duckkisser Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 ok im trying to find something that i can use as a fatigue mat that is durrable and washable. i want to get something that is cheap and plentiful. i need this to use in my class rooms shop class. the class room is 3000 square feet and we have several assembly stations and machines so i want to be able to place a mat around our 2 assembly tables 8 feet by 8 feet. along the counter top where our small machines like sanders and miter saws. need to be able to get this prity cheap and plentiful. so if you have any ideas that are outside the box let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted August 4, 2011 Report Share Posted August 4, 2011 Go to a farm supply store and look at livestock mats they are for stable padding and are hoseable and heavy enough not to slip around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted August 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 not a bad idea ill call farm and fleet and see how much it would cost......hoping to get this cheap or donated......school is poor if anyone can think of a company that would make something or have excess of something that would work. for instance i found a place that pulled up there base ball diamond and it has a rubber padding under the soil and they were selling off the old padding. stall matts no go they are just just too hard might as well buy a stone pad maybe if a weigh just over a ton then i would give under me but then i could not stand and the the matt would only be good as a bed to live on for rest of life. but they are priced right at 30 dollers for 4x6. the rubber pavers 5.75 for 1 foot by 1 foot. made from used tiers is a maybe but i am not shure how well they would hold up. i know they are for side walks and what not but then again its just glued together chunks of rubber. and then i thought about carpet samples maybe if a put a couple together they would be thick enough but they would wear down very fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted August 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 uggg hate going to box stores asked some kid there if i can get a larger piece of the rubber pavers to use as anti fatigue mat and he goes whats a anti fatigue mat.........i looked at him stupidly for a moment......its a mat that takes away the fatigue in your legs and back for people that stand in one place a long time.........his response i need one of those i walk all over the place during the day........again i look at him dumbfounded that anyone can be that dumb. i know im not the brightest but never have i felt that much smarter then someone that was not in one of my deverlopmently delayed classes. dont think he had any mental problems he was just stupid........oh and he had one of those pieces of metal shapes placed under the skin of his hands i think it was small horse shoes. lets not get started on that subject and im a young guy who understands tats and piercings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Z. Posted August 5, 2011 Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 A good stall mat shouldn't be that hard. As far as the "glued together rubber bricks from old tires" go, well, they make stall mats out of them, so... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clint Brickl Posted August 5, 2011 Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 Watch Harbor Freight adds. They sell packages of the interlocking floor squares. When they are on sale they are not that expensive. My wife and I bought several a while back and I think they were only $5 or $6 per package. I have some of them in my shop and they work pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted August 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2011 from what i understand those mats dont hold up well they get worn out prity quickly. and its not just one or two people standing on them its about a 100 kids every hour every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
servant74 Posted August 6, 2011 Report Share Posted August 6, 2011 I agree about the stable mats. Yes, some are 'cheap' and can be still viable options if you can figure out how many $/year of service you expect to get out of each. Replacing 'cheap' matts could be enough cheaper to make it worthwhile. Gotta run the numbers to be sure. You could also check on covering areas with cork, especially cork flooring. It might not be worth it, but is worth considering. From what I have seen, educational use is as hard or harder than 'industrial' use. So bullet proof solutions are often better even if they cost considerably more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted August 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2011 i know but the matts are going to cost 600 dollers and that is a big part of budget we might have to buy them one a time for a while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jesse Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 How about some heavy foam carpet underlayment topped with t+g plywood sheathing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV Posted August 11, 2011 Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 I used a few layers of under carpet foam padding at my lathe for quite a while. It worked great, but I never thought about adding ply on top. That's a great idea. I've since gone to a pad I got from another ww'r in my turning club since my carpet pad was starting to wear out without that plywood top layer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted August 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 11, 2011 hmmm maybe only thing im worried about is triping might have to build a short slanted frame around the carpet padding. good idea guys apreaciate this alot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawrence Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 Have you considered forgetting the mat concept all together and going with hardwood flooring? I know you said that the school is poor, but the money for something like new flooring may come from a different pot of $$ and be more available. In addition, it is safer for the students to have as few tripping hazards as possible on an unfamiliar floor, and it is certainly easier on the back than concrete. Lawrence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bywc Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 man they are kids I wouldnt even waste any money on mats at that age I dont think many are gonna have a problem standing for an hour and honestly they would become more of a tripping hazard than a bonus. It would be different if this was a classroom full of 30-40+ year olds but any kid under 20 that cant stand on a hard floor for an hour without their feet hurting needs to stand on the floor for an hour to toughen up their feet anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jHop Posted August 12, 2011 Report Share Posted August 12, 2011 [...] As far as the "glued together rubber bricks from old tires" go, well, they make stall mats out of them, so... There is a guy locally who made his millions buying worn out tires and turning them into bar mats. The ones the bartenders walk on not serve drinks on. His company's process is a little more extreme than "slice tire into strips and rivet together," but that's the boiled down version of what they do. I'd suggest not using steel belted radials for this. It shouldn't be too hard to find some old rubber tires, and one tire goes a long way. (Sorry, couldn't resist that one.) Get a new blade for a band saw and cut them yourself into 3/4" strips, rivet them together to create a "woven" look, place a small sheet of ply across the top, you should be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted August 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2011 not a bad idea but i think that it wold be best to just buy one at a time that way i dont have to worry about liabilities (pain being a non profit school that is paid by the state) and yes the kids are under 20 but i want them to realize that they need this stuff for when and if they get a shop. plus its a pain for me to stand on it for longer then a min. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sduffy Posted August 13, 2011 Report Share Posted August 13, 2011 Personally haven't tried this; but I've worked in the mining industry for years and we are regularly asked for pieces of used conveyor belt for use in horse stables and on industrial shop floors. My only suggestion in a shop environment would be to ask for non steel cable reinforced belting. This material is often available in 12" - 60" widths and many of my previous employers would give it away because its difficult and expensive to dispose of properly. Rock Quarries would be my first suggestion on where to begin your search if you're interested! Conveyor belting may not be the most beautiful solution, but I can't image there being a more durable!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted August 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2011 hey not a bad idea we have a quarry right down the road perhaps ill give there main office a ring and see what they say. im wondering what do they use a conveyer belt for never thought that they would need one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VitalBodies Posted August 15, 2011 Report Share Posted August 15, 2011 Here is a "thinking outside of the box" idea. Or thinking about the box... 2 or more layers of card board. This is what I use in some cases. Works well and you can mix or spill paint or stain on it. Plus it gives you an excuse to buy something huge like and new table saw - just for the card board : ). It is easy to replace and can be found at furniture stores or other places that sell large items like Sears. With a small amount of effort you can cut, bend (a gentle score with the back of the blade of shut scissors helps) and tape the card board edges. The mats look fine in the shop, and I have noticed a difference from using them. I mostly use them where I stand and work in one spot a lot. Generally speaking it is free if you reuse discarded card board. Be aware there are a number of grades of card board, some will flatten the first time you stand on them and other are pretty tough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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