on a TV tray - the old medal kind. In '02 my husband bought me a Pfaff 7570 with the embroidery unit, and a few weeks later he bought a Horn cabinet, which I love. We got it new at the same sewing store we bought the machine at, and since I just ran across the receipt recently, I know we paid $800+ for the Horn cabinet. But it has been worth it.

Love love my sewing table. Has a well that the machine sits in. Has 24" BEHIND the machine, 26" to the LEFT of the machine and just enought room to the right to put my coffee mug! Nests into a corner so when I'm quilting, the fabric puddles behind the machine. Has one drawer for stuff, and a slide out sheft to store two machines...my back up work horse and serger.

I've looked at new sewing tabes and many have a flip up/dow shelf so it WON'T fit into a corner. Lots of table don't have much room to the left or back. That's important for me. I have room to store my rulers in a slotted organizer, and several notions "sorters".

This is similiar to what I have. http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...ectedIndex=121

When I bought my serget 23 years ago the GAVE me the sewing table. Nice huh?

I also have a heavy Machine. I love the idea of having a fancy desk that they sell, but could not bring my self to spend that kind money. I built mine. Completely out of plywood, 2x4 and 4x4. I added fabric sides and curtain. It has a cut out so my machine sits flush with the table. I took the scrap from the cut out and put "legs" on it. This way when I want to use my embroidery unit I just put it in the whole and set my machine on top of it. My table is huge. Something like 4 feet by 5 feet. And even though I made it 36 inches tall, I have cinder blocks under it to rise it another 12 inches. ( I use a bar stool as my chair). Here is a link to my post showing the actual table. http://www.quiltingboard.com/mission...o-t210090.html I would say if you are handy with power tools ( or can find someone) making your own table may be your answer. Sorry if this is so long.

My husband bought a Taylor Made Quilter's Vision for me. I just love it! The craftsmanship of the desk is superb.

I have an old cafeteria-type long table. It's HEAVY. I can move it by scootching it, but I can't lift it. The good thing is that it doesn't move or jittle when I have the machine cranked up and zooming along. The table isn't perfect (no recess for the machine,) but I love that it's stable as a rock. I would recommend making that one of your search criteria.

I used an old office desk for a long time. It was great, but very ugly. This past spring my husband started watching Craigslist and found a beautiful executive type office desk. It is real wood and L shaped and has lots of room, Some drawers and that sort of thing. We put shelves on the wall above on one side. Hubby offered to cut out a hole for the machine to sit into, but I can not bear to cut the pretty wood. I also have a sewing cabinet that is on rollers that I can put next to the desk if I need to. It is the type where you can inset the machine. So when I am wanting to get a lot done I can wall myself in with work space. LOL. But I have found I pay for that with a lot of back and leg pain from not moving.

I have two computer tables, very heavy and sturdy, one folds so it can be put away. Other one is in storage shed until/if I ever get room. Have two folding 6' tables, but lack room for them too.

Thank you all so much for your input. I really appreciate all the suggestions and thing to keep in mind. I am going to take my time figuring out exactly (or as close as possible) what suits me. For now I will continue to move my machine out of the way when I need my whole table for cutting. (It's about 20 pounds, not terrible.) My new craft room is still evolving and I imagine I'll be moving things around till things are "juuuuuuuust right" (i say in my best Goldilocks voice).
For now I am content and feel blessed to have a guest/craft room where I can leave everything out and no one bothers it, and I can shut the door on it. It's my happy place, freshly painted in pale yellow that is very cheery, and I am able to produce things of beauty , which is what it's all about, right?

I have 2 big wood kitchen tables in my room (they both match) One I used for my cutting table (I put bed riser under the legs on that one to make it tall enough not to hurt my back while cutting)... and the other I cut out an area for my machine and it is great!!!! Love it! I looked at most of the sewing tables that is made just for that, and they were not big enough for my liking! So I went with kitchen tables.,.. You can always find them for a good price used! :)

I'd say get one as large as your space can accomodate, and something very sturdy.

I have an old computer desk that I got free from a company DH was working for. They were going to throw it away! It has a thick particle board top, and a steel base that supports the top all the way across so no sagging. It doesn't have drawers, but a shelf at the back that holds all kinds of things and I have my Sterlite drawers up under it. It is 24 X 48" and has served me well for 25 years. Just last month I finally got the nerve to cut an opening and recess my machine, something I've been wanting to do for a LONG time. Check local thrift stores, you can often get a great price on a desk or table that just needs a coat of paint and a little TLC.