Art Mulder
Member
- Messages
- 3,383
- Location
- London, Ontario
Hey Folks,
I just had to take a moment to share what I've learned today.
I have learned the absolute best way to cut polystyrene (aka: white styrofoam) in your shop.
It works the best. Guaranteed.
Here is the best way to cut polystyrene in your shop: Don't.
My wife is half of the banner c'tee at church, and they decided that this Christmas they wanted to hang a large star in the church as part of the Advent decorations. I helped her design one in sketchup, and today she came home with two 4x8 sheets of 1-1/2" polystyrene. we designed a simple(?) 6ft tall, 3ft wide 4 pointed star. We designed two of them, one notched at the top, one at the bottom, so that they could interlock together.
Then we went down to my shop to cut it out with the bandsaw and jigsaw.
What a mess. We had a shopvac hooked up to the small 14" bandsaw, but there was still white bits of polystyrene everywhere. We had it up and down our clothes. The jig saw was coated. There were bits sticking all over the place. I vacuumed us, I vacuumed the tools, I vacuumed the sides of the cut styrofoam, I vacuumed us again, and then did the whole round again trying to suck the little pieces that were stuck by static everywhere. Undoubtedly there are still little bits that I'm sure I'll find tomorrow.
Y'know, sawdust might be a bit messy and a known carcinogen, but at least it has the decency to obey the law of gravity!
I just had to take a moment to share what I've learned today.
I have learned the absolute best way to cut polystyrene (aka: white styrofoam) in your shop.
It works the best. Guaranteed.
Here is the best way to cut polystyrene in your shop: Don't.
My wife is half of the banner c'tee at church, and they decided that this Christmas they wanted to hang a large star in the church as part of the Advent decorations. I helped her design one in sketchup, and today she came home with two 4x8 sheets of 1-1/2" polystyrene. we designed a simple(?) 6ft tall, 3ft wide 4 pointed star. We designed two of them, one notched at the top, one at the bottom, so that they could interlock together.
Then we went down to my shop to cut it out with the bandsaw and jigsaw.
What a mess. We had a shopvac hooked up to the small 14" bandsaw, but there was still white bits of polystyrene everywhere. We had it up and down our clothes. The jig saw was coated. There were bits sticking all over the place. I vacuumed us, I vacuumed the tools, I vacuumed the sides of the cut styrofoam, I vacuumed us again, and then did the whole round again trying to suck the little pieces that were stuck by static everywhere. Undoubtedly there are still little bits that I'm sure I'll find tomorrow.
Y'know, sawdust might be a bit messy and a known carcinogen, but at least it has the decency to obey the law of gravity!