GATHER: MATERIALS MAKING SUPPLIES
The following tools are those that I consider to be a necessity for Montessori materials
making. I love the Fiskars brand of scissors. I was so happy when I discovered the hinged scissors. It nearly eliminates all
tedious effort (and pain) and works well for cutting laminated materials. Except for the small cuts, I use an 18-inch Quill brand paper cutter to cut laminated pieces. I set the paper cutter on a light table for greater accuracy in getting the blade
to cut directly on the lines. For cutting fabric and mat board, I use a self healing mat and a rotary blade on a track with
an acrylic ruler. I could not find the exact item online but I did buy it at our local WalMart store. The Fiskars quilting
set below would get similar results but I prefer the rotary blade on a track. I have never used a Fiskars paper trimmer but
I do know many materials makers who like to use them.
If you are crafty enough to want to assemble your own bead sets then you will need a good set of jewelry
pliers. A good snipper, a round tool for making figure-8 links, and a long nose pliers for straightening out the loops on
the bead bars. A sharp Exacto knife works well for cutting syrofoam when making items like the Golf Tee Clock. I use
a professional pouch laminator from USI Laminate, however on a smaller scale a personal laminator should be adequate. I prefer to use 5 mil pouch film for practically everything
I laminate. There are a few items where I use a much thicker 10 mil laminate like the Inscribed and Concentric Figures, however
the laminator below only takes up to 5 mil.
It's helpful to have a quality metal ruler both for drawing and cutting on the line. When making the
Tactile Fabrics it is best to seal the edges lightly with Fray Check to prevent raveling. I use Wood Glue and Tacky Glue to
assemble items like the Golf Tee Clock and the Math boards. Wood glue adheres cork to wood and the tacky glue adheres styrofoam
to laminated paper. Rubber Cement is used when gluing sandpaper to mat board for the Sandpaper Letters and Numerals or when
gluing sandpaper to wood as in the Tactile Boards.A simple mitre box is needed to cut the square dowels for the Red and Blue
Rods and the 3-inch boards for the Baric Tablets and the Tactile Boards.
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