Hate cutting foam with a jig saw

[atahoekid]

I made my cuts in foam with a jig saw until I realized it's kinda hard to get plumb cuts with it. Between the small size of the sole plate and the "bendiness" of the blades, it's easy to make cuts out of plumb. Really wasn't much of an issue until you have to precisely cut the foam, such as cutting out the door or window openings. If the blade is out of plumb by too much, you've made your opening too big. It probably isn't much of an issue either if you're not using thicker foam. I've taken to making straight cuts with the standard power saw but for the curves I still need a jig saw.

Any advice on using jig saw so it makes plumb cuts. Maybe a jig or maybe a better technique or maybe even a better tool?

Thanks, for the advice!!!

[Treeview]

Hot cutter...look in the archives.

I use my tablesaw too. The mess is no worse than sawdust.

Tom

[parnold]

I'm not a foamy, so if this idea is way off don't but could a rig be made with an electric knife clamped and used like a band saw somehow?

[GPW]

How about a thicker bigger jigsaw blade ??? They make em ‘...

[eaglesdare]

hmm, i love the jigsaw, but then i am not too precise either.

[wagondude]

Over kill and would require extreme care, but a Rotozip or a dremmel could make the curve cuts.for the jig saw, if you can slow down the speed of your blade, and move very slowly, the blade will tend to wander less. Probably hard to slow down with something so easy to cut.

Bill

[atahoekid]

I may need to look at someplace other than the local hardware store for jig saw blades. The only ones they have that are long enough to cut through the 2" of foam plus 5mm of lauan are thin blades. Yup, slowing down is hard, plus it's not a great tool, the trigger is too touchy. Still thinkin'

[Ned B]

Just a thought, but what about a sawzall vs jigsaw? Harbor freight sells them, & you can get longer blades for them...

[Socal Tom]

2 words, electric knife

[GPW]

Tom, electric carving knives do cut foam very well, Turkey too ... and foam rubber when you’re making the mattress for the bed ... I’ve mentioned this before , but it doesn’t seem to have caught on , as yet ...

[atahoekid]

I think a run to the local thrift store might be in order. The blade is definitely stiffer, the whole thing is larger, so you can "eyeball" a plumb cut with better ease and you can probably use it for a little trim and clean up of the foam here and there. It's not the first time I've mentioned needing an electric carving knife in my shop. As GPW mentioned it works great for cutting the mattress and cushion type of foam.

Thanks for the solutions...

[desertmoose]

Mel:

I fought that battle for a long time. I had a Craftsman sabre saw, upgraded to a Porter-Cable (better, but still not right), and finally got a quality Bosch saw.

It's like night and day. the Bosch cuts like it's supposed to. Straight, square, smooth.

I'm at the foot of Spooner grade if you'd like to borrow the Bosch.

(feel like i'm a pusher.... try it out and you'll have to get one...)

Sam

[atahoekid]

Thanks for the offer. I wish I had read your post before leaving CC this afternoon. Now that I'm home and hunkered down in this crappy weather, I'm not likely to leave the hill. If I still need it by next week, I'll PM you. Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend weather here in the Sierras (For those of you outside the High Sierras, we're getting snow.

[desertmoose]

OK. anytime.

If it would work out, we are going to be at Boca on fri thru monday, 1 to 4 June. Site number 4 in our tear.

Let me know in advance, and I could bring it with me.

Sam

[Wobbly Wheels]

Hey Mel, I'm using smooth blades in my jigsaw - it's probably the teeth on the foam that are making the blade dance because foam has some give before it cuts. You can do tight curves and there's no drag to bend the blade over.