Replies

1. 
   Dev_Emch | Mar 02, 2002 04:43am | #1

   *
   One of the best floors you can have for shops is dutch tile. I have talked about this earlier, but it is a type of wood tile held down to concrete etc by asphalt cement. The floor is used by top end machine shops for over 100 years now and is a favorate amongst machinists because it does not hurt the feet like concrete will. Also, if you drop a tool, it will not ruin a tool.

1. 
   Janet_Yang | Mar 02, 2002 04:51am | #2

   *I searched for "dutch tile" on the Internet but didn't find anything resembling wood flooring. Do you know any brand names?

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   RJT_ | Mar 02, 2002 04:53am | #3

   *That was a great discussion Tim, I'd like to see that in FW. I presently have a concrete floor and I'd like to point out that a slab floor besides being uncomfortably hard is also damn cold in the wintertime. I plan on covering mine with a 2x4 & plywood structure. Altho I have ceiling-hung heat, I'm considering adding radiant to the floor. I don't like blown air as a means of heat, especially in a woodshop.

1. 
   redplumjam | Mar 02, 2002 05:33am | #4

   *janeti've got a couple of antifatigue mats on my concrete floor & they add a few hours of concentration to my days (rather than groaning about my feet or back) ha.of course i've gotta pick em up to sweep...alex

1. 
   Mike_Taylor1 | Mar 02, 2002 06:51am | #5

   *Janet -Mine is concrete. But, my shoes are thick foam soled orthopedic shoes. I found buying good shoes less expensive than re-flooring the shop.The other day I was out here in my houseshoes. after 2 hours I had to go in and set down for a while.The downside to this approach happens whenever I drop a tool!

2. 
   John_Casteen_ | Mar 03, 2002 02:18am | #6

   *The best shop floor I've ever worked on is a double thickness of 3/4" CDX plywood. It's applied over TGI joists, but you could do the same thing over other joists or an existing floor.It's rigid enough for heavy machinery, flexible enough not to hurt the feet, and you can screw things to it for jigging and layout.Have also worked on concrete and fir shop floors. Both lacking in imprtant departments but keep you out of the dirt just fine...John CasteenFern Hill Furniture WorksEarlysville, Va.

3. 
   Frank_H._Biscardi | Mar 03, 2002 06:08am | #7

   *I have one of Mike Dunbar's old turning books. He recomends sweeping together shavings and then standing on them. It sounds silly, but it does help so long as you don't slip and fall.FrankHey John,Where is your shop? I'm over in Crozet.

4. 
   IAM_ | Mar 03, 2002 06:47am | #8

   *I am not sure what dutch tile is, it may be similar to what I have seen on TV multiple times when they show old machine shops. The floor is made up of square wooden tiles (I guess they do not need to be squares) 4x4 or larger. The tiles are made by cross cutting a square timber. The length of this cutoff is the hight of the tile. The square pieces with end grain on top are used to tile the floor. I believe a slurry with saw dust and glue was used as grout. One of the advantages of this floor in a machine shop is that it absorbs oil making it a safe anti-slip surface.Hope this helps,Imran

5. 
   AJinNZ_ | Mar 04, 2002 04:20am | #9

   *I used plywood, mostly because I got a heap of it cheap. I must admit to not liking concrete though simply because the aching of feet and legs is huge.I think even if I had concrete I would put wood over the top.