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Nominal versus Actual thickness

PostPosted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 6:41 am
by Minor Project
I haven't bought my foam yet, but I went to the store to try to figure out if the nominal thickness is the actual thickness. When I measured the edge of a 2" piece of Foamular 250, I found some variability, but they ranged from 1-13/16" to 1-15/16", so I was planning to call it 1-7/8", but I don't know if the edge measurement is the same as the thickness throughout the piece or not. For those of you that have worked with foam before, have you found that that the nominal thickness is the actual thickness or should I plan on something like my edge measurement?
Thanks, Tim

Re: Nominal versus Actual thickness

PostPosted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 8:18 am
by Redneck Teepee
Nominal thickness is how the manufacturer identifies shall we say the average thickness of their products. Most manufacture's will give what they call "Mill Tolerance's" which basically means it can be over or under by a few thousand's or so, but will fall within those dimensions. If you want precision in anything you will pay for it.

Re: Nominal versus Actual thickness

PostPosted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 9:58 am
by ghcoe
Yes I found out that there is differences in foam thickness. During my build I was going a little nuts at one time with measurements that where not coming out right when I did a cut. I finally figured out it was the foam, it is not consistent in thickness. The largest discretion is the edge on the long side of the foam. if you look at it you will see that it tappers down towards the edge and starts the tapper about 2 inches in from the edge. So one side of a sheet is flat and one side is tapered along the long side 2 inches in. The core portion of the foam seems to stay fairly consistent with the 2 inch measurements.

Re: Nominal versus Actual thickness

PostPosted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 2:50 pm
by Minor Project
Thanks, very helpful. I will plan on 2", but I will be prepared for some variance.

Re: Nominal versus Actual thickness

PostPosted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 3:54 pm
by GPW
MP , It’s not really critical with a Foamie ‘ ... Just measure (twice) what you need to and you’ll be fine ... ;)

Re: Nominal versus Actual thickness

PostPosted: Sat Mar 14, 2015 7:30 pm
by KCStudly
...or sand a little here and there to fair things to your liking. My little oak 1x block with a quarter sheet of sandpaper is a constant companion on my build.

Re: Nominal versus Actual thickness

PostPosted: Sun Mar 15, 2015 6:48 am
by GPW
Think of it like a 2” X 4" .... which is Not !!! :roll: Plywood is seldom a nominal number...