Hey all, thought I would pop in with my 2 cents on the subject. It's really fascinating to me how something I take for granted can be so hard to explain or articulate. I guess I will have to make that tutorial after all...
Bevel cutting, or 45 degree cutting is something I have been doing for nearly 15 years now. When I was taught the technique it was still fairly unknown because foam fabrication itself wasn't regarded with the seriousness it's given today. Essentially there are 5 things that give you the cleanest cuts and the best results:
1 - The sharpest blade, or newest blade. Don't use a blade you've been cutting with for a while, get a new one, it will help tremendously.
2 - make sure your cutting on a surface that you can cut deeply into, this will help you to ensure you get clean cuts because you're not doing multiple passes to complete the cut.
3 - Take your time! Relax, take breaths, and be fluid! This one is harder then it seems, ever notice how you have a tendency to hold your breath when you're concentrating? Breathe...being fluid, or cutting in one motion is what helps the line be clean. If you start and stop, each time that edge will have a little jagged cut point, so try to cut the line in one continuous cut. I know it's harder then it looks.
4 - Practice! Practice! Practice! I can't stress this enough. I spent more then 6 months on this subject alone when I first started cutting, but even today I find new techniques from reading about the trials and errors of members here. If you think bevel cutting is heard, wait till you get into "v" cutting or creating lines in foam with blades, now that's hard!
5 - Finally, and this is really important, have fun! I know how impatient you can get to see the finished piece, but if you aren't enjoying yourself, then all this stress to get the cleanest lines will make you give up before you even start! Trust me on this, the more relaxed and enjoyable your cutting environment is, the more likely you will get cleaner cuts.
Oh there are some other little tips too, Cut away excess foam from around the piece your cutting, give yourself some room to rotate the piece as your cutting, instead of you rotating. Start and end your cuts beyond your lines, (about an 1/2" or more from the actual line your going to cut) and then cut off the edge completely, the more you clear foam away from what your cutting, the easier it gets to start and end clean cuts. There is literally hundreds of tips I could talk about, but lets not overwhelm the newbies.
I promise I will make a video to demonstrate all this, but I have to get some guns out first. Is anyone in the LA area? I've done foam workshops before, maybe I need to do one on just cutting alone. Would anyone be down for this? Ok I'll get off my soapbox now...
Bevel cutting, or 45 degree cutting is something I have been doing for nearly 15 years now. When I was taught the technique it was still fairly unknown because foam fabrication itself wasn't regarded with the seriousness it's given today. Essentially there are 5 things that give you the cleanest cuts and the best results:
1 - The sharpest blade, or newest blade. Don't use a blade you've been cutting with for a while, get a new one, it will help tremendously.
2 - make sure your cutting on a surface that you can cut deeply into, this will help you to ensure you get clean cuts because you're not doing multiple passes to complete the cut.
3 - Take your time! Relax, take breaths, and be fluid! This one is harder then it seems, ever notice how you have a tendency to hold your breath when you're concentrating? Breathe...being fluid, or cutting in one motion is what helps the line be clean. If you start and stop, each time that edge will have a little jagged cut point, so try to cut the line in one continuous cut. I know it's harder then it looks.
4 - Practice! Practice! Practice! I can't stress this enough. I spent more then 6 months on this subject alone when I first started cutting, but even today I find new techniques from reading about the trials and errors of members here. If you think bevel cutting is heard, wait till you get into "v" cutting or creating lines in foam with blades, now that's hard!
5 - Finally, and this is really important, have fun! I know how impatient you can get to see the finished piece, but if you aren't enjoying yourself, then all this stress to get the cleanest lines will make you give up before you even start! Trust me on this, the more relaxed and enjoyable your cutting environment is, the more likely you will get cleaner cuts.
Oh there are some other little tips too, Cut away excess foam from around the piece your cutting, give yourself some room to rotate the piece as your cutting, instead of you rotating. Start and end your cuts beyond your lines, (about an 1/2" or more from the actual line your going to cut) and then cut off the edge completely, the more you clear foam away from what your cutting, the easier it gets to start and end clean cuts. There is literally hundreds of tips I could talk about, but lets not overwhelm the newbies.
I promise I will make a video to demonstrate all this, but I have to get some guns out first. Is anyone in the LA area? I've done foam workshops before, maybe I need to do one on just cutting alone. Would anyone be down for this? Ok I'll get off my soapbox now...
