Terry Smythe asked about a more durable cutting surface.  I use drafting-
table cover material on my repair table.  Unfortunately it's available
only in huge rolls (as far as I've discovered) so you need to make friends
with a draftsman or artist who uses a lot of it.  You tack a section of it
down to the board.  It's a heavy plastic that tends to self-repair after
you've cut through it.  After a while, of course, you do wear it out.  The
nice thing is that it's replaceable more easily than the board.

Peter Neilson