Hot wire cutter - do we have one?

#1

Going to be cutting some foam soon for an armchair I’ve been making in the woodshop, does anyone know if we have a hot wire cutter anywhere in the space? Apparently they’re pretty cheap and simple to make if you have a reliable power supply, you just need some nichrome wire and a way to hold it taut

#2

Hi Sean,

I haven’t ever seen one - but seems like it would be useful! They look pretty cheap, but maybe someone has one they can loan?

#3

We can certainly build one! What kind of foam are we talking? There might be a concern about fumes.

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#4

Good point about fumes, I was planning on getting foam that’s specifically for upholstery so as long as it conforms to fire specs the fumes shouldn’t be too nasty - probably a good idea to use it outside with a decent mask on anyway though

From this, it looks like you only need a few watts to get a thin strand up to cutting temp and the wire itself is only a few quid online

https://www.easycalculation.com/engineering/electrical/nichrome-wire-calculator.php

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#5

Cuts quite well with a bandsaw…