The Best Cutting Board By James Goss        What do you use as a cutting board for cutting balsa and film coverings? I have tried several different backboards over the years and found that some work better than others. For the last few years I have been using hard rubber mats about 1/8 inch thick. They work nice and will last for many years, but they still are not ideal for the job. The rubber mats are also good about holding your work in place. The problem with cutting boards is that as you cut through the work piece you also cut into the backboard, this is what dulls your blades so fast. Also if the cutting board will allow the blade to penetrate its surface the blade will try to pull the film down into the cut line as the blade cuts into the cutting board. This will produce a stretching of the material and result in a rough cut.  I have known for many years that the absolutely best in the world cutting board is glass. Your hobby knife will not cut into glass because it is so hard; it just glides across its surface and gives you the best edge cut in Monokote and Ultracote that you will ever get. I forget where I heard about using glass as a cutting board, but somebody really knew what they were talking about when they told me to use plate glass. Remember that cleaner cuts will enhance your overall covering job. It is straight lines and clean cuts that really generate a professional covering job.      I had been looking for some large plate glass when a home improvement project guided me to what I was looking for. It was time to change our front storm door so I immediately decided to remove its plate glass. It measured 6 feet 3 inches long and 32 inches wide and was free for the taking. This was just right for one of my cutting benches in the shop. The edge of the glass would not overhang the edge of the bench, which meant that I would not have to cut the glass. Cutting glass has not been one of my better skills in life. With the glass installed on my cutting bench I was ready to try it out. I found a piece of scrap Ultracote for the first cut. I could not believe how easy the knife cut through the covering. The glass really reduces friction and produces the perfect cut. You might think that cutting on glass would dull your knife quicker, but it doesn't. I can guarantee that you will not find a better cutting backboard anywhere. Glass is the way to go for a professional cut in film covering and in balsa as well.      Now I realize that my cutting board is large and everyone may not have room for a glass sheet that size. Ounce you install a sheet of glass this size your bench can only be used for cutting and no heavy work of any kind. A smaller piece of glass will also work just fine. If you have some old glass shelves around they will work great. Mary has just discarded a glass whatnot shelf from our den that had ¼ inch x 3 feet x 12 inch shelves. These would be perfect for a portable cutting board. By them being ¼ inch thick they are plenty strong for transporting around your shop.