Replies

1. 
   gary_vaiskauckas | Feb 18, 2022 01:50am | #1

   Rubber mats in a shop are to make it more comfortable for workers than standing on a hard surface like concrete. When installed in a workshop, rubber mats have cutouts around the machines to allow the machines to be firmly planted on the floor.

   If your cabinet saw is not solidly planted on the floor the best solution is to either move it to a level floor or to shim it.

   If the cabinet saw vibrates after these steps, there is another problem causing the vibration.

2. 
   pantalones868 | Feb 18, 2022 03:39am | #2

   All my machines are on wheels and my benches as well and my entire shop floor is rubber matted wall to wall. Pros are that it reduces the noise lever considerably. The weight of a heavy machine like my PM66 basically crushes into the mat and there is no noticable movement. I would argue that if your machinery is on casters there is less vibration on a rubber mat than on a hard floor. Tools can get butterfingered without damage..dropped my Sterrett square just today...my back appreciates the soft floor.
   Cons...it is more difficult to roll my equipment around on the rubber than it would be on a hard floor and I have to bump them to get them to move out of the depressions that the casters make....but I get by.. My shop is set up so everything moves and I do move it around quite often depending on the project. Having my machines on the floor and mats around them would make that almost impossible or maybe actually impossible. This particular matted floor is about 30 years old now and is looking a little ratty and I'm thinking of replacing it. It wasn't expensive stuff ,about 1/2" thick.. I've seen this stuff that the weight lifters use, you know, lift 350 lbs over your head and then drop it! Its really pretty ridged and about an inch thick, lifting that much weight and the floor starts moving under you could be really dangerous so in theory at least it doesn't move or at least not much. It looks like really high quality stuff and would make a great shop floor but I think it's kind of expensive.