Cutting Styrofoam on a Bandsaw

[Mark J]

My new bandsaw blades arrived today. Apropos of nothing and to hijack my own post, Laguna will make bandsaw blades in custom sizes (must order by phone) so I am now the proud owner of 116 1/4 inch Resaw King. 

But I digress.  What I really want to ask you all about is cutting styrofoam (and related foam packing material) on a bandsaw.  For the moment I have an ordinary blade mounted that came with the saw,  I also have several huge pieces of foam packing material that also came with the saw.  I was thinking that before I mount my new super duper blade I might use this ordinary one to cut these enormous foam pieces into smaller ones that would actually be feasible for me to dispose of.  Otherwise I'm thinking of painting them brown and trying to convince my wife they're furniture -- Honey, look what I made!

I am sure that any blade, even a dull one can handle cutting foam, but will the debris mess up the bandsaw insides or will the blade get gummed up?  Am I going to be sorry I did this?  

To whit, I heard a story on another forum that some guy cut up a frozen turkey on his bandsaw because, well, he'd seen the butcher do it, then didn't clean up till after Black Friday.  As you can imagine that idea "smelled".

[wtnhighlander]

Mark, a lot depends on the foam. Some types might melt onto the blade, while the dust of others will stick to everything via static cling. Royal pain to clean up.

If you do it at all, push through as fast as possible to minimize friction heating. Melted goo is worse on the machine that static-y particles.

[Coop]

I used mine to cut dry ice and it didn’t freeze the blade. I bet you’ll have no repercussions when cutting the foam. 

[krtwood]

It doesn't cause any problems besides having a mess to clean up.

[TerryMcK]

A hot wire leaves no mess. Fuse wire held tight between a wooden frame, rheostat (remember them?) or simply a variable voltage/current power supply (Radio Shack). Turn on the juice and vary the voltage/current until just hot enough. Cuts like a hot knife through butter. It works well with open/closed cell foam too. A bit of overkill for what you want to do.

Alternatively a bread knife does just as good and doesn't leave any residue on the bandsaw. You are also not limited by the throat of the bandsaw.

[Tpt life]

I’ve gummed up way too many circ saw blades to think this a good idea. Highlander has it right. 

[G Ragatz]

11 hours ago, Mark J said:

I was thinking that before I mount my new super duper blade I might use this ordinary one to cut these enormous foam pieces into smaller ones that would actually be feasible for me to dispose of.  Otherwise I'm thinking of painting them brown and trying to convince my wife they're furniture -- Honey, look what I made!

 

Congratulations on the new saw!  As for the styrofoam, I think I'd just crack it over the edge of my workbench to get manageable sized pieces.

[Chestnut]

Could always submerge it in lacquer thinner or acetone outside. Let the goop sit till it hardened and then throw it away.

Could set it on fire in a rural area, the black smoke is pretty cool.

Yeah i'm out of other bad ideas I broke mine into pieces being careful to minimize the mess and stuck it in the trash. I don't think the band saw idea is particularly bad i just wouldn't want to deal with the little bits that are going to get everywhere. A dust collector could help that but it seems like more work than just breaking it apart or cutting with a sharp utility knife.

[AJ_Engineer]

Yeah will be royal mess to clean up, little bits sticking by static everywhere.

I typically just use a big screwdriver or knife and break them into chunks that fit better in the trash bin.

[Mark J]

So the bandsaw idea was a bit more of a "turkey" then I was hoping for.  

I like the idea of the hot wire, but don't feel like taking the time (and trouble) to make one just so I can take out the garbage this Sunday.  By the way @TerryMcK do they still have Radio Shack in the UK?  They're gone here.  Wish they weren't.

What I really wish I'd wander accross is a used sawzall.  That would make short work of this foam and some other jobs from time to time.

Meanwhile I'll try a couple of the other suggestions.  And I have an old 'Merican style cross cut saw that I absolutely never use.  Might be just the thing to use (outside).  

[Barron]

Handsaw is the way to go, but it will still make a mess-expect the sawdust to cling to your hands and clothes. A shop vac will get it off when you are done. Enjoy the new saw. 

[TerryMcK]

3 hours ago, Mark J said:

By the way @TerryMcK do they still have Radio Shack in the UK?  They're gone here. 

 

No they went the way of the rheostat many years ago. They were called Tandy over here.

[drzaius]

1 hour ago, TerryMcK said:

No they went the way of the rheostat many years ago. They were called Tandy over here.

They disappeared in Canada many years ago, and for at least a decade prior had spiralled into a useless purveyor of mostly useless junk. Can't believe they lasted as long as they did.

[elrodk]

I kept the foam from my powermatic and use it to break down sheet goods. Stores on top of the wood rack easier to deal with than a 4x8 sheet. If you paint it green you can pretend it is a Festool accessory and save $400.