Rubber Table Surface

Compiled and shared from an interview with Cristian G. from Georgia with permission.

There are a number of different ideas when it comes to table surfaces for cutting slabs. Most fabricators either cut with the wood surface that the saw ships with (for weight savings) or they apply a surface of concrete.

Wood Surface: Fabricators that choose to use the wood surface like it because it doesn't harm the stone and it's easy to mill down. Replacing the wood takes some time and expense but it's a pretty simple process when the time comes to change it. One challenge is that by keeping the wood surface, it limits how long you can go since milling the wood table to keep it level removes some material and the wood typically is not that thick. This results in replacing the wood pretty frequently depending upon how much use the saw gets.

Concrete Surface: Fabricators that choose to put concrete on their table top like it because it's a hard surface, is relatively easy to mill, and you can mill it down (provided you have 4-5 inches of concrete) periodically without worrying the the table top is getting too thin (maxing out your Z axis drops) too quickly. The challenge here is that the concrete adds a lot of weight and therefore wear and tear to the hydraulic lifting mechanism, and it's pretty time consuming to mill down. Concrete is also able to scratch the stone but that's a minor concern for most (cutting with the polish side up).

Rubber Table Surface: We have some customers that have experimented successfully with covering their table surfaces with rubber. This is a novel and compelling idea because rubber has a number of very positive aspects to it. Rubber flexes with the blade so while it does get damaged a little with each cut, there is a lot of flexing going on so it's largely preserved. If you put the rubber surface down on a table that's already been milled flat - the rubber surface is a consistent thickness so it remains flat with the rubber attached. The rubber is gentle and non-abrasive to the stone, holds it nicely in position because of its flexible and non-slip properties, and it's easy to find and pretty quick to install it. Our research shows that in an active, busy shop, this rubber surface should last 6 - 8 months with regular use.

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Sourcing: The rubber shown in these pictures is available from your typical big-box hardware stores. It's actually a flooring material for shops to reduce fatigue for workers that stand for long hours. Cost is reasonable at under $30 per square (36" x 36"). So total coverage is typically less that 4 x 3 squares or about $360 cost for a full set. (Home Depot "Traffic Master" @ $28, Lowes "Project Source" @ $29 Menards "Direct Home" @ $15).

These are often called anti-fatigue mats. They are perforated and they interlock so they hold together well on your table top. Once you've placed them on your table and interlocked them together, trim the edges to fit. Finally, affix the top edge only (upper edge with table lifted) as this will prevent movement and keep it from sliding downward when the table is tilted up. Our contact uses wire to affix it into position (see the video).

Let us know if you have any questions or if you have a similar or other solution regarding your table top that you like.

Many thanks to Cristian G. from Georgia for this innovation, pictures and video.