I have a "secret" project I'm finishing up, but to complete it, I need to cut some soft foam to fit a rectangle shape with rounded corners. Where the foam goes is covered top and bottom but will show on the sides, so I need a way to cut the foam cleanly and kinda sorta precisely. The foam is the soft squishy stuff like you'd find in camera travel cases.

Any ideas?

 

Have you tried scissors? Maybe an X-acto.

 

An electric carving knife (yes, like you'd use on a turkey) works beautifully for cutting foam. The blade moves back and forth so quickly that it cuts through the foam without deforming it in the process.

 

for foam that soft, i've found the turkey cutter doesn't work so hot because it just starts ripping it. i'll typically use an exacto knife/utility knife. about as precise as you can get and as long as it's a new blade, cuts through just fine

 

I've never had much luck with exacto/utility knives if the thickness of the material is many times greater than the length of the blade, because you have to make so many passes with the blade. The times I've tried, the newly-exposed face of the cut piece of foam is never smooth/even. That's what led me to the electric carving knife, after I read about someone using one to cut foam for custom automotive seats.

 

Depending on how thick the foam is, you might be able to create two templates and compress the foam between them with clamps. Then you should be able to get a clean line with the x-acto knife. That's only practical if the piece is relatively small. You'll have to be sure you're compressing it square to the cut or you'll end up with a trapezoid!

I like the electric knife idea, I'm about to tackle some modifications to my motorcycle's seat so I might give that a try.

Mike

 

wet it down freeze it then cut it with whatever floats your boat,done deal.
doug

 

Great ideas....especially the one about compressing.

The foam as almost 2" thick...tried the exacto and scissors approach, they did not work out so well. Amazingly enough, we discovered (too late) that a table saw worked great on the straight sides, but I'm looking for a way to round off the corners...

I wonder if dental floss would work...

 

I like the freeze idea. That combined with a band saw and I think you've got a winner for the rounded edges!

 

Freezing does sound like a good idea. I don't have access to a band saw or a table saw (anymore). Have to try the electric carving knife idea...

 

Or maybe use a sanding wheel

 

Even better idea

 

I took apart a hair dryer and used the heating wire ... Attached it to make a hack saw of sorts , used the heat to cut thru it like butter