Foam Cutter table

A cheap and easy hot wire cutter for any RC modeler who needs to cut pieces of foam from a sheet or block.

Step 1: Get you your materials

Supplies list
A box with foam packaging inside for mounting the cutter
A hand held hot wire cutter, available from micheals in the foam section, costs about $20 unless you use a coupon.

Tools
A hot glue gun and extra sticks (not pictured)
A stanley or Xacto knife
marker, to mark foam

Comments

[dazedonblu]

this one is good but I found this on and its got to be the best Ive ever found and it works perfect, I built it in under 2 hours. It super accurate. http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.htm...=292695&page=1

[ydeardorff]

I wonder if that little cutter could be adapted to a 3 axis CNC router, for alittle more fun, and options?

[vladtepesh]

I want to use a clothes hangerwire  bent into a shape about 12"- 14" long.What power source can I use, that I can regulate. I know a car battery charger will get it hot, but how to regulate???

[Evilthingamabober]

Try one of those old black-cube-type transformers that turns 120VAC to 5 to 12VDC (make sure it puts out at least an amp). And many people use dimmer switches to regulate power to hot-wire foam cutters.

[323maderas]

I got a cheapy soldering iron at the 'everything for a dollar store' that looks a LOT like that hand-held cutter. How possible would it be to place a longer wire into it, and wire in a light switch dimmer in one side of the wiring, and use that?

[cleversomeday]

After trying briefly to do something like this by mounting the cutter in a cardboard tube so I could stick it through the umbrella hole of a patio table I had a brainstorm. I commandeered DHs Workmate portable work bench and simply cranked the adjustable planks together to clamp the styro cutter at the proper height. For mostly straight cuts you can use a hot knife (soldering iron type of thing with an exacto blade at the end) this way, too. And one more tip, for anyone looking to buy a styro cutter. Craft stores like Michaels and JoAnns frequently have 40-50% off on one item coupons available, bringing the cost of this gadget down to 10 or $12.

[Shut Up Now]

in step four, are you about to hot wire cut that cat for mounting? good ible. and yes it is ironic.

[FoamCrazy]

yeah i was thinking of that through the whole build and i also though it was ironic that i used the foam cutter to cu the foam to mount it.

[jongscx]

am I the only one who finds it semi-ironic that you're securely holding a foam-cutter... with foam (albiet styro) dunno, just brought the image of a butter-based hot-knife holder

[PickPacket]

No, you're not the only one.