Ultimate Bench Cookie:

[butzla]

...a moving blanket.  I was reading Chris Schwarz's book on "Workbenches" and he gave this great tip for using a moving blanket when sanding with power tools on a traditional workbench.  I thought, good idea and why not on an MFT?  Turns out it works great.  No slippage at all and it dampens what little vibration my ETS produces.  Thought I'd pass it on to you all.

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[justinmcf]

thanks for the tip stoolman. i never would have thought of that.

regards, justin.

 

[peter halle]

Great tip.  When it gets dirty, throw in the wash.  I've used re bond carpet padding with success.  Never washed it though.  [scared]

Peter

 

[polarsea1]

Good idea, I've been using the non-skid material that is sold for this sort of thing but it still slips.

 

[spikfot]

My wife came home with some non-slip mats made for the bathtub, they vanished mysteriously...
you can find them in the supermarket for a buck or two. Same thing at my local woodworkers supply cost 15-20...go figure.

 

[butzla]

The thing about a moving blanket, it is easily folded out of the way and also can be used when transporting your finished pieces.

 

[monte]

Great tip.  When it gets dirty, throw in the wash.  I've used re bond carpet padding with success.  Never washed it though.  [scared]

Peter

Peter & all, sometimes its good to listen to those guts!

The pad things a good idea, but..........

A word of caution regarding putting these blankets in the wash.
The better ones do wash well.
The cheepys tend to fall apart and could muck up your washer when the blue cover tears up all that filler crap gets into the little holes of the washer bin.
Then your washer doesn't drain
Then your wife is %#@&*^%# at you.
And then you need to call out the appliance guy.

Don't ask me how I know all that. [eek]

.

 

[suds]

If my wife caught me putting one of those blankets in HER washer....there'd be a bunch of FESTOOLS for sale [eek]

 

[RONWEN]

That's where Laundra-mats come in, with a few quarters.

 

[rwdawson]

Not the same application, but I use an old shower curtain as a drop cloth on my MFT.  Protects and keeps everything dry.

 

[Steven in Iowa]

I have tried all kinds of pads, mats, etc. for sanding.  The problem is they take up room to store, get dirty and have to be washed, etc.  I saw an add for Rockler Bench Cookies and thought what the heck, I've wasted more than that before on a miracle item.  Man, they really do work well, and I can throw them in the bottom of my toolbox.

 

[Curiouslywhacky]

One other idea on this theme is to check out the Dollar store for foam-backed dining table placematts. I've gotten several different varieties and have even used spray adhesive on smooth faces to create a 2 sided sponge backed pad.