What do you do to make standing at a bench all day easier?

[rleete]

Shred, those are exactly what I got. they have little tabs on the edges, so you can hook them together. I found that a 2' x 3' section was plenty, so I cut them up to cover more space.

 

[ChrisB]

+1 for the matting, anything softer on the floor than concrete is a very good thing. Also never forget to move about, the body is not really designed to stay still for extended periods. Take little breaks now and then, walk around a bit, bend down, stretch your legs and feet. Anything to keep the circulation moving and muscles loose. Working in the cold is especially bad for you, if staying still.

Also remember to keep hydrated, sounds silly I know but does help.

 

[Admiral_dk]

I have to revise my statement about wood on isolation mats over concrete. It was the way I was told that i worked the best ...!

A few days after my last post, I had my father with me to the shop here at campus and he asked my friend about the rubber mats hanging at certain spots on the walls and was told that they used them when standing at a machine for more that a few minutes (they never told me and I didn't ask :-[ ).

The reason - first the Safety Inspectors demanded them to prevent tripping over on a slippery floor (wood + coolant), second - it protected the wooden floor against the swarf and coolant, and theird - it made standing for hours no problem.

So I must conclude that I only had part of the story previously :-[

 

[Mosey]

Possibly the best reason for putting rubber mats on the floor is to catch the brand new/just sharpened mill as it follows one of the inviolate laws of physics ("sharp tools always slip out of hand") by dropping out of the collet, knocking the sharp edges off on the concrete floor.

 

[ironman]

Just got my mats from ENCO today. I can tell the difference after 1-1/2 hours at the lathe.
Thanks you all for reminding me that I needed some.

Ray