Drainage mats in the work area?

[Splat]

Anyone using drainage mats in your shop? You usually see these on the floors in industrial shops. The chips and swarf don't always find their way into the holes but a good majority do. I started looking at them in Mcmaster for the heckuvit and man, they ain't cheap! So I gets me an idea :ideas: and check out the welcome mats at local HD. I could place 2 or 3 of these around the lathe and be good to go. I'm not in the tool bunker every day so they should last a decent while. So you guys using anything on your shop floors?

 

[Ray C]

Yes, I've tried them and they didn't cut-it for me. The swarf got hopelessly intertwined in the holes and it was hard to clean. Also, swarf gets underneath it and constant walking on it ground the swarf into the epoxy floor 10 times worse. Before, when I got a good layer of swarf going, I could sweep it easily. Not so with those mats and the swarf just gets ground in real bad. I have decent shop boots with good/proper heels to keep my feet from hurting.

If you're dead-set on getting the professional kind, check-out your local "Ollies" or "Big Lots" store that specializes in selling factory reject or second-rate stuff. I see those mats there all the time.

Ray

EDIT: Oh yeah, heaven forbid you drop a set screw on those things... Good luck finding it.

 

[Splat]

Yes, I've tried them and they didn't cut-it for me. The swarf got hopelessly intertwined in the holes and it was hard to clean. Also, swarf gets underneath it and constant walking on it ground the swarf into the epoxy floor 10 times worse. Before, when I got a good layer of swarf going, I could sweep it easily. Not so with those mats and the swarf just gets ground in real bad. I have decent shop boots with good/proper heels to keep my feet from hurting.

I hadn't thought of that. I was thinking of maybe once a week or every other week pulling them up and Shop-Vac'ing the floor. But you know I'll get lazy and that'll never happen.

EDIT: Oh yeah, heaven forbid you drop a set screw on those things... Good luck finding it.

I hear ya on that!

 

[Richard King]

I have seen them in Grind shops where they don't fill with chips. Many make wood ones out of 2 x 4's and 1 x 2's on top. Like they have in fish cleaning houses. I also have found a good pair of loose fitting shoes with arch supports help. When I do these hobbyist shop scraping seminars, many times I get cardboard and lay on the floor. Cheap and disposable.

 

[hman]

I've been pretty happy with the one I have underfoot at my lathe. As for dropped screws - yeah, sometimes a hassle, but with all those holes, small pieces usually don't go too far ... and it's easy enough to lift the mat away and sweep/search.

Elsewhere in the shop, I have 2ft by 2ft interlocking squares of a relatively soft foam-based floor cover. Don't recall where I got the original set, so when I wanted more I bought a batch at Horrible Fright. Luckily, the interlocking features are the same. They're a lot less expensive than the drainage mat. And as inexpensive as they are, it's no big hurt to custom-cut them to go around the feet of heavy or fixed items.

Other contributors have mentioned foot comfort, and I can't disagree with anything they've said ... but I'd like to add the insulation factor to the mix. It's nice to have a little bit of distance from my cold concrete garage floor. And with either option, dropped tools have a much better chance of surviving!

- hman
(John Herrmann)

 

[HSS]

These are the mats my wife bought for me and they are easy to clean and nothing gets under them. They are great. This is what she uses at work.

 

[HSS]

I tried rotating these pictures and one stayed correct and the other, well you can see.

 

[Jeff in Pa]

At work we have the mats with the holes. Since we're flinging coolant on some of the really big weldments, they work pretty good. Coolant will degrade them over time.

At home, I have pieces of 3/4" plywood I stand on. Enough cushioning to keep my feet from hurting and easy clean up. Just remove any chips that stick before they completely imbed.

 

[Splat]

I have seen them in Grind shops where they don't fill with chips. Many make wood ones out of 2 x 4's and 1 x 2's on top. Like they have in fish cleaning houses. I also have found a good pair of loose fitting shoes with arch supports help. When I do these hobbyist shop scraping seminars, many times I get cardboard and lay on the floor. Cheap and disposable.

Rich, you reminded me of the pizzerias with the wooden slats they nail together. That's a great idea. Methinks I'll try that.