A Styrofoam cutter can be created using readily-available materials. In fact, most of the items you will need to make a Styrofoam cutter are things that are generally considered waste, things that will sooner or later find a place in the waste bin.
Making your Styrofoam cutter from such materials is not only a good learning experience but also a great opportunity to clean up.
To make a Styrofoam cutter, you will need the following:
- Masonite, a piece of about 400mm square
- Timber, 40mm x 20mm
- A round welding rod
Once you have collected above items, you should glue the Masonite onto the piece of timber. The timber, of course, will appear undersized as it will have the Masonite extending over it by a distance of about 15mm on both sides. Once you have glued the Masonite, the rest of the procedure is as follows:
- On to the board, mount a clamp. This will make it possible for you to use your cutter to making cuttings that fit a set size
- In the mid-rear of the frame, drill a hole. In this hole, fit one end of the welding rod
- Once the rod is in place, bend it to make a radius of approximately 200mm.
- Now put in the clamp. You fit it by use of screws – one crew attaches the clamp to the rod, another screw is used to clamp a little piece of wire.
- Make sure that your wire is properly tensioned. To keep the wire from moving, it is necessary that you glue it.
- On the opposite end of your frame, now mount a clamp that is similar to the one you made for the top rod
- Drill another hole in the center of your frame. Through this hole, put the element wire, and let it lie between the clamps that you have mounted.
The operation of your Styrofoam cutter will be easy. Once the cutting wire is heated, it becomes possible to cut Styrofoam. The cutting angles can also be adjusted. This you are able to do by moving the top clamp. As for the cutting size, you can also adjust it to meet specific requirements. Adjustments can be made to the clamps and even the nuts to make sure that your cutter cuts to specific sizes.