# Cutting pink foam with a table saw



## wandererrob (Aug 8, 2007)

Has anybody ever tried it?

Being antsy to make progress on my current project, but lacking a power supply to get my hot wire cutter going, I decided to give my table saw a try for chuckles on some scrap foam. 

It worked brilliantly! 

The trick I found is to move the foam smoothly and somewhat swiftly, using the rip fence as a guide to keep the cut straight.

The edges aren't perfectly smooth, but damn close. They're not torn up at all. What's left is nothing a light sanding can't take care of.

I think I've just found a better way to make my longer, simpler cuts.


----------



## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I haven't tried this, so I'm wondering - do you get a lot of pink dust and particles using the table saw?


----------



## The_Caretaker (Mar 6, 2007)

This how I cut my foam, and yes you get alot of foam dust but i do mine out in the drive way what the vacuum doesn't pick up from my dust port the wind carries most of it away


----------



## mickkell (Jan 16, 2009)

Yup,its works great.


----------



## jaege (Aug 23, 2009)

Yep. I did it to make my graveyard posts and to make "boards" for my boarded up windows. I used a plywood saw blade. It did cause a fair amount of "dust" but I wear a maks. It works great. Rob is right, the edegs are not perfectly smooth, but that pink foam is easily sanded.


----------



## stick (Jan 21, 2009)

A jig saw works great also with a fine tooth blade.


----------



## tcarter (Aug 18, 2006)

I used to cut mine on a radial arm saw, same concept just the blade is above rather than below the table.


----------



## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

I do all of the above, including using a regular circular saw with a long straight edge for a guide fence for long straight cuts. I find that sometimes a table saw can be difficult to control with large pieces of foam, and the pieces are flexible enough to skew a cut off course. All work VERY well though and work even better once you become familiar with the material and power tools. 

Drilling nice clean holes is still difficult. Forstner bits are the best for smaller holes and a hole-saw for larger holes. Ya gotta go JUST at the right speed with a hole saw... Too fast and it wanders, too slow and it chatters. Both make your hole larger than desired (here come the jokes LOL).


----------



## VillaHaunter (Jul 13, 2011)

I use foam on my cutting table when cutting pylwood, saves the table top from cuts.

Fine tooth blades make cleaner cuts on foam.

I use a jig saw with an old dull blade for cutting foam, I file the teeth off at an angle, works great for me.


----------



## wandererrob (Aug 8, 2007)

And yes, I *highly* recommend wearing a mask. I always do when making foam dust.


----------



## remylass (Sep 18, 2008)

I use a jigsaw to cut mine out. It makes a lot of dust, but it is better than that horrible smell from using heat on it. Just always wear a mask.


----------



## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

I've only used the blue foam sheathing. What's the difference between the blue and the pink?


----------



## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

austenandrews said:


> I've only used the blue foam sheathing. What's the difference between the blue and the pink?


As far as I can tell it's just the color


----------



## fick209 (Aug 31, 2009)

tad off topic, but niblique is right, absolutely no difference in the blue and pink foam as far as insulation value or density. It's all the same stuff, different manufacturers have different colors.

Back on topic, I think the table saw is the only saw mentioned that I have not cut foam with because well, I don't have one  Skill saw and jig saw are what I use mostly. Yes you get a fair amount of dust, but that's not a big deal to me.


----------



## wandererrob (Aug 8, 2007)

Interestingly, I am finding the dust isn't so fine as the dust I generate whilst sanding foam. Thus it settles out of the air faster, which is nice. 

I have a few other saws, but for shorter cuts, I prefer to just use a nice, fine-toothed handsaw. The tab;e saw is working beautifully for longer cuts though, on the order of 2+3 feet where I'm looking for a nice straight edge. And also for straight, angled cuts (e.g. 45* angles on the ends of pieces I'm boxing together.)


----------

