How to Shape Upholstery Foam

Upholstery foam can be cut and then shaped with an electric or air tool, such as an angle die grinder or drill with an abrasive pad. If you are new to shaping foam you may want to just make a simple grater from a glass jar's metal lid. This hand made tool should eliminate the possibility of accidentally cutting gouges out of your foam when shaping it with a high speed tool. In this video we will show you the steps required to shape or sculpt foam to the desired shape and size.

MATERIALS & TOOLS USED IN THIS VIDEO:

[darkestserenity]

I had absolutely no idea how I would shape this new foam but this was a great instructional vid and now I know
Thanks

[ClFUR]

Originally was gonna look for that electric kitchen knife, but its good to know that there's better options.
Thanks for making this!

[joycec]

Holy Smokes!! This really works. I did this today and could not believe the great results I got. Genius. Thank you

[peaknuckle]

As a suggestion to the community, an olfa style razor(or even wider blade) knife dulled edge and rounded off tip from the tip down with 2 inches of new razor left exposed is a really nice alternative to scissors for cleanly trimming edges and ends of foam. Make the Razor extend far enough out and sufficiently dulled and the leading edge tip rounded that it acts as a flat plane. The wider blades help stay more level. Drag the blade angled like you would cut a sheet of paper. Crisp clean cuts, like butter. Fun even. Let me know if this tip helps you out.

Thanks for making the great video for us to comment on!

[vidification]

I use my trusty Rose Bud Tip and Soldering Iron. Results so flawless and long lasting, the customer never returns for a replacement for lifetime of the sofa. Satisfaction.

[DeanTheChosenOne]

Very cool video everyone. Thanks for showing us how to shape foam toppers. This is super helpful! Stay blessed! 😊🌎♥️

[petermcmillan]

Hah, the jump cut @8:20 speaks louder than words. It isn't so easy to place something that large accurately in one go. I wish we had seen those missing seconds/minutes. :)

[noreezy]

of course.... the "foam edge rounding machine" is a notable specialty machine tool that is not widely copied or duplicated. The german/austrian and now Indian manufactures of these devices enable you to cut that rounded corner in about 1 second. IIRC, primarily used for mass production of memory foam pillows or any application that cannot use molding.

[nullpointerworks]

That foam saw of yours is actually pretty cool. Looks somewhat like an oversize jigsaw with an extended blade.

[misacbanglay]

Good idea. I never thought of this practical remedy. Thanks

[Jackie-vweh]

Great vid . How to cut out concave shapes tho ?

[johnmhuberty]

Appreciate your wonderful videos. Very informative. Easy to understand. Excellent results.

[GTsAdventures]

Spray your scissors with silicone before cutting. The glue will not gum them up.

[MaskHysteria]

I've found cutting along both lines but tangential to the curve leaves you with less foam to shape in the shaping step while also leaving you with a smaller work area since you're, essentially, shaving a point where the two tangent lines meet down to a curve.

[neatapeace]

Good idea. Learnt something new today. Thanks fo4 sharing.

[kezadrone]

Have you thought about using an electric sander for the foam shape part?

[waterboy]

Very good, rub the scissors with a candle to stop anything sticking.

[sdcheer]

I dont know much about abrasive pad or how to us them. What kind of abrasive pad did you use with the drill? Your video has been extremely helpful thank you for sharing.

[andynixon]

You don't necessarily need a foam knife, if you practice with an electric carving knife you can still get got results . Also best to cut along the very top and very bottom marker lines - at an acute angle - rather than cutting just the middle. If you get it neat once it's smoothed of you shouldn't really have to add any extra foam if covering with a good vinyl .

[HouseOfHealingAZ]

Will this method work on Minicell L200 closed cell foam