Potluck »Projects & adventures
DIY: basic foam cutter (from Make: Volume 16)
beingzoe 6 months ago |

Cut styrofoam and just about any low density foam with this homemade foam cutting machine. Project idea comes from Make: Volume 16.

NOTE: This DIY foam cutter is for cutting out whole shapes. If you don’t mind cutting through the edge of your piece of foam it can be used to cut foam for cases, but is not ideally suited for that purpose. If you have questions about foam cutting, post them here and Trader Dan will help you out.

What you’ll need

Base

• Peg board
• 2×4
• 1/4” aluminum rod
• Nichrome wire .010 diameter
• Alligator clips/cable
• Superglue
• Screws
• 1 small nail
• Bolt w/4 nuts
• Power drill
• 1/16” drill bit
• 1/4” drill bit
• Hacksaw
• Safety glasses

Power source

• Train transformer w/variable DC output

How to make it

• Cut a square base of peg board
• Cut two lengths of 2×4 to the width of your peg board (for base support ‘feet’
• Mount peg board to 2×4’s with 4 screws
• Drill a 1/4” hole in the center hole on one edge of the peg board with the 2×4 support ‘feet’

• Bend aluminum rod in the middle at 90 degrees
• Insert aluminum rod into the 1/4” hole (should fit snuggly)
• Drill 1/16” hole through the 2×4 ‘foot’ AND the aluminum rod
• Hammer in a small nail to the hole (adds stability)

• Cut a groove in the top of the aluminum rod above center/center of the peg board base (will hold the nichrome wire)
• Thread 4 nuts onto bolt (1 each end; 2 center)
• Tie nichrome wire to center of bolt between the two nuts
• Tighten nuts
• Superglue end nuts to bolt (make sure all nuts are in the same position; level)
• Thread nichrome wire through bottom of peg board base at the center/center hole (bolt with nuts will pull tight to bottom of base)
• Run nichrome wire up and over the groove in aluminum rod
• Tie/affix securely

Nichrome wire should be taut but not too tight

• Attach cables with alligator clips to output of variable DC transformer
• Attach 1 lead to the bolt (under the base)
• Attach 1 to the aluminum rod

That’s it! You are ready to cut foam

Turn it on, give it a second and then use it to start cutting your foam.

From the description at Youtube:

Take used styrofoam and reuse it to make cool new things with this easy 5-Minute Foam Factory. Thanks to Bob Knetzger for the original project in Make: Volume 16.