Abstract: A method of making evaporative cooler pads having a mat of absorbent material substantially uniformly distributed throughout the mat to provide the desired thickness and density to efficiently cool by evaporation warm air that is passed through the mat attached to an evaporative cooler system. The absorbent material can comprise excelsior in the form of aspen wood fibers. This material is cut into mats of the desired size and separated from other mats to create gaps between the mats. A mesh netting encloses the mat and the gap between mats. A stitching machine adds stitching to the mat and to the netting in the gaps between mats to bind the netting to the mat and to interconnect the netting layers in the gap. Adhesive material is applied to the netting and stitching in the gaps to retain the mat inside the netting. A cutting assembly cuts in the gap between the mats to form individual cooler pads.