Cutting foam...

[airstreamcha]

I am in the biz so here it is- mark your foam one halve inch larger than your fabric pattern,lay on flat surface,spray electric cutting knife and along pattern on foam with a light coat of silicone spray then start cutting -do not lift foam till after you have gone completely around pattern- then start back at the begining and finish cutting through foam by lifting foam as you go around.this will give you a nice clean even cut.

good luck!

airstreamcha

1963 tradewind
1999e350 ford

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Safari Tim

What is a good/easy way to cut foam?

I need to cut 4-5" and 2" foam. I tried a razor knife on the 2" and it made a mess. So I switched to sissors which worked but was a stuggle on the 2" probably not possible on the 5" stuff.

I'm sure pros have something special for this, but what can I use at home?

It is called a hot knife, or foam-board cutter.
Hot knife plugs in, foam board cutter runs on a couple of D cell batteries.
I have more experience with the foam board cutter, it will cut 2-6" foam, depending on how large the cutter is you get. It has a handle where the batteries are, a frame that looks kind of like a coping saw frame, and a piece of wire where the saw blade would be. When you turn it on, it gets hot, and melts the foam. It is obviously important to keep these things moving so you don't wind up with a melted blob of foam.
Terry

[Chuck]

what about rigid foam boards? I'm about to emark on a non-trailer related project involving this, and the last time I cut a piece of this stuff, it was kind of a mess. I need good straight, clean cuts this time. I know a "hot knife" would be best, but I'm snow-bound today. (where does one buy one of those, anyway?). wondering about a saber saw, (jig saw), or maybe the ol' ginsu. maybe the roto-zip? don't know if the bit is long enough for 2" boards, though.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by chuck

what about rigid foam boards? I'm about to emark on a non-trailer related project involving this, and the last time I cut a piece of this stuff, it was kind of a mess. I need good straight, clean cuts this time. I know a "hot knife" would be best, but I'm snow-bound today. (where does one buy one of those, anyway?). wondering about a saber saw, (jig saw), or maybe the ol' ginsu. maybe the roto-zip? don't know if the bit is long enough for 2" boards, though.

Your local hobby shop, craft store, Home Depot, Lowe's, and probably Wal-mart all carry these things, or something comparable.
If you are feeling adventurous, you could try experimenting with a soldering iron with a long, thin tip. I personally wouldn't recommend it, but it may work. The good part of all these heat operated cutting utensils is they don't create "foam snow". It is bad enough to have a couple of feet of it outdoors, without bringing the non-melting kind inside.
Terry

[qjktx]

When I cut memory foam to put on top of out matresses here's what I did:

1. Mark the line where you want to cut (used a felt-tip marker).

2. Place the foam on a sheet of plywood (cutting board).

3. Use a straight piece of wood as a cutting guide - lay the wood on your marked line and kneel on it to compress the foam.

4. Using a sharp knife (I used a standard, non-serrated knife that I had just sharpened) make your cut.

- Mark
Austin, TX

[sfixx]

Originally Posted by chuck

what about rigid foam boards? ... 2" boards

I use those retractable box cutters to cut ridgid blue foam. The ones with blades about 3" long that you can snap the tip off to get a fresh sharp end. Sometimes you can score the sheet halfway through and snap the rest like drywall. If you need curves try a loose hacksaw blade but that may not be a smooth as you need.

Of course there is always the high tech engineered made to order way to do something. But what's the MacGuyver, I've already got it in my garage so make it work for one job, way

Steve

[malconium]

Chuck,

I have used my table saw to cut rigid foam board and it works just fine. It does create white foam dust granuals however. You should be able to get nice clean cuts with a circular saw too. A saber saw should work fine too as long as you have a blade that is long enough.

Malcolm

Originally Posted by chuck

what about rigid foam boards? I'm about to emark on a non-trailer related project involving this, and the last time I cut a piece of this stuff, it was kind of a mess. I need good straight, clean cuts this time. I know a "hot knife" would be best, but I'm snow-bound today. (where does one buy one of those, anyway?). wondering about a saber saw, (jig saw), or maybe the ol' ginsu. maybe the roto-zip? don't know if the bit is long enough for 2" boards, though.

[Safari Tim]

Well I got a good deal at the ol Walmart today. They only had one electric knife left and when I got to the register it was $3.00.

Hopefully it works better than the sisors I was using!

[gotair]

the electric turkey carving knife is what the man used on the foam for my argosy sorry now that I didn't photo the process