How to cut foam?

[chinita]

Just about to fit new saloon cushions and want to chamfer the 'hull side'.

Any tips? Have heard that an electric bread knife works.

Don't want to be arrested for Foam Hacking .

 

[elton]

I'd try a hot wire cutter.

 

[puddock]

I've been advised to use an electric carving or bread knife

 

[TQA]

Electric carving knife works better than a bread knife.

I would not use a hot wire on upholstery foam.

 

[Croak]

Electric carving knife gets my vote

 

[onesea]

Electric carving knife gets my vote

+1

 

[robertj]

Go on you tube it will show you how to build a hotwire cutter.

 

[little_roundtop]

We've tried an electric carving knife and it was far from ideal. I guess it depends on the foam and on the pitch of the knife blades, but we found the blades regularly jammed with foam, the knife often stalled whilst in the foam and the finished cut edge was jagged and irregular. I would not recommend it.

 

[oldhunter]

Try using a hand saw to cut the foam, support both sides of the foam while you cut it

 

[BlueLancer]

If you have a Bandsaw you can get a special foam cutting blade for it. I know I can for my ELU Bandsaw

 

[duncan99210]

When we did new foam for Rampage, I used a sharp (no, really sharp) thin carving knife. As you cut the foam, an assistant gently pull the cut edges apart so as to prevent the blade binding. We were advised to do it this way by an upholstery person and it works. Just take your time and you'll do a nice job.......

 

[Tomahawk]

Don't want to be arrested for Foam Hacking .

Electric carving knife.. The one with two blades that cut against each other and as useless as carving knives... Both the coarse and fine blade sets wirk well...

 

[VicS]

+ another vote for an electric carving knife

Also a vote against a hot wire cutter for upholstery foam....... toxic fumes ??

But is it really necessary to chamfer the foam. Surely the amount of shaping required will be achieved by shaping the covers ??

 

[GrahamM376]

another + for electric knife. I've also used a small tooth hand saw, a band saw and also a jig saw with modified hack saw blade. The last one need to be run along a piece of ply for support. You could of course build your own hot wire cutter - http://www.terragenesis.co.uk/infopages/page171.html

 

[PCUK]

Electric carving knife. If it jams up the blades are blunt!

 

[sailorbaz]

I have just bought a piece of foam which the shop cut to size for me. They used one of those vibrating Bosch tools with an attachment that was a strip of steel - like a hacksaw blade without teeth. It cut the foam perfectly.
Sailorbaz

 

[Iliade]

knives

I used a very long sharp chef's knife to good effect.

I have some vague memory that hot knifing foam can cause cyanide to evolve?

 

[Iliade]

Wait until winter and use an adze...

 

[Bobobolinsky]

I used a very long sharp chef's knife to good effect.

I have some vague memory that hot knifing foam can cause cyanide to evolve?

Not any more, but then again a hotwire won't cut modern foam. I use an electric carving knife, with no probs and if I want a bit of sculpting, use a mini grinder with backing disc and sanding discs

 

[chinita]

That is not a problem; SWMBO will be doing it.