What are you guys and gals using for a work surface on your vinyl tables?
At past employers, I have had to work on sheetmetal, formica, and the backside of an old flat sign face, and all these pick up cuts from years of work.
Is anyone using the self healing mats?
I am planning on making my work table a 4'x8'.
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
Mark,
I use glass.
It's nice and smooth which means no tiny air bubbles between the transfer tape and vinyl.
It won't get scratched or gouged over years of use - I've had mine for 7 years and not a scratch on it. This also means you don't get bubbles when applying transfer tape.
I have lights underneath it for when I need to register layers together.
The lights also make it a great table for tracing artwork.
Posted by Tony Vickio (Member # 2265) on :
Glass!
Posted by Clinton Cooper (Member # 6802) on :
Yeah! Glass was the best bench I have ever used. At at the moment I use foam PVC, turn it then toss it, thats it! I looked at self healing mats but were to expensive for what they were... Only problem with glass is that you get paranoid about breaking it.
Posted by Ricky Jackson (Member # 5082) on :
I had a glass top when I got my first 4B about 22 years ago. Mine got scratches in the glass from the razor knife cutting and I think somebody dropped something on it once and busted part of it.
For the last 11 years we've been using High Molecular Weight Polywallydoodleallday stuff. It's the plastic self-healing material. Ask your plastic supplier; he'll know what it is.
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
Ricky, just say HMW-PE
My glass has a few scratches but nothing major, certainly nothing that would cause any problems.
I also drop heavy stuff on it all the time and I use the table for other projects where I'll put my weight into it and never a problem with breakage.
Then again, it's tempered so it's tough.
Posted by Jane Diaz (Member # 595) on :
We've tried glass, wood, sandblast stencil, and the BEST we have experienced is this self healing cutting mat. You can custom order about any size you want. http://www.speedpress.com/products.asp?id=9 Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
If you have a large refigeration supply place locally...order the plastic that they use draped in strips on the doorways, to keep the cold away from the outside. It comes in rolls and is cut and stripped to fit the doorways. You can order the size you need, it is extremely tough and abrasion resisitant.
Posted by Jon Jantz (Member # 6137) on :
Used glass and self-healing mats... and I much prefer the mats. Especially if you do a lot of exacto knife cutting. Your blades will last much longer...
You can get the mats 4'x8' up to 6'x12'. I like the printed lines also, use them occasionally when cutting a substrate, etc. I've gotten several from these folks... Speedpress Posted by Stu Friesen (Member # 6358) on :
We have a 5' x 10' piece of half inch thick tempered glass. Yes it weighs a lot and it gets scratched up but the scratches don't bother us and because it's tempered it's very strong. The table gets used for everything including a light table. I wouldn't trade it for anything else.
Posted by Checkers (Member # 63) on :
Hiya Mark, I prefer glass on my weeding table and the back side of an old sign face for the prod/fab table. I tried the self healing mats and other materials, but they either wore out too quick or required too much maintenance.
Havin' fun,
Checkers
Posted by Rick Sacks (Member # 379) on :
I didn't like the glass, and tried the polyethelene (white plastic) mats and didn't like them near as much as the green OLFA type mats. There was a guy in Washington that ran a company making them into 2x3's and these small sizes we see everywhere, and he sold me what he called the monster mats. These were around 5'x9' with a rough shaped edge from the manufacturing. We'd glue it to a tabletop and trim the edge to fit the table with a router. Wish they'd still sell 'em like that.
Posted by Dave Grundy (Member # 103) on :
I'm a fan of self healing mats here. Mine is about 10 years old and should be replaced, and will be in the spring. I think I paid about $100 for it (2'x8'). So..$10/year is pretty good value in my books.
Posted by Al Checca (Member # 2216) on :
I can't agree more with all the others... I worked off glass for years and loved it . Past few years I switched to a speedpress mat also and love it. Blades do last much longer and you won't snap the tips off the blades like you might on glass.
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