103 - Cutting Foam

Dear Michael: I bought a piece of foam that is really thick and it measures 4" high. I need to cut part of it off since it is too big. I tried a big scissors and it won't even touch it. Do I need to take this somewhere to have it cut to the right size for me? Bob

Dear Bob: While the professionals have a foam cutter with a blade that cuts up to 8", you can do this yourself with one of two different tools. My favorite for this job is the electric knife you may have used for carving your turkey. The dual blades and the reciprocating action cut through the foam like butter (or should I say turkey). The other option is a foam blade that can be purchased for your saber saw. The problem with that blade for this job, is the blade is only 3" long and your foam is 4" thick. That makes the turkey carver a better tool for this job. There are a couple of tips for using the electric knife properly to cut your foam.

First tip is to place a piece of cardboard under the entire piece of foam. As you are cutting, you will be hitting the cardboard to make sure you are cutting all the way through the foam. This also prevents the table from being nicked by the blades.

Second tip is to make sure that you hold the electric knife at a true 90 degree angle to the foam. If the knife is tipped too far right or left, the edge of the foam will not be a clean cut for your project. For a cushion where the foam is cut with an angle to the edge, this could mean the cover of the cushion will not fill in properly. As you cut, press the nose of the knife blades into the cardboard under the foam. Hearing the blade hit that cardboard, you'll know you are going all the way through the foam. If you need to turn the foam while you are cutting, stop to make sure as you turn the foam that the cardboard follows. Slide your blade back into place and continue to cut.

In some cases you may need an angle cut into the foam. Mark a line to begin cutting on the edge, but also mark a line on the top of the foam to follow with the knife blade.

When you are done cutting, there may be some slight waves in your cut edge. For a typical application where foam is being used in a cushion or a pillow or some other type of fabric casing, the edge does not need to be perfect. In most cases, we wrap bonded polyester around our foam to soften the edges and this also will hide minor differences in the edge.

One last tip on the turkey cutter – make sure you wash the blades and wipe off the handle before you put it back in the kitchen!

Mike Rocheford can be contacted via the Web site,

http://www.upholsterystudio.com – click on Ask the Upholsterer