What can I put on the floor to make it more forgiving?

Stop dropping it?

Seriously it tells me your not taking care of your tools

There are some interlocking mats you can get at many stores, they are usually different colored. Not only will your tools like them but your back will too. Even though I have wood floors I have these mats at every work station in my shop. When I was a cook i had one so small that only my feet were on it but many of the people I worked with ended up with back problems and now I have no back problems

-- Happiness is being covered in sawdust

Cheapest option would be tongue and groove osb. Just lay it over the concrete, pin nails through the grooves should hold it all together. It will be a pain to sweep though.

I agree…

Stop Dropping it!

DO NOT place in positions that make it easy to knock over & fall.

-- Have Fun! Joe Lyddon - Alta Loma, CA USA - Home: http://www.WoodworkStuff.net ... My Small Gallery: https://www.ncwoodworker.net/forums/index.php?media/albums/users/joe-lyddon.1389/

Yeah, I have to agree you need to stop dropping them. Unless you have extra cash to buy new ones.

I know! I know!... lol… Dropping wasn’t on my list of things to do… Today, I was using the drill to put together a jig to knock off the bow on a board, for the planer..(didn’t work too well.. so Ill get a $10 HF block plane to hopefully finish her up… lol…) And of course the whole thing decided to fall… thats when things went belly up… The nailer was dropped, when something similar happened… both times made me ticked as can be… lol… I don’t like seeing my nice shiney tools get damaged… lol.. as it is, I scratched my planer outfeed tables… a nail to that jig…. GAR!!! but its just astetic… I guess no real damage to anything… I am just thankful the air wasn’t connected to that gun… Im not too good at dodging 2” nails…

-- "Ah, So your not really a newbie, but a I betterbie."

I have used old carpet padding to help when standing. I glued it to 1/2 ply. Don’t use it if it has yellow stains though, LOL.

Don’t feel bad about dropping that nail gun. For some reason they always seem to get in some position when you’re putting some thing together that they bounce off the floor. It’s not that you’re not taking care of them that’s the nature of nail guns. I think they actually LIKE floor bouncing.

I bought soft plastic mats that interlock. They are about 3 ft. square & cheap. I picked up mine at a Pep Boys store.

Pop

-- One who works with his hands is a laborer, his hands & head A craftsman, his hands, head & heart a artist

If you use tools, they will have battle scars, don’t worry about it as long as they still work. I agree with pop, I thiink tools get a kick out of bouncing around:-))

-- Bob in WW ~ "some old things are lovely, warm still with life ... of the forgotten men who made them." - D.H. Lawrence

I think I may do the OSB idea. Probably about $60 to cover my work area… 3 panels across, 2 down.. Although, I might not use the tongue and grove.. cause Im cheap…lol…

If DeWalt gets back to me, telling me my compressor can spray. Is there a particular finish I should consider. I want to make it a little easier to clean.. but at the same time, kinda make it less flamable…. then again, woodshop and flamable, are synonyms…

-- "Ah, So your not really a newbie, but a I betterbie."

They now are about double that. The OSB is cheaper in the long run, per foot.

-- "Ah, So your not really a newbie, but a I betterbie."

put down mattresses and pretend your the princess and the tool is the pea

stop dropping it.

trust me, its hard but noti mpossible

-- "Good artists borrow, great artists steal”…..Picasso

Alright… I guess Ill go beggin for matresses… lol… Maybe attach bungee cords to all toolls.. lol

-- "Ah, So your not really a newbie, but a I betterbie."

Most anybody can have an accident! True you should plan ahead so that you reduce accidents. That said there are inexpensive mats that you can buy at say Woodcraft or Northern Tool that will make a drop to the floor less damaging and have the added bonus of being easier on your feet and back as well!
If you do a little searching I am sure you could find them in a lot of places, maybe even the Big Box stores.

-- Folly ever comes cloaked in opportunity!

You can get 4’x6’x3/4” firm rubber horse stall mats from any farm store for around $30 each. They are quite tough and heavy enough that they will lay flat. In fact if you get a few get some help to move them into the shop. If you happen to kick the edge of one you will not have to chase it across the floor. :-)
Most are two sided so you can pick the surface you want.

-- Francis Robinson, Central Indiana, USA - - Shopsmith fanatic