Hot wire foam cutter
 

Does anyone have any pictures or plans for a hot wire foam cutter that would work for cutting wings. Also what size wire and power supply do I need.

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

Gene, there was a thread in the last year of one a fellow made with a HOW TO. It was slick. Looked like something even I could use.

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

There is a Yahoo group, "CNCFoamcutters" that will make your head hurt will all the information.

A couple guys at our club wanted me to make one, but it is cheaper to buy the foam already cut unless you are going to make a big bunch of wings. There is some free software listed on the site for cutting wings and turtle decks and about anything else you can think of. While I was toying with the idea, I decided that if I were to build a CNCRouter, I could put a second Gantry on it and use it for foam also. That idea may come tofruition one of these days.

We have a guy who does some really nice foam cutting manually. For tapered wings, he projects the LE and Te out to a point and uses a long wire from there to the root pattern. It isn't quite a accurate as a CNCcutter, but it does work.

Icut my first foam core back in 1970 using patterns cut from Formica and a long bow. Itturned out so well that I've never done another. http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/js/f...used_smile.gif

Don

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

Gene, here's mine. The bow is made from PVC and the power supply is made from a 24vdc transformer and dimmer switch (all from Home Depot)

The wire is .020 Stainless Steel that I bought on line.

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

thanks Minnflyer. How well does it work? Trying to build the wing for my gull wing Cobra and it is giving me a pain in the you know where. I think foam would be the way to go. I have to go to Home Depot today anyways so I may pick up the items I need and do some practicing and see if I can do it. I will post some resultsgood or bad.

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

It works great

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

You also need to get the correct type of foam too I've been told before.

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

I've accumulated these over the years:
http://www.mackrc.net/patternwings2/index.htm
http://tysplanes.com/how_to_videos
http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/n...roduct_id=3815
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=462759

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

Here is a couple of pictures of the items that I purchased for the foam cutter. How do I wire it up. What goes where.

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

I use a battery charger for power, it works fine. i like Minflyers better though. More control.

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

Check out this link

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXWWnPIhk44[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM8U4WZ2klg&feature=related[/youtube]


I used a 2 amp fuse.

Jim

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

Like this

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

HUMMMMM!!!! me thinks I have a bad transformer. Won't get hot. Can't feel anything in the transformer when I plug it in. So back to Menards. Love it, when all those places are over an hour away.

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

You might find these links on foam cutters, power supplies. etc useful:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=462759
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=558772</p>


http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_58...tm.htm#5858217</p>

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_67.../tm.htm#670783</p>

http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_49...tm.htm#4968914
</p>

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

I have seen them made with old electric train transformers.

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

I'd use a double pole switch and put it on the input side of the transformer, switching both black wires. Your way will have the transformer drawing current whenever the system is plugged in. Wasted money.

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

True, but it's only plugged in when it's in use. I like to have the switch right at the bow so I can turn it off easily before setting it down

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

Hoorayyyyyy!!!! Minnflyer does that foam cutter work good. thanks for the help to all. I am now in business. I made one very lite bow from a 1/4" oak dowel and one from the pvc pipe. ended up using a radio shack 25.5v transformer. Put it in a project box with a neon light and fuse holder. If ya dress the part, ya gotta look smart:D:D:D

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

Cool!

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

Now I know where to send my foam cutting work to. :D

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

Me too, when I try it the foam looks like Shakey Jake tried to work before his 6 pack of beer. Can't wait to see some of your work with it.

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

My bow was made from a 3/4 wood dowel and some 1/4 in wire(like for landing gear ) from the LHS. Drill holes in the dowel at an outward angle so when the wire is attached it will spring outward keeping the wire tight.

I've found for cutting wing cores two people is a help. One on each end of the wire. I divide up my templates into "numbered sections" The same number of sections on each template. One person is the "master" and calls out the number as you cut. The "helper" just keeps pace with the master. If you're cutting a tapered wing, the root template may have the sections spaced 1/2 inch apart. The tip template may have the sections spaced 1/4 inch apart, 10 section on each template. As I said, the key is to have the same number of sections so both of you end at the same time and the wire tracks uniformly on both templates.

I hope this makes sense.

Ken

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

Haaaa! will only show you the good stuff. Have been trying it out and I am surprised at how easy the wire goes through the foam. Made my wing rib profile out of formica. Did I spell that right?

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

kenh3497 Makes sense to me. My wife didn't understand it, but I did.:):):)

RE: Hot wire foam cutter
 

You can make your templates out of wood amd put Chrome furnice tap on the edges. Will not burn the wood and easyer to make.;)