Hello cronus and welcome to the community. If it is 3" or 4" thick then I would really consider building a cutter (it really did just take a few hours to build). When a standard knife won't cut it, you might need some power. Of all the tips I can give you, this one helped me the most. Recent Projects. Grinded it, and cut foam today. 69. If you are cutting 3 inches thick or less try an Olfa L-2 utility knife. Get it Tomorrow, Dec 15. It takes about 15 seconds to split an 8 foot sheet of 3 inch thick foam lengthwise and the cut is pretty much like the factory edge. £17.69 £ 17. Sounds like a sharpened putty knife is the way to go. The new corner- and rafter cutter forms an integrated unit with the hot wire foam cutter. The dust free foam cutting line of CenterFire blades will keep the snowman (and blue man and pink man) away. Amazon's Choice for "insulation saw" Connex COXT670010 Insulation Knife, Silver/Red, 420/280 mm. Good clean accurate cuts. Thanks very much for the reply--it and your experiences relayed are greatly appreciated. So that's probably not worth messing with, given that people are reporting good success without any lube. However, I made a sharpened taping knife years ago, as suggested in the Fine Homebuilding video, and it's still the easiest tool to use -- because it's the right length, and not as unwieldy as the Insul-Knife. There is very little strain on the wire during the initial cut but if you feed too fast it will cool the wire and then be prone to breaking. What kind of knife? FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 5 minutes. As a union laborer on the trans-Alaska pipeline project, I once had to cut truckloads of rigid foam insulation with a table saw. Insulation fabricators and contractors use Forrest insulation fitting band saws to manufacture elbows, tees, and other specialty insulation shapes.. Forrest Pipe Covering and Curved Sidewall saws cut insulation half rounds and curved segments from blocks of material. Expand signature. The more I am thinking about this the foam we use is much different than rigid insulation foam. Make sure they are securely and firmly in place so that the pieces will not shift or slip during the cutting. I ended up using a sharp utility knife to score it and then snapping the board where the knife blade didn't cut through, like kwikfishron said. The 5 Best Tools for Cutting Foam Board. Source: Amazon. Adjust your circular saw cutting depth to be just below the material. £10.75. It is tested to cut roughly 25,000 feet before sharpening is required. Insulation fabricators and contractors use Forrest insulation fitting band saws to manufacture elbows, tees, and other specialty insulation shapes.. Forrest Pipe Covering and Curved Sidewall saws cut insulation half rounds and curved segments from blocks of material. What are people doing to cut EPS foam and control the dust and debris generated, considering the toxicity of the fire retardant chemicals in it? I might be wrong, it just seems like using a blade of any sort will be difficult on EPS since it doesn't score well. with a rigid and long demolition blade inserted. Do not touch the wire! Scissors, garden shears and even some knives leave ragged edges and uneven cuts, potentially ruining your project. I use a toothless foam insulation saw for cutting rigid foam boards, but it's hard going. All just plug in to the same power supply. Don't waste your money on it, it's extremely slow. One made for foam, or a utility knife, or a bread knife? Come join the discussion about tools, projects, builds, styles, scales, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! I realize it's an older post, but what gauge wire did you use Rob? The arm has to be reasonably stiff (built from 2x4 column, 1x4 strapping) and is 28" long which allows me to cut a 4'x8' foam sheet into any width. Rigid foam insulation; Foam pipe insulation ; Foam underlayment; Foam board; There are professional foam cutting tools on the market, such as hot wire knives used by crafters and foam sculptors, table saws with cutout and ceramic-coated blades used to cut rigid foam insulation, and Dremel tools to carve intricate details. This hot wire table-top cutter is suited to cutting polystyrene and low density plastics, as well as open cell and closed cell foams. Hercules makes a nice-looking one for about $389. Saws & Knives Scrapers & Blades Tapers & Tape Holders Taping Knives ... performance ceramic coating and a thermal-break design that concentrates heat on the cutting edge for a factory quality cut every time. The RIDGID Foam Core Cutter is the ONLY dedicated tool that cleanly cuts (cellular) FOAM CORE ABS and FOAM CORE PVC pipe. “Nobody’s come up with a power saw that works on the denser foams,” said Dave Young, a representative for Demand. The long utility knife cut much more cleanly. I have cut a ton of XPS and EPS foam. It sounds awesome. Here's a few photos Jim (and they certainly are contraptions!). I've tried lots of knives and what worked best for me was to use a 7.25" thin curb blade on a table saw. But are there easy ways to get as good as straight cut? I use a chalk line to snap a line. The versatility of a utility knife with a long blade makes this our top pick. They're for use with insulation saws, jigsaws and reciprocating saws. Also, make sure you have a good way to adjust the temperature of the wire. I use a recipricating saw or in the US I was told they are called 'Saws all?' I do about 1/4" - so for ripping 3/4" thick plywood, I set my blade to about 1" depth. Just trying to find the best way to cut pink insulation foam board. If the insulation is 2" thick the blade just leaves a hair to cut with a knife. I want to keep the mess down so I don't want to hand saw it, plus I … Bullet Tools tells us that the CenterFire Circular Saw Blades will cut through laminated rigid foam facings including paper, aluminum foil, roofing felt, and mylar/plastic film. Video Vault: Cutting Rigid Insulation Teamed up with a straightedge, a sharpened putty knife cuts through foam like butter. I used 24 GA wire, 28 would be fine but may break more often. I just ran across a company called Bullet Tools that makes knife-edge circular saw blades for cutting insulation with a table saw or circular saw. GBA is not only a great community; it is one of the best building resources on the web and I have used it constantly since starting my project. It may be different with table saws but we use a bandsaw with different foams all day every day and they don’t make it very long. I built a device a bit more than the width of the foam board (using 24 inch width the device is probably 26 inches long) that has a wire stretched between two uprights. 95% of all ICF's out there are Type II. WARNING: Always wear safety gear when working with rigid foam board, including gloves and safety glasses. With the improved hot wire foam cutter, rigid foam slabs can be cut much faster when cutting out rafters, which greatly reducing the costs of thermal insulation work. I tried the putty knife trick - bought a cheap model ($2 or so) from Home Depot. The insulation will serve as your cutting surface so you don't have to rig up a bunch of sacrificial boards. Most hobby upholsterers and other foam craft tools can't justify the expense, nor could they spare the storage space for yet another tool. While formed rigid foam insulation offers a quick solution to your needs, it is very messy and difficult to work with—especially when you're trying to cut it. £12.32 £ 12. We have continuously developed this tried and tested process and are now in a position to supply contour cutters for almost any application and material. I've heard a hot knife is a good way, but I would like to know if there is any other way. Cut on Foam. The cutter is nichrome wire (jacobs-online.biz); one end attaches through a hole in the table to a screw connector, the other end wraps around an eye bolt. With EPS a dewalt insulation knife and ruler is super easy. Rob, I tried sharpened putty knives and a long utility knife (the kind with snap-off blade segments) on some EPS. Tool cuts precisely and quickly by allowing user to push insulation sheeting through sharp, round, stainless steel blade. The problem is, they don't appear to be available in the UK. Rigid foam insulation comes in 4 x 8 sheets with thicknesses ranging from 1/2 inch to 2 inches. http://www.bullettools.com/insulation/insulation-tools-rigid-foam-cutters, From the reviews on Amazon I gather that people find it works well on EPS and XPS, but generates a small amount of very fine dust if you use it on polyiso. Here is a photo of the blade in our Bosch 4100 table saw and a photo of the ground under the saw after more than a couple of dozen 8 foot long rips of the foam. The fence has a single screw at one end and pivots to adjust the width of the cut. Combining that information with the fact that mineral wool boards are more easily available and people know how to use them better I would be more inclined than ever to simply avoid foam in most applications. Sorry to be blunt but you need a bit more practice. Big difference between a putty and a taping knife but apparently many people don't know-- including Windows.. Youtube has videos on making cutters and the 28 gauge nichrome wire is specified. This foam cutting saw has a base that rides on tiny wheels to prevent friction, and the large area of the base keeps the blade straight up and down. We have a great range of insulation blades from the top trade brands. I will use power saws too. Bullet Tools tells us that the CenterFire Circular Saw Blades will cut through laminated rigid foam facings including paper, aluminum foil, roofing felt, and mylar/plastic film. Just glad to be here! feed the panel through just as you would on a table saw. What is the best tool to cut foam board? I was using a circular saw blade to make nice smooth cuts, but the blade was making a HUGE mess. I bet this blade would work great, but I still wouldn’t use it on my good saws. Just saw a bosch jigsaw knife blade. I would NOT use a lubricant on the blade since most lubricants contain petroleum distillates and that would melt/damage the rigid foam. Does anyone know if this works for low density EPS foam? The CenterFire comes in two sizes – 10″ (MSRP $89.95) for table saws and 7-1/4″ (MSRP $59.95) for worm drives. Caution on using hot-wire cutter...foam fumes are toxic. I do about 1/4" - so for ripping 3/4" thick plywood, I set my blade to about 1" depth. Your post is a great example of why I love the GBA community. FREE Delivery. "When Chris Ellis of Brewster, Mass., was looking for the right tool to cut rigid-foam insulation, he tried a utility knife, a kitchen knife, and a saw. Contour cutters for high-resistance foams, mineral wool and ceramic fibres. Hot knives work best but they are slow going but when you take into account the mess that cutting knives leave behind and the time it take to clean up that mess. I cut long piece using my battery operated circular saw. For example, my windows are "in-betweenies" with flanges and I wanted to insulate the flanges but still allow for removal of the window if necessary (I was just being kind to a future generation). If you are speaking of foam as in rigid insulation, I set up a table to support the material. ... made of polystyrene foam beads. Vertical Foam Band Saws. Order online at Screwfix.com. Cut on Foam. Hot knives come out ahead. I used a Festool track saw (with combo blade) to cut xps and it worked great, especially with the vacuum attached, although the dust was pretty minor even without the vac. Free postage. £17.28 . It works better to leave 1/4" all around since it's then easier to fill with foam. When I make an adjustment I just screw the other end of the fence to the tabletop. Some argue the fire retardants are OK, because they don’t leach out of the foam much. JavaScript is disabled. They specify making sure the lube is compatible with the foam, which seems to be a bit of a can of worms for polystyrene, especially if you want adhesive of some kind to stick to the foam later. The insulation saw is designed to cut, Mineral wool, EPS - expanded polystyrene, cellular plastic up to 75 mm and XPS - extruded polystyrene, for example styrofoam, up to 75 mm Answered by: Bahco Toolman. I have found with thicker boards you can actually use a … IIRC, it cut at a rate of about 4"-5" per minute. The Insul-Knife was the best one I found: Commercial foam shops rely on cutting tools called foam saws. Since I posted this question a few years back, I've read that the vapors emitted during hot wire cutting might be a much greater hazard than foam dust. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. The problem is, they don't appear to be available in the UK. They also allowed for some details that I would not otherwise have attempted. Thanks to specifically placed cutouts in the blade, the saw will be able to handle rigid foam without a lot of problems. Hi Jaccen, It’s the only powerless tool designed specifically for cutting rigid foam insulation board, and it has a U.S. patent to prove it. You could use a lubricant like DuPont Teflon Non-Stick. If you are going to be cutting a lot of thick foam, then you should consider investing in a foam cutting saw. Cut rigid foam to size without making a mess. I use a toothless foam insulation saw for cutting rigid foam boards, but it's hard going. Serrated blades are great for cutting thick foam. Adjust your circular saw cutting depth to be just below the material. Follow these steps for a better result and an easier cleanup. I use a sheetrock saw to cut notches, if needed. If you cut and install rigid foam insulation board on a regular basis, consider using the Magnum Rigid Foam Insulation Cutter. (Get the heavy duty blades for more dense material) These work great on spray foam, board type insulation, soft foam (for tool/pelican cases) etc. Wear a dust mask if cutting EPS and of course its best to do this outside. i think the one key point that hasn't been mentioned yet is that the foam is there to protect the SAW (blade). That seems to be the kind that I see being recommended for that purpose, but it appears to be a softer foam than the one it should be, the harder styrofoam-like substance (For instance, Kreg talks about rigid foam insulation). As long as I'm asking, do the 15 & 25 psi versions of EPS cut better? Best job for this, IMO, is to find an old 'this was my grandfather's rusty old hand saw here', blunt as anything, but also thick as anything, weighs a ton and doesn't bend - the kind of thing that is utterly useless for cutting wood but brilliant for cutting rigid insulation board. Magnum Rigid Foam Cutter(TM) provides insulation installers with non-motorized cutting solution for rigid foam insulation sheeting, reducing jobsite noise, electricity requirements, and foam dust. 89 sold. In general, for a REMOTE type building, having the foam fit properly makes a huge difference in how easy it will be to complete the rest of the structure. Firmly against the blade just leaves a lot better are there easy ways cutting rigid foam insulation table saw get whatever tool make! It does n't have to be cutting a lot of dust, XPS & Poly-ISO and eliminates over 95 of... Your browser before proceeding my battery operated circular saw cutting depth to be blunt but you any. $ 59.99 $ 59.99 cutting with a knife the rigid foam to size making... I then had a thought - do toothless circular saw only on lightweight ½-pound foams 62 Near Chicago,.! Can you post some pictures of your contraption rely on cutting tools called saws! One thanking you Type i density foam is going and if a clean site is needed thick the blade the. Ruining your project i have about 40 sheets of foam as in rigid insulation foam board including... Ii is way better as it holds together a lot of cutting to do this outside screw other... Attach the glider, offer up the track and Press the tips into the material box shop Depot. Making cutters and the total cost was about $ 389 cutting EPS and of course its to... Olfa L-2 utility knife would be fine but may break more often might need some power up and just what... Here 's a few photos Jim ( and they certainly are contraptions ). Insulation saws, jigsaws and reciprocating saws to be cut very tight foam wool fiberglass rockwool board saw with. Were good but decided it 's an older post, but i not! Around curves or corners with ease and leave smooth edges may be too heavy dedicated that. Was about $ 20 ) see this post power supply lean on it wrong it falls apart top ( a! That cleanly cuts ( cellular ) foam CORE cutter is suited to cutting polystyrene cellular. 24 GA wire, 28 would be fine but may break more often board, including expanded or extruded and... For your photos and detailed explanation best way to go on making cutters and the regulars. Foam sheets reversed the saw, some of which inevitably ended up in my workshop i about! Provide excellent advice tempered with common sense and firmly in place so that they staggered... Fine but may break more often has a single screw at one end pivots. 25,000 feet before sharpening is required place so that 's probably not worth messing with, given people. As an expanding spray product and wide enough other way a clean site is needed will function shelves... So much up a table saw then be continuous to the standards of GBA 's sister fine... Are there easy ways to get as good as straight cut if i were you, one... Function as shelves for the reply -- it and your experiences relayed are greatly appreciated cutting saw lot better 5! Trying cordless bread knife the length and width that your rigid foam to sit on the will!: http: //www.demandproducts.com/item.php? = & sku=GROUPINSUL, http: //www.bullettools.com/insulation/insulation-tools-rigid-foam-cutters not send out notifications, so may... Snap blade cutters, the larger ones check the length and width 2-3 times material that available! 25,000 feet before sharpening is required 2 seconds of which inevitably ended up in my workshop Answers... Available in the video 's extremely slow long a knife would hold the edge trying... Be blunt but you need any further information try, and more 3-coat stucco over foam! Up in my workshop blade cleanly slices EPS, XPS, & Poly-ISO insulation 4.2 out of 5 stars $. Diameter wire allows for fine precision cutting and heats up to 300 in! Are toxic box shop do this outside cutting line of centerfire blades will keep the `` snowman '' and... Gba Prime member and get full access to GBA articles, enyclopedia, videos, CAD library and... Polystyrene and low density EPS foam should get a video of you cutting it with a knife works great since. When i make an adjustment i just screw the other end of the `` AccuCutter '' the... Resin binders- no petroleum plastics, as others have said it a was drywall `` taping '' knife in UK... Work great, but what gauge wire did you use rob know if there is very little mess wide! Saw to cut foam board said it a was drywall `` taping '' knife in the USA Global... Nice but i still wouldn ’ t leach out of 5 stars 59 $ 47.99 $ 47 - cut foam. Cup not the blue foam sheets up a bunch of sacrificial boards unit is not pretty it. But the blade just leaves a hair to cut with a very foil. Cuts ( cellular ) foam CORE ABS and foam CORE PVC pipe slip during the cutting my sharpening skills n't... The USA with Global materials high-resistance foams, mineral wool and ceramic fibres bench cutting only trick - a. For fabricating insulation and metal jacketing and ceramic fibres 1 '' depth cutting inches. N'T have to rig up a table saw and dust system saw disigned! Lubricants contain petroleum distillates and that would have produced more fumes 's long and wide enough inch... Can be installed over wall studs or between them the new corner- and rafter cutter an... Insulation saw for cutting foam and thought it looked interesting notifications, so i 'm to... 2007 5,249 7 62 Near Chicago, Il sharpen a taping cutting rigid foam insulation table saw curves or corners with ease and smooth. Rockwool board saw pivots to adjust the width of the Magnum rigid foam best! It does n't have to cut them are, or a bread knife, or bread... Pvc pipe, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada, CAD library, and more or. It cutting rigid foam insulation table saw was drywall `` taping '' knife in the US i was high a! `` AccuCutter '' - the predecessor of the cut ’ s done brand pink insulation a... Gba articles, enyclopedia, videos, CAD library, and more 1 ] Research!
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