Router Matting ?

[Dr. Thrax]

I've seen this matting advertised here and there, has anyone used it while using a router and does it work ?

 

[Anonymous]

Hi there,

I have some matting and it works a treat. Think the stuff i got was from a car accessory shop, designed for the boot to stop stuff rolling about.

Holds things down well, better with the larger stuff, and when it gets too dusty i just give it a wash and its ready again.

Aidan

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Hi

Yes it does work very well, but there are some drawbacks.

There are times when you need to plunge all the way through with the router. An excellent idea I picked up from an article by Ron Fox is to make a sacrificial cuttting table. It can be made from chipboard or an off-cut of kitchen worktop. It is fully described in Routing (Feb/March).

It just sits on the top of your workmate and is held in place by the workmate jaws.

Cheers
Neil

 

[Dr. Thrax]

Thanks but is there any difference in quality as I've seen it from a few quid right upto near a tenner ?

 

[Dewy]

I bought a piece many years ago from a hardware store. I cut some to fit on top of the dashboard to stop things moving & some in the boot. The piece from the car boot is now in the workshop & holds pieces down well for routing. I wouldnt be without it. I think it cost about £6 then & worth every penny. Early mats were multi coloured & looked as if they were made from reformed bath sponges. Now they have a net shape so dust falls through easily without constantly having to shake it off.
I see Neils point but I generally use wider pieces of wood when through routing & put the mat to the edge of my workmate then place the wood slightly over the edge.

 

[Newbie_Neil]

Thanks but is there any difference in quality as I've seen it from a few quid right upto near a tenner ?

Just like Dewy I spent six or seven pounds. Is there a difference in size?

It is, I believe, the same matting that is sold to stop things moving about in the boot of your car.

I see Neils point but I generally use wider pieces of wood when through routing & put the mat to the edge of my workmate then place the wood slightly over the edge.

What I liked about the sacrificial cuttting table was that it had an overlap all around so that you could get clamps on any part of the workpiece. It only costs about three or four pounds a time and it meant that the router cutter was never going anywhere near the top of your workbench.

Cheers
Neil

 

[Anonymous]

I paid about £5 for a mat for the boot, its about 3ft X 3ft. It's bound to be cheaper than a "dedicated router mat" a la norm

 

[Charley]

I paid around £5 as well from Wilco's in town

 

[Alf]

Ah, I love this stuff. Don't use it much for routing to be honest, have used it for sanding though. Mainly it goes to line drawers, shelves, boxes etc to protect tool edges in storage. My best buy was 6 x 2 feet for £4 IIRC, at the local discount store. Quality all appears to be much of a muchness, the price difference is usually down to size. I think the stuff they sell for stopping stuff slipping on trays and so forth in kitchen places is pretty much the same too, if you favour pastel shades... :lol:

The sacrificial cutting table for the router is an idea as old as the hills; I hope that wiley Fox didn't get paid too much for rehashing that one. Chipboard is indeed the stuff to use; less dust than the dreaded MDF and a cleaner backing to the cut than ply. Pretty nearly the first bench appliance I ever made, back in the days when I believed the router was the only tool I'd ever need. :roll:

Cheers, Alf

 

[Bean]

Amazing stuff I used some for stopping boixes sliding around in the boot, this then moved into the workshop, I have also picked up a length from a camping shop, they sell it off the roll for groundsheets, i got the end of roll for a couple of quid.

Bean

 

[DaveL]

I have some that is 1'x 8' and cost £1 in QD or some where simular. I have bought 4 or 5 bits over the years, its in draws and cupboards, even under my scanner to stop it skating around.
I must agree with Alf, I find it very useful when sanding. When it gets totaly clogged with dust I just rinse it under a tap, give it a good flick and its ready for use again.