Foamed PVC sheet
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2011 1:25 pm
I was rummaging around in Tap Plastics yesterday (wen't looking for small glue bottles), and found something interesting in their scrap bin.
Something called "Foamed PVC". It's basically sheet goods made for sign making. It comes is various colors (not important). It starts off in 48" x 96" sheets, but TAP will cut it for you for free while you wait as long as you are just requesting square sheets.
It comes in 1/8", 1/4", and 3/8" thicknesses, and I think it might be ideal for certain templates and such. Th 1/8" is thin enough to use as a top and/or back template for an acoustic. It's thin enough and easy enough to work that you can shape it and drill or cut brace marking slots fairly easily. I've been using paperboard from the office supply store for this, but they don't hold up well.
The thicker sheets (1/4" and 3/8") can be used for router templates for light router work (it is a pvc impregnated foam, so it's probably not suitable for all day/every day production work).
This stuff is fairly rigid and holds it's shape well. It cuts easily with a bandsaw and can be sanded and shaped with any standard wood tools without dulling bits. It can also be cut with a heated knife blade for cutting brace marking slots. You can make temporary marks with a pencil (it has a slight texture to it), and a sharpie will make permanent markings as needed.
I had been considering buying some acrylic sheets to make templates from to replace my paper ones, but put it off because I hate cutting and shaping the stuff. This is stuff works MUCH easier than acrylic, and is nearly as rigid and durable.
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=342&
Picked up a couple of 18" x 24" sheets of different thicknesses yesterday to play around with (i'm lucky there is a store a few blocks from my office). I'm going to make a top and back template from 1/8" and a couple of strat and tele router templates from 3/8", and see how it holds up.
Something called "Foamed PVC". It's basically sheet goods made for sign making. It comes is various colors (not important). It starts off in 48" x 96" sheets, but TAP will cut it for you for free while you wait as long as you are just requesting square sheets.
It comes in 1/8", 1/4", and 3/8" thicknesses, and I think it might be ideal for certain templates and such. Th 1/8" is thin enough to use as a top and/or back template for an acoustic. It's thin enough and easy enough to work that you can shape it and drill or cut brace marking slots fairly easily. I've been using paperboard from the office supply store for this, but they don't hold up well.
The thicker sheets (1/4" and 3/8") can be used for router templates for light router work (it is a pvc impregnated foam, so it's probably not suitable for all day/every day production work).
This stuff is fairly rigid and holds it's shape well. It cuts easily with a bandsaw and can be sanded and shaped with any standard wood tools without dulling bits. It can also be cut with a heated knife blade for cutting brace marking slots. You can make temporary marks with a pencil (it has a slight texture to it), and a sharpie will make permanent markings as needed.
I had been considering buying some acrylic sheets to make templates from to replace my paper ones, but put it off because I hate cutting and shaping the stuff. This is stuff works MUCH easier than acrylic, and is nearly as rigid and durable.
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=342&
Picked up a couple of 18" x 24" sheets of different thicknesses yesterday to play around with (i'm lucky there is a store a few blocks from my office). I'm going to make a top and back template from 1/8" and a couple of strat and tele router templates from 3/8", and see how it holds up.