Can you use/carve foam?

[mjc4art]

Hello,

Is it possible to carve with foam before i go to the final product in wood? Would save me money and I would gues the bit as well If I could try it out on foam first. And if yes what kind would be best?

Thanks in advance from a newbie.

[LittleRedWoodshop]

I hear stories of people using and have actually seen samples of carvings in "sign foam". But I have never tried it myself.

[supershingler]

it has to be a high density foam and not the white bead boards.
dow make a blue board
owens corning make a pink high density
certifoam is yellow

bead board will just fall apart if you try to carve it


welcome to the forum

kendall

[sewpeck]

Sign foam is a very good product but more expensive than wood.

[Kenm810]

Do a Forum Search --key words like (SignFoam)
and you'll find about two pages of info
and posts about carving types of foam.

[mtylerfl]

Hello,

Is it possible to carve with foam before i go to the final product in wood? Would save me money and I would gues the bit as well If I could try it out on foam first. And if yes what kind would be best?

Thanks in advance from a newbie.

Hello,

I guess the real question is why do you want to use foam before carving the real wood? The preview in Designer is accurate enough to show you the results you can expect. Just seems to be an unnecessary "extra step" to me, anyway.

I know some folks carve "inexpensive" pine before doing a project on more expensive wood. Again, never have figured out why - it's unnecessary in my opinion.

[LittleRedWoodshop]

Michael T,

I have a hard time wasting any wood ... it was to hard to get it in the first place. And I do agree with your statement about Designer being accurate enough to show results.

[mtylerfl]

Hey Jason,

Ditto - but even more than that - I can't afford to waste time!

I'll admit that when I got my first machine, I considered using "cheap" material for dry run. After a couple simple first projects, it became clear that I was confident enough in the software, the machine, and my ability to set up a project design properly that I've never found it necessary to do that.

mjc4art - you will probably discover the same thing. It's just "newbie" jitters, I think! Just read the Tips & Tricks (particularly Dec '07 and Jan '08) to learn how to avoid common newbie mistakes and you'll be fine.

[fwharris]

Michael & Jason,

I agree also with wasting wood for a test. Doing a good look at your project set up at multiple views and angles will usually show everything you need to see in designer. It is also hard to decide what you would call scrap wood these days as even scrap wood can make some great carvings.

[Jeff_Birt]

When designing new patterns I like to test them on MDF. I buy a sheet of 3/4" MDF and cut it into strips about the width of standard dimensional lumber. It winds up being about 1/2 the cost of buying select pine but it is a lot more work and MDF does not show detail as well as real wood.

I have not tried carving foam but the from the pictures I have read/seen it seems the standard insulation foam can be carved but does not show detail well. Signboard appears to be awesome but is much more expensive than wood.

I find that when designing new patterns/projects that are very different than what I have done before I tend to test the individual 'tricky' pieces a few times until I get them just right then I'll layout everything on one board.

[mjc4art]

Hello,

I guess the real question is why do you want to use foam before carving the real wood? The preview in Designer is accurate enough to show you the results you can expect. Just seems to be an unnecessary "extra step" to me, anyway.

I know some folks carve "inexpensive" pine before doing a project on more expensive wood. Again, never have figured out why - it's unnecessary in my opinion.


I thought it might help with some wear and tear on the bit ... I have been having some probelms with getting the correct size with a neck I am making ...

And a huge thanks for all the help on here ... It is appreciated. I am a complete NEWBIE with this machine but I know it can do what I need it to.