Over time, I found out that using a large soft mat to form parts is not always convenient, so sponges for a marker board of different sizes were bought and I found a soft cube in my child's toys. And also I collect tubes and rods of different diameters wherever possible. By the way, tudes are good for punching holes.
If I may suggest: I use a nail buffer to keep my blades sharp. Not only that, but if I break the tip off the blade (which happens often), I will use this to reshape and sharpen the blade. You can get these at your local pharmacy, department store, "DOLLAR STORE", and "beauty" supply store (as well as online).