horse stall mat for the kitchen?

[Jason Fry]

I've got a customer who asked me about using horse stall mat for some kitchen knife handles. I've never used it before, and don't know if it'll hold up to kitchen use. What do you think? How is it to work with?

 

[thompsonblades]

As a guy who has not only sold, but used horse mats, I can honestly say that I think it could work. I assume you're thinking about a non-slip grip. If you have a scroll saw, or band saw, its easy to trim the large 4X6 mats down to what you need, and they're relatively inexpensive for what you're thinking about. You could get at least 100 knife handles from them. I'm not sure how a sander would react to the rubber, but I believe that a low grit, say 50 grit, sander would let you shape the rubber.

 

[Bob Katilus]

Some use this type of handle material on choppers for competition. Great grip and reduces impact stresses in your hand.

 

[1066vik]

yup - high density crepe rubber type stuff, should work pretty well.
and yes, it will clog sanding belts -- smells nasty when it gets hot, too!