What is being used for cutting matts when cutting foam with razor? What size and where to purchase? Thanks Batdogp

What works quite well is plain old fashioned fluted cardboard. If you have access to any large cardboard boxes (check dumpsters near Sears, Hardware Stores etc.) get any box with big enough sides to cover a section of your workbench/table and have at it. Just discard when it is to cut up to use again.

I use 1/4 inch foam board sheets from dollar tree. Best of all they don't wreck your razor blades. You can tape them together with masking tape to make it as large as you want like to cover a table. The sheets are roughly 2 foot x 3 foot in size. When the sheet looks used up just flip it over and use the other side.</p>

Any print shop has chip board, just ungrained cardboard. I still have friends in the trade so I stock up on it. No grain means no knife drift.

Some years ago I helped a friend replace his countertops with some premade laminated tops.  There were two leftover cutouts (from the sink and stovetop) that I kept.  They work well as large portable cutting boards.

Something i use on my building table is drywall. You can build and cut on it for years before it needs to be flipped over, and its inexpensive & readily available. ....Gene

+1 Drywall (over an old / damaged Luan core interior door) works great!

I use some stuff called 10 test or donna conna , it is like ceiling tile . It comes in 4 by 8 shts... It is about 1/2 inch thick...Very cheap (cheaper and liter than drywall..)Takes pins easily ..

Hi batdog
I use the smallest Hollow Wood Door sold by Lowe's as my build board and my cutting board. After about 28 years of usage I replaced it with a new one. The old one was well scarred from cutting on it.

I wanted to share some pics of a tool I modified for cutting flat foamies. Its a Master Airscrew Balsa Stripper. What I did is adjust the blade so that it just barely goes past the depth of the foam, this way the blade doesn't get abused. Also the blade holder on the tool is perfectly square to the base. So, all of your edges you cut with this tool will be 90 degree angles without even trying ! this makes for VERY easy gluing joints when you start gluing the parts together.

If you look at the side face of the cutter (where the blade is) I have glued on two thin shims. One is in front of the blade, the other is behind the blade. This allows me to lay a ruler on the foam and cut perfectly straight lines without the blade hitting and flexing against the ruler. This thing has made cutting my own kits so much more efficient. I hope it helps you guys.

I think I will post this under its own heading as well so maybe others will see it.....

Your blade is not supposto stick down past the bottom of the stripper .. the Idea is to cut strips between the side where you have glued the strips and the knife ..The tip of the knife should be flush with the bottom of the stripper...

You are misunderstanding the tool I think ? You trace out your foam plane on your foam with a marker, then you trace/cut that line with this tool , it cuts squares edges just to the depth of your foam thickness, that way it doesn't dig deep in your cutting surface beneath.

it will really make cutting out foamies slick. Especially the straight edges since you can use a ruler with it.

No I am not misunderstanding the tool just misunderstanding how you are using it... I see what you are doing with it now...Not a bad Idea...I use my stripper to make strips like cap strips all the time so I am quite familiar with how it works...It is a great little tool .. There are many tools that are almost useless but I find the stripper very handy...I have had mine for close to 30 yrs...

Yes I have one for cutting balsa strips as well, I just re-engineered this one for making nice 90 degree cuts, It works great.

The stripper is a great idea for foam, I used the heck out of mine on the Swoose build last year. For those that want to get serious about foam cutting get in touch with Gene, goirsh and ask about the hot wire foam cutter he makes. I have one and it will really advance you into new foam airplane realms.

i have a large piece of 1/4 inch thick glass i use to cut on. glass wont score so it never needs replaced and as a bonus if you get glue or anything on it you can scrape it off with a razor blade.

It also dulls your blades very fast.

I too use a two by two glass plate on occasion for some fine graphic cutting. Love how well it works. As for blades I buy them in the hundred count box.

John