DIY cutter for making holes in foam

When compiling the article on reupholstering a sofa, it occurred to me that there is no easy way to make holes in foam. I designed and made a DIY cutter that easily cuts holes in foam, great for when you do tufting for upholstery projects.

07/02/2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you need to make holes in foam for when doing tufting upholstery projects, this foam cutter is easy to make and costs very little. All you need to make your own foam hole cutter is a length of chrome pipe and a couple of blocks of wood. 

 

 

 

 

1. Use a MAD, Forstner or spade bit (same diameter as chrome pipe) to make a hole to half the depth of one of the blocks.

 

 

2. Drill the hole completely through the second block.

 

 

GOOD TO KNOW

DO clamp the pieces to your work bench when using a MAD, spade or Forstner bit.

 

 

 

 

3. Glue the two blocks together with wood glue.

 

 

 

 

4. Add a couple of screws to make sure the handle will be safe to use.

 

 

 

 

5. Clamp the pipe to your work bench and use a jigsaw and steel jigsaw blade to cut a length of pipe - 120 to 150mm should be sufficient. 

 

 

 

 

6. Use a Dremel Multitool to remove any burrs on the cut.

 

 

 

 

GOOD TO KNOW

Wear safety goggles when sanding or grinding steel.

 

 

 

 

Hole cutting tool assembled.

 

 

 

 

 

7. Use a Dremel Multitool and sanding ring to sand both inside and outside the bottom edge of the pipe to make it sharp.

 

 

 

 

BELOW: First attempt at cutting a hole in 10cm thick foam. The cutting edge is not sharp enough and needs more grinding with the Dremel Multitool and sanding ring.

 

 

GOOD TO KNOW

If the foam is soft or you struggle to start the hole, heat up the end with a Dremel VersaTip or small blowtorch.

 

 

BELOW: After more sharpening the cutter cuts right through. Simply twist and turn until you reach the bottom of the foam - remove the foam plug - and them pull out.