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I'm working on some city fight terrain, and I'm wondering how to make nice cuts in insulating foam and foam board.

Basically I want to know how to make an angled cut, like 45 degrees, long the length of a side, so that I an join two sides together and have them connect in a 90 degree connection. I'm also wondering if anybody has any suggestions on how to cut a gothic arch.

Are you cutting with a heated wire knife?

I'm not sure how you'd do it with thickish insulating foam barring being very careful, but for foamcore boards you can use these matte-cutting knives that are angled to 45 degrees. Should be able to get those at most art supply stores wherever they have picture framing, etc. They can't cut too deep, though, so you couldn't use it with anything too thick.

Kilkrazy wrote:Are you cutting with a heated wire knife?

Make sure you have a wooden straight edge handy if you want anything resembling a straight line with that.

For the insulating foam try this!
Build a jig/guide.
Clamp your hotwire to the table at a 45 degree angle then screw or clamp a straight edge the desired distance from it.
Push the foam through the wire as if using a table saw.
It may take a bit of time to set up.

Maybe you can get a guillotine that can cut foam boardat 45 degrees???????.

conversly a good sharp butcher knife and a METAL framing square, will also do the trick to find the angle as well as be a guide for the cut. Dont use a wooden guide as the knife could bite into the wood and will not do so to the metal. (seriously make sure it good and sharp) a good bread knife will work too. If your gonna not the owner of said cutlery make sure you ask first, not that foam will damage the blade in any way but cover your bases.

Kilkrazy wrote:Are you cutting with a heated wire knife?

No, xacto-knife. I've got a hot wire knife, but it's hard to do a straight cut with one.

HFJor wrote:I'm not sure how you'd do it with thickish insulating foam barring being very careful, but for foamcore boards you can use these matte-cutting knives that are angled to 45 degrees. Should be able to get those at most art supply stores wherever they have picture framing, etc. They can't cut too deep, though, so you couldn't use it with anything too thick.

What are they called?

ChaosDave wrote:

Kilkrazy wrote:Are you cutting with a heated wire knife?

Make sure you have a wooden straight edge handy if you want anything resembling a straight line with that.

That might help, but I still think the hot wire knife is going to be a bit fiddly.

Captain Vyper wrote:conversly a good sharp butcher knife and a METAL framing square, will also do the trick to find the angle as well as be a guide for the cut. Dont use a wooden guide as the knife could bite into the wood and will not do so to the metal. (seriously make sure it good and sharp) a good bread knife will work too. If your gonna not the owner of said cutlery make sure you ask first, not that foam will damage the blade in any way but cover your bases.

That's a good idea, I'll look into that.