I do wood working also. I use Luan, a type of plywood that is very thin (1/4th inch). I cut it with my jigsaw, sand the edges and "pillowcase" it with fabric. I put a small dot of velcro on the open end for washing. It is very sturdy and lightweight. If you ask at home improvement stores they sometimes have scrap pcs at a markdown price. I have been know to plead an gotten them to cut it into the smaller pcs I needed for free.