Shop mats

[DavidR8]

Horse mats are hard rubber and provide little cushioning unless you're a 1200# horse. I would consider an alternative.

Despite the pandemic I have a ways to go before I hit 1200#. And then I think shop floor cushioning would pale in comparision to the raft of other issues I'd have.
I best layoff the ice cream though...

 

[pontiac428]

There's a difference between a floor mat and an ergonomic mat. The conveyor belt, horse stall mats, and many others listed here are just floor mats, something rubbery and non-slip that covers the floor. The "holey" restaurant style mats are included in this group.

Ergonomic mats are thick, cushioned, and have a foamy or compressible core (wearwell). They allow the bones in your feet to move so your tendons stretch, and the rocking motion that moving on these mats allows will induce circulation. Cushioning is easier on the knees and back.

So if you're looking to cover the floor, see what kind of deal you can get on surplus material. If you're looking to help your body out over the time spent on the shop floor, select an ergonomic mat. Two different mats, two different purposes.

 

[mikey]

At my age, with my back, cushiony is good!

 

[C-Bag]

I am a fan of tall stools. If just the right height it is easy to alternate between standing, sitting and leaning. Not doing any one of these for too long seems to be the key to avoiding back and leg pain for me.

I've been considering getting a horse mat from Tractor Supply.



I took a class from a guy who had been a sports physical therapist before becoming a "leadership" consultant (the government loves to hire consultants to tell employees that they are happy even if they don't know it). He was a big proponent of stretching, and claimed something like 90% of low back pain was caused by tight hamstrings. Since that class I have made a point of doing leg stretches throughout the day, and I do have far less back pain than I used to. At least I got something useful out of that class.

I first ran into my pain when I was a wrench in a Shell station. When it was slow I’d go out on the islands and help out. It usually got really slow around Christmas and New Years and I’d be out there a whole shift. I’d be hurting so bad I was beside myself. I’m not a fan of chiropractors but when I went to him about my back he asked what I’d been doing and I told him. He was the one who told me about the stretches and that was the only good thing I ever got from a chiropractor. The other necessities for standing on cement is good boots. I used to always get crepe soles but the tech for insoles has gotten good enough I don’t miss crepe soles.

 

[darkzero]

Yup, I love the cushioning! But if I get any fatter I may have to double up on mats.

I've had a few very hot steel chips melt onto my Wearwell mat, only the one for the lathe. But not many in the 10 yrs I've had. Nowhere near close to melting through. Just stuck on the surface & I can just pull it right out. I'm just a hobby guy so I don't get those kinds of hot chips flying off the lathe daily.

Although they have a diamond plate pattern, like Mike said, easy to sweep chips off. I used to use an ordinary household broom but later got one of those industrial shop type brooms that have stiff bristles. That broom sweeps chips off even easier & the chips don't get stuck in the broom like my old one. But I don't even use that anymore. Ever since I got an M18 blower, I just blow the chips to the back wall then vacuum or sweep them up when needed.

 

[Splat]

Another option is horse stall mats sold at the farm and fleet stores. They are made from recycled rubber and are super tough and heavy.
The one I have is 4'x5' and is about 30lbs.
Joe

I got a 3/4" thick 4'x6' Tractor Supply horse stall mat. Thing is heavy and firm. I got it to use for kettlebell exercising. I guess it would be better than hard concrete but I would get something softer. YMMV.

 

[ACHiPo]

I'm following this discussion. I like the idea of the duckboard. Tripping would be an issue until you got used to it, but I like the idea of chips not sticking (I have HF cheapos and they look like Chia Pets).

A few photos of "duckboards" from the interwebs...
Duckboard
Duckboard1

The slats look like plaster lath. Seems like they'd be pretty springy and good to stand on.

Here's a YouTube comparison of rubber mat vs. duckboard:
Mat and Duckboard Comparison Video

 

[GunsOfNavarone]

This is what I use, very thick/heavy...don't move around. Nicer than standing on carpet in my living room!
Shop mats

 

[Janderso]

In the shop where I apprenticed back in the mid '60s these wood mats were called duckboards, and they were in front of every machine in the shop, and were made by the carpenter shop on site; generally, they had narrower slats than toe one pictured, and chips easily fell through, and regularly, the sweepers came by, took the mats up and swept all the chips away (and gave us a bit of a break in the process). In my own shop, I used duck boards in front of the principal lathes where there was a lot of standing, and odd mats of rubber or old conveyor belting on less used machines; my motto, whatever works or is cheap, or somebody gives me is fine.

These duck boards were made to flex.
John,
Can you recall the size or thickness of the slats? How far apart were the foundation slits?
I think this is the way to go.
I bought some 2x3 mats from Costco. Chips get embedded and they are a PITA.

 

[DavidR8]

These duck boards were made to flex.
John,
Can you recall the size or thickness of the slats? How far apart were the foundation slits?
I think this is the way to go.
I bought some 2x3 mats from Costco. Chips get embedded and they are a PITA.

1x3"s on 24” centers in the Fireball video. Narrower centers would be less springy (and may be necessary if the stock is very knotty).
I think I'll be building a few of these!