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I just discovered contractor's garbage bags. They're much thicker than regular hefty bags & I'm thinking I can get away with dumping glass in them (not the greatest about wrapping that stuff) to haul to the real trash. I found them at Home Depot, my favorite toy store.

Cheryl wrote:I just discovered contractor's garbage bags. They're much thicker than regular hefty bags & I'm thinking I can get away with dumping glass in them (not the greatest about wrapping that stuff) to haul to the real trash. I found them at Home Depot, my favorite toy store.

umm, why are you throwing away glass? every little bit can be used in something, and if not, ebay it as fusable scrap. i keep all the odd pieces, and just put them into a trough and make pattern bars.

In our studio we have our tables permanently covered with masonite which is then topped with removable drywall sheets. Then 75% of the table has a layer of cheap vinyl floor covering with the smooth backside up. This is a LOT less expensive than cutting mats.

Our tables take a lot of abuse since we also do a lot of airbrushing and work with metal as well. The vinyl washes and sweeps up in a jif and has a little give to it...also, sort of seals itself if you get carried away "a little" with an xacto knife. The exposed part of the drywall works great for push pins etc.

Best of luck !

Cathy

SAReed wrote:What is the purpose of cutting on a cushion? I've been cutting on my light table which is covered in thick tempered glass or I cut on my MDF table if I'm not using a pattern. What am I missing by not cutting on a cushion???

Confused as always....

Solid surface works fine with a lot of glass. Glass which isn't flat, at least on the surface you put face down, sometimes rocks if there isn't a little give in the cutting surface -- I've even had glass break while I was scoring it when it was really uneven. Most of the time I don't use cushioning anymore, but it can help sometimes.

Thanks, Phil. Is there an advantage to it over plywood? Especially since it absorbs water and expands. I'm thinking of covering my work table, which is an old kitchen table, in a rounded rectangular shape. If I put a sheet of plywood over it I can considerably expand the actual square footage of the work area.

Are there options other than the plywood or mdf for the table itself?

charlie wrote:

daffodildeb wrote:Sorry to ask a stupid question, but what is 1/2" mdf?

termite barf (sawdust and very small wood particles) and glue. tmk, it's not toxic, but you will be snorting up brown snot for a long time if you cut it without protection. damhikt.

MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) is made with a mixture of Douglas Fir, Dry Pine and a Phenolic resin.....which is a cancer causing adhisive..Best to protect yourself when cutting it.

daffodildeb wrote:Thanks, Phil. Is there an advantage to it over plywood? Especially since it absorbs water and expands. I'm thinking of covering my work table, which is an old kitchen table, in a rounded rectangular shape. If I put a sheet of plywood over it I can considerably expand the actual square footage of the work area.

Are there options other than the plywood or mdf for the table itself?

mdf is flatter and smoother than plywood usually. it also doesn't have voids. it does absorb water, which plywood does too, unless it's exterior plywood.

if you have overhangs off a table edge, when you put pressure on it, you'll flip everything into the air at the worst, and the best is that the wood will deflect and cause other problems. you need to support the edges of your cutting platform, unless it's very thick or has other supports of different kinds (rails, etc) on the edges. a torsion box could be used instead of a sheet of wood (of whatever type). they're very strong and won't flex, and pretty easy to make.

Hubby made me some carpet protectors for my office chairs out of 3/4" plywood, and I think that is what I want to use for the table. There wouldn't be much of an overhang--mostly a matter of squaring off the rounded edges, but I would gain about 6-8 square feet of space--mostly to keep all that stuff that accumulates in multiple projects. No matter how organized I try to work, it multiplies.

That thickness should be okay in a smooth finish, shouldn't it? I'm only looking for about 6' total length. Hubby's an engineer, so he'll figure out something. Now, if only I can keep him out of the ER this time (huge splinter)!

I cut on a self healing quilters mat, it's nice cuz it has a grid on it when I'm too lazy to measure. Provides enough support yet has a slight cushioning effect, clean up is just simple sweeping.

As for the mfd, or even plywood for that matter, couldn't you just sand it smooth (if needed) then prime and paint it with a good paint to seal it from any liquids?

Daffodildeb...can your hubby run screws up from the underside of the kitchen table into the the new "top" to keep it secure? Of course if you want to save the kitchen table...might not be a good idea. Then how about some good clamps on 3 sides away from your working side.

Actually, that's one thing I was considering. I don't think we'll use table again for furniture, but he could split the table where the leaf goes in and do the fasteners there. It would be pretty easy to do, and would preserve looks.

mbeth wrote:As for the mfd, or even plywood for that matter, couldn't you just sand it smooth (if needed) then prime and paint it with a good paint to seal it from any liquids?

there are very few, if any, paints that are waterproof. there are some that are water resistant. you'd have to go to some kind of epoxy to get waterproofing, and not all epoxies are waterproof either (for example polyesters aren't).

hi dave
good luck in your new studio and in going full time. i am sure you will never regret it, i havnt 3 or 4 years down the line. i am just up the road in devon if you are ever passing!
sylvie

Hi again,
Lots of ideas!!! I`ve decided to go with some thin carpet, only about 3mm thick. It`s cheap and easy to get hold of and I think it`ll work really well. I can cover it with some board if needed.
We moved the kiln and got everything wired in yesterday and had the first firing today. The workshop is starting to look a bit less baren.
Hi sylvie, I`m near st.Ives. Yeap,I`m pretty excited. Just finished a decent job and another lined up. So it`s going well. How are things up in devon????
See you all later....Dave