Built a bandsaw tonight...

Derek and Xena

Derek and Xena

Active member
...a foam bandsaw that is! It all came from scrap stuff laying around the garage too! It's not quite perfected yet, but does the trick so far. This is my first attempt at handmade foamers other than my du mold so here goes nothin'!!!
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Now that will work.
Just make sure you hold your nose while cutting.

Seriously, make sure you are outside the door of the garage and the wind is blowing the stink out not in.

Wont be long you will be fooling with cedar or cork.
The shapes are the same.

First body looks like a good start.
 
now that is too cool. Actually, the old timer who gave me my first carving instructions, built a real bandsaw out of wood. I think he had bought a kit with the wheels and motor, but the entire frame was wood/plywood. Kinda scary to see it run.
 
I did the same thing. The only thing different is that I had a bottom piece underneath the 2x4's to make a box. The arm comes off with a couple wing nuts and it goes in the box for storage that way it takes up less space in an already overcrowded garage.
 
Well Dave, it's funny you should say that. We rigged it with bailing wire from my boat build and a 12volt battery charger just to test it. I will be swapping the wire out with a $3 NiChrome Hotwire from the hobby shop and using a 12v. power supply instead of the charger, possibly rigged up with a dimmer switch to control the heat of the wire? One of those model train power supplies with the dial would actually be ideal I think!
 
That's a cool tool. I'm always finding chunks of blue dock foam in the marsh. I have a few sitting behind my shop but I usually just throw them away. I should try what your doing. Do you just shape them, then mastic and burlap? Thanks, Luke
 
Luke, I actually haven't started carving any foam yet. I ordered the Foam Decoy Carving Techniques DVD's from Don Mintz @ BodyLanguageDecoys! But yes, basically shaping the foam and then mastic and burlap and you can do the eyes, bills, wing tip, feather detail, tails, etc...using apoxie sculpt and then paint. Don actually flocks the entire foamers and uses an airbrush a lot. His decoys are AMAZING for foamers!!!
 
what do you use to glue the two pieces of foam together? I have some extra pink foam at home and think that making a few foamers would be a nice project.
 
Mike, I used gorilla glue. The only thing I know is that you just want a little dab in the middle of the block, otherwise you will be running into the glue while you carve. The foam is so soft and gorilla glue gets real hard so you may get frustrated trying to carve those areas where the two pieces meet.
 
thanks Derek that is exactly what I needed to know. That gorrilla glue is hard as heck when it dries. I guess I will be making my own band saw soon. I have an old lab power supply that will perfectly as a power source.
 
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