What's the best way of cutting softboard? I want to end up with a nice clean edge, but I can imagine a saw might just rip it to pieces. Should I use a Stanley knife or similar, and make repeated cuts, or what? Apart from an elderly B&D jigsaw, I only have hand tools.
Mmm. Softboard == insulation board?
Laser cutting is good :-)
Otherwise sharp knife and lots of patience, because the knife makes no kerf, so a lot of tendency to jam - cutting on a convex surface helps.
on 08/09/2018, The Natural Philosopher supposed :
Cut it on a large flat surface, but with a length of wood under the cut line. It will help to open up the cut as you progress with the blade.
Hats off to that - never thought of that way to create 'convexity'
called caneite made from sugarcane but I doubt that is what you mean.
I don't know the proper name. It's a soft fibre board, pale brown, not obviously bonded with any sort of adhesive and you can fairly easily damage the edges with just your fingers. It's the sort of board used for notice boards that you can easily push drawing pins into.
yep. Insulation board. What we said. Sharp knife or if you can tolerate it very very fine tenon saw like a model makers 'razor saw'.
What traditionally might have been sundeala by the sounds of it:
A fine tooth handsaw will cut it ok and leave a fairy clean edge...
Many thanks for all the replies. So a sharp Stanley knife, a bit of convex support and repeated cuts it'll be then.
That's LDF, aka Sundeala (tradename). Not for insulation.
NT
Our caneite,
Anything like Homasote? It cuts easily on a bandsaw.
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