Horse Stall Mats

[c2369zulu]

Hello All.

Not sure if this has been mentioned before, but the heavy duty rubber "Horse Stall Mats", sold here in the states at Tractor Supply and similar stores, make a great table top surface for your leatherwork area. They are about 3/4" thick and made of a heavy rubber and come in 4'x6' sheets. My whole table top is covered with one, so I can stab holes for stitching right on the table. I cut a smaller1.5"x4" piece from some scrap as a hand stitching backer. Not saying it couldn't happen, but I have not gotten poked with my awl yet. Helps keep leather in place when cutting too. I would not want it under an area used for tooling or other hammering tasks though........Rory

Edited October 15, 2012 by c2369zulu

[bruce johnson]

I have the whole floor area of my shop covered with them except under the shelving systems. I have not dropped a knife that I can remember since I did. Before that concrete had a magentic attraction for knives. I was always fixing an edge on something that fell blade first to the floor. FWIW, I have them under my stamping bench and cutting bench that I also rivet on. I do have a 150 plus pound granite surface plate inset in my bench and set rivets on an 80# anvil I sling up on the cutting bench. Their mass helps a lot to negate any dampening from the mats, but the mats have sure made the whole shop quieter.

One thing i'd recommend is to tape the joints. I used black duct tape and has held up for about a year and half. Otherwise the seams filled up with stuff and even with their weight sometimes an edge would lift trip me up.

[immiketoo]

Great tip!

[David8386]

Thanks for sharing the idea.

David

[c2369zulu]

I should also mention as Bruce did above, that the mats are in fact awkward and heavy.......... ;-)

[Dink]

All my tables and benches are covered with it also, I do alot of cutting on it, My marble is not as big as Bruces but about 2.5" thick and I have a piece under it and it does not effect tooling but helps with the noise.

dink