cutting matts/self healing...

[Geneva Olson]

We got into this new shop and built two big tables. they are 5'x12'. LOVE THEM. But I need a cutting mat for them. I have bought pvc and I have bought self healing. I'm looking for the experienced sign people to tell me what works best and where to get them?
I've been told self healing isn't as great as it's made out to be. Anybody have any long lasting ones? cheaper ones? better ones?

TIA

 

[garyroy]

We use this and like it a lot. We have 2 of them.

CuttingMat XXL Frosted

Cutting without annoying light reflections - with Yellotools! The CuttingMat Frosted features a matte surface which absorbs reflections from ceiling lights! This means that even longer cutting jobs can be carried out without being distracted. And thanks to its low surface adhesion, sticky...

www.yellotools.us

 

[somcalmetim]

Got a couple 4x8 in this stuff...not exactly sure what it is, fairly hard, has shiner side down...best we have used so far...we rarely used the grid on the old mats we had and the shiny clear mats that came on the rolls roller table did not self heal very well for how soft they were...got a 60x96 roll of same stuff in back room still waiting for me to build a wider table...

 

[tulsagraphics]

We got into this new shop and built two big tables. they are 5'x12'. LOVE THEM. But I need a cutting mat for them. I have bought pvc and I have bought self healing. I'm looking for the experienced sign people to tell me what works best and where to get them?
I've been told self healing isn't as great as it's made out to be. Anybody have any long lasting ones? cheaper ones? better ones?

TIA

I use (or used to use) the self-healing mat on my RollsRoller (it's a softer mat) -- not ideal, as this stuff isn't cheap -- but my shop isn't large enough for additional tables. Before I got that table I used other (slightly stiffer) self-healing mats. I probably got 3 to 4 years out of each one. If you're gentle with your knife pressure you can get them to last longer. Regardless of the plastic, your blade will leave cut marks, and your blade will eventually find those cut marks again and again. But -- I have seen shops that use tempered glass tops. Not a scratch on them, but you would need a super flat surface to prevent cracking. Blades will dull faster too. They're certainly easier to keep clean though. I personally haven't used them, so I can't just flat out recommend them, but I do put my blade to glass all the time (during installs) without issue.

Also, I know -- this -- isn't helpful, but I've only put my blade to a cutting mat maybe 20 times in the past 7 years -- because I have an XY trimmer now. It handles 99% of the work I used to perform with a straight edge. They aren't cheap, but man oh man are they time savers!

 

[gabagoo]

Got a couple 4x8 in this stuff...not exactly sure what it is, fairly hard, has shiner side down...best we have used so far...we rarely used the grid on the old mats we had and the shiny clear mats that came on the rolls roller table did not self heal very well for how soft they were...got a 60x96 roll of same stuff in back room still waiting for me to build a wider table...
View attachment 181794

I think it is the same thing I use.. UHMW I think is the name of it. The only issue is that over time with many many cuts in the surface it starts to dry out and small white pieces start coming off. I noticed it a few weeks back in my premask and then I realized why I was having so many issues of debris getting stuck under my laminate. That was with swiffering and using an air gun to clean surface... I flipped the board to the shiny side and laminating is debris free once again.

 

[TopFliteGraphics]

I think it is the same thing I use.. UHMW I think is the name of it. The only issue is that over time with many many cuts in the surface it starts to dry out and small white pieces start coming off. I noticed it a few weeks back in my premask and then I realized why I was having so many issues of debris getting stuck under my laminate. That was with swiffering and using an air gun to clean surface... I flipped the board to the shiny side and laminating is debris free once again.

Will this work on a light table?

 

[Kyle@Eagle]

The last 3 sign shops that I have worked in (including my current one) used polycarbonate sign face material for a tabletop surface.
Lasts for a pretty long time (usually 3+ years), but it is still plastic as others have said above and will get grooves if you are heavy handed.
One shop kept it on the CHEAP side by simply holding on to used sign faces we were removing and using the back side as our table top.
I liked them enough to build myself one the same way for a small work table at home.

 

[tulsagraphics]

Will this work on a light table?

I'm not sure what RollsRoller uses on their tables. Their mats are clear, but the glass below it is frosted to help diffuse the light. https://shop-us-rollsroller.com/products/original-self-healing-cutting-mats?variant=42589132161213

 

[DL Signs]

We get the self healing mats from USCutter. Largest size is 72x144, and yes they can be used on lighted tables, it's about the equivelent of translucent vinyl. We use theirs on all our tables. We flip them when they start getting too cut up, replace as needed, we get years out of them. I have one lighted table (home built) that has one of these mats on top of 1/2" acrylic over an array of LED's. If I need a lot of light for anything, like aligning graphics to front/ back for lighted faces, I just slide the mat off if it's not bright enough...

Image One Impact Table Top Extreme Cutting Mat - 24" to 144" Sizes Available

Tabletop Cutting Mat, assorted sizes. Constructed from 6mm virgin seamless polyurethane which means your blades will last longer as you need less pressure to cut through, and you get MUCH smoother cuts when trimming.

uscutter.com

There are clear ones that are made for use on the lighted flatbed laminators, these might be better depending on the table. I was going to order these, but realized with my home brew table I'd be staring directly at LED's all the time, which I don't find appealing, so I went with the translucent ones above. These are cheap and come direct from our favorite country, China. They're 55x118", trim to size...

Flexible Crystal Clear PVC Table Pad Mat for Laminator Table Cutting Mat

Order Flexible Crystal Clear PVC Table Pad Mat for Laminator Table Cutting Mat with quality assurance at sign-in-global.com

www.sign-in-global.com

 

[signheremd]

We use Low Density Polyethylene. Flip tops after a few years, replace about once every five years. https://harborsales.net/Home/ProductSearchResults.aspx?quickSearch=ldpe

 

[gabagoo]

We use Low Density Polyethylene. Flip tops after a few years, replace about once every five years. https://harborsales.net/Home/ProductSearchResults.aspx?quickSearch=ldpe

Have you tried hdtp? I wonder which one is better for repetitive cutting

 

[Stacey K]

I used poly and just flip it over. I acquired a couple used quilting mats over the years 3'x4' and I really like them for cutting magnets and smaller jobs because they have a 1" grid pattern and are self-healing. Small enough to move around for random other jobs where a grid pattern is helpful.

 

[signheremd]

Have you tried hdtp? I wonder which one is better for repetitive cutting

Used painted MDO tops years ago and just repainted about 2-3 times a year. Have used Polystyrene and that works until you cut too deep and snap... and used the low density polyethylene, and of those the last I like best.

 

[DChorbowski]

Fancy shop here has quartz slabs. They do look nice and match all the other countertops in the shop, but I cant even imagine how much that cost.

 

[jfiscus]

We use the Rhino Cutting Mats from SignOutletStore. They will do custom sizes, we have a lot of large tables.

 

[AB Rolan]

Id like to have a piece of a discarded mat to use as an office chair mat. Seems like they would be good repurposed..

 

[tulsagraphics]

Id like to have a piece of a discarded mat to use as an office chair mat. Seems like they would be good repurposed..

Functional? Yes. Gross? Also yes. If there's one thing I can keep clean -- it's my office. The production area is a different matter entirely. The #1 eyesore in the entire building is the cutting mat. By the time I'm ready throw that disgusting thing outside, I'll be damned if I'm bringing it into my clean office. Yek. lol