I am looking for ideas for my work tabletop. Currently I have a laminate counter on a metal frame and I cut on a cutting board. Any ideas for a table top approx. 4x8 that I could cut directly on and would last quite a while? I have used pvc, Mdf with cutting boards, etc. I also find premask picks up pieces of my tabletop. A glass top on plywood or something would work, would it not? Just looking for an easy and economical idea. Thanks.
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Work tabletop Surfaces
- Thread starter kroger
- Start date
mpn
New Member
4 mm is what we use.
Kottwitz-Graphics
New Member
I built my table with 2x2s and a mdf top. A self healing cutting mat, and it has lasted for years. I'm going to flip it in a couple of weeks, when I shut down for the holidays, and get several more years of use.
Jester1167
Premium Subscriber
Don't get glass unless you want a light table. It sucks for cutting graphics (you either love it or hate it and I bet the 70% - 30% hate)
Self healing cutting mats are defiantly worth the money. You can flip and rotate them for years of use. People are creatures of habit and you will notice 90% of your cuts are on one side in one area so you can rotate it when it gets used. Then, flip it when you wear a second spot and so on. In the years and years of use you will save the cost of the mat in blades alone.
Self healing cutting mats are defiantly worth the money. You can flip and rotate them for years of use. People are creatures of habit and you will notice 90% of your cuts are on one side in one area so you can rotate it when it gets used. Then, flip it when you wear a second spot and so on. In the years and years of use you will save the cost of the mat in blades alone.
Gino
Premium Subscriber
I've never had a glass top, except for a makeshift light table. It was great to work on. Never used a self healing mat, except at another guy's shop and it was alright, but not worth the money in any respect for me. I don't see how xacto bldes going dull, can hurt ya. If you used 2 or 3 blades per job, I don't see how you could go to the poor house for 75 cents.
We have a 20' table and a 30' table with plenty of shelves and drawers under them with 3/4" tops of regular plywood. To that, we screwed down heavily clear coated 1/4" duron. We built them in 1987. We are still using the same tops. Yes, they have lotsa cut marks in them, but that doesn't interfere at all for 99% of our work.
We have a 20' table and a 30' table with plenty of shelves and drawers under them with 3/4" tops of regular plywood. To that, we screwed down heavily clear coated 1/4" duron. We built them in 1987. We are still using the same tops. Yes, they have lotsa cut marks in them, but that doesn't interfere at all for 99% of our work.
chrisinestes
New Member
I use .150" sign grade translucent white polycarbonate on my 4' x 16' work table. I've had the same piece for 15+ years. It's been flipped and rotated. I figure it's got at least another 5 years in it.
Chris
Chris
Sign Works
New Member
Rhino Cutting Mat from Speedpress. Mine has been in use for over 12 years and I wouldn't have anything else on my production table.
http://www.speedpress.com/products/2/1
http://www.speedpress.com/products/2/1
Gary Wiant
New Member
I think it's the Rhino ones. I think that is when we got purrs and it has a grid I think they can be bought with our without grids.
Ultimate13
New Member
We have 2 - 5' x 10' tables with Rhino mats that came with a printed grid you put on the table first then the mat over it. You could certainly print your own. They also do sell smaller ones with the grid printed directly on it I believe. I personally like the look of the cutting mats on our tables in the shop.
TomK
New Member
Are you using the Rhino tables too?
I'm waiting on our 5x10 Rhino table, can't wait!
Imakesigns
New Member
ive used glass for years. my blades seem to last for quite a long time even given the glass. I have never replaced my top and blades are cheap.
ExecuPrintGS
New Member
Used glass at the last shop i worked at and it was awesome.
Don't know why but the self healing mats don't last around here. We have had this most recent one about 1.5 years, its been flipped, flopped and rotated a dozen times... its shot already.
Don't know why but the self healing mats don't last around here. We have had this most recent one about 1.5 years, its been flipped, flopped and rotated a dozen times... its shot already.
