How to renew cutting board

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11-27-2011, 07:55 AM

#11

SueSew

Super Member

Join Date: Jan 2011

Location: Nawth o' Boston

Posts: 1,879

Ghostrider, thanks for the links - the Tulip site was great. Lots of other good info there.

I agree on your cutting strategy - don't use the lines on the mat, cut using the ruler. I only use the lines as a double-check to make sure I am 'level and plumb' and not cutting parallelograms.

I would be concerned that abrading the surface irregularities would give the mat areas of depressions and it might affect how the rotary cutter passes over them. Passing a cutter across grooves I have noticed makes it stick and parallel/slipping into grooves gets the cutter out of alignment. Maybe I'm just suffering from beginner's fussiness.

11-27-2011, 09:00 AM

#12

luvstoquilt

Super Member

Join Date: Feb 2011

Location: Yorkville, IL

Posts: 7,639

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghostrider

Make sure you are cutting with the blade straight up and down to minimize the 'grooving'. I seldom use the grid lines to cut anything except when I'm straightening an edge at the beginning so my cutting is not always in the same spot. I have a Fiskars mat that's almost 20 years old and still in great shape.
Here's info on the soaking of mats.
http://tulip-patch.blogspot.com/2010...-olfa-mat.html
And a review of the mat smoother - they do work, as several members here will attest
http://quiltersreview.com/index.php/...es-a-worn-mat/

Both of those are worth a try! Thanks!!!

11-27-2011, 10:57 AM

#13

ghostrider

Super Member

Join Date: Jan 2009

Posts: 4,688

Using sharp blades will also greatly minimize the grooving in cutting mats.

11-27-2011, 01:22 PM

#14

mucky

Super Member

Join Date: Feb 2011

Location: S. Texas

Posts: 2,337

I finally quit cutting batting on my board as it went in the grooves and stayed in the mat. Now I have one I use only the back side for cutting batting.