Cutting Foam Sheets

[add147 0]

I have been tying some foam flies using foam sheets from Hobby Lobby. I mostly been using the 2 and 3mm sheet and have made some pretty decent top water flies for bass and pan fish. I was wonder who is using foam sheets and what do you to cut your foam in the strips. I have been using a metal ruler and a razor blade cutting one sheet at a time which is ok I guess but when you are cutting many strips it is a pain in the rear to say the least.

 

I have been looking a some quillotine style paper cutters and well as the rotary types. Anyone used either of these types of paper cutters to cut the foam sheets? If so I should would like to hear your thoughts and opinions. I am just trying to find a better and faster way to cut my foam strips.

[flytire 0]

i dont cut a lot of foam strips at one time so i too use the cutting board, ruler and utility knife

 

or for just a few flies i'll use good old fiskar scissors

 

 

i would think the more sheets you stack in a guillotine cutter the more uneven they would be due to slippage

[add147 0]

LOL...Leave it to you flytire..I just knew you were going to gig me! LOL LOL

 

I see you point about stacking the sheets never gave that any thought. I guess it would be better just one sheet at a time.

[FlatsRoamer 0]

I use good ole scissors like the one posted above. It takes a while though

[Bruce Norikane 0]

I use scissors to cut the strips for many foam flies, but when I need a lot of one width, I use a Fiskars rotary paper cutter.

 

I bought the paper cutter many years ago for trimming paper, and it works great for foam. I should probably use the Fiskars more often. It is more precise and even than eyeballing the cut with scissors.

[RickZieger 0]

If you can find someone that has an old paper cutter, it sure works well.

Google swing line paper cutter to see what it looks like.

I have a friend that has one. Took 10 minutes to cut a sheet each of white, yellow, brown, black and green.

Have strips from 1/8 inch to 1/2 inch wide in all colors.

 

Rick

[flytire 0]

[add147 0]

LOL...Good one flytire...Good one indeed!!!

[phg 0]

I use a guillotine paper cutter. It works great. The old ones, if you can find them, are better, but the modern ones will slice up your foam, one sheet at a time, just fine. I usually sheer off a year's worth of strips in one session. You can get one off Amazon for about $25, which is about the same as a good pair of sheers.

 

Another technique is to take a drywall taping knife, and use it as a cutting guide. Set the edge of the knife on your foam marking off the width of the strip you wish to cut, and then use a the edge of the knife as a cutting guide (drywall taping knives are not sharp) and slice the strip off with a sharp utility knife.

[JustSomeGuy83 0]

Whatever you do, don't use your fly scissors. I found that out the hard way, it completely ruined mine.

[fshrmanms 0]

I use a ruler (cork back is best, doesn't slip) and exacto knife on a teflon cutting board. also have a beaver-tail shape cutter and stealth bomber cutter

[mvendon 0]

Try the Clever Cutter out. You'll be able to cut your foam strips accurately AND in just a matter of seconds. You'll have so much time left over that you can use it to slice up some vegetables for a nice salad, or maybe some toppings to go on your favorite pizza !

 

https://www.buyclevercutter.com/?utm_source=Google_TM&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=CPD&gclid=COvEq6Cioc4CFcxahgodmbkPGA

[Kentuckysteve 0]

I use a steel ruler and one of these rotary cutters from hobby lobby.Walmart also sells them.Works great for 2 or 3 layers of foam.

 

[mikechell 0]

I use my table saw when I am feeling "tech-y-ish". I pull out the ol' stone ax if I am feeling the need to bolster my masculinity.

 

 

For straight strips, a ruler and pencil to mark the ends of the sheet evenly. Then the ruler and a knife. The whole process takes just a few minutes. I don't see any need to complicate it more than that.

[Poopdeck 0]

Most of the time I just cut them as needed with scissors out of shear laziness.