Do-it-yourself foam knife. Cutting foam at home - a knife or a homemade machine? DIY nichrome cutter

In construction and finishing works rightfully occupies a worthy place foam. Its heat-insulating and noise-absorbing characteristics allow it to be used in the decoration of facades, country houses, and industrial enterprises. The construction of the material consists of foam particles that fill the gas cavity during molding. The cost of the material is not high, it can be used in any field of activity, large letters on advertising, information boards, etc.

Basic Methods for Cutting Styrofoam

The best option for thermal insulation of the building is foam. Usually, a non-dense structure is chosen for these purposes, due to the low cost. This causes inconvenience when cutting, the structure of the cells crumbles, and with a little effort, you can break the structure with your hands. The foam cutting tool has various modifications, ready-made options are sold, you can also make a design with your own hands.

It is important to understand that the structure of the foam is categorically related to the impact of certain liquids. Acetone or gasoline destroys the structure of the foam, the product will have to be made again. Temperature operation modes are no more than 50 °.

Cutting foam at home is performed by many improvised tools. For example, when working with small workpieces, the most in a simple way is to use a utility knife. The process is inaccurate, because the blade dulls quickly, for better processing the knife can be heated.

Each of the devices has advantages and disadvantages; before cutting with your own hands, it is important to note the characteristics of the foam, to choose a tool for cutting the foam to size.

1. In hardware stores you can buy a special tool - a knife with a heated blade. Work with this device is carried out on its own, in order to avoid slipping and injury. The main disadvantages of a cutting knife are that they can cut material of a certain thickness; for smooth work, you need to correctly mark the product and spend time on it.
2. A type of heated knife can be a soldering iron with a special nozzle. More different high temperature heating, during work it is necessary to be careful, a molten drop does not deliver joyful sensations when it comes into contact with the skin.
3. A shoe knife for cutting foam is used with a long blade up to 40 cm. The tip of the knife remains blunt, and the wide blade must be perfectly sharpened. Adjustment and sharpening is carried out every 2 meters of the cut product. The process will be accompanied by a squeal, you can eliminate unpleasant sounds by using headphones.
4. Thicker pieces can be cut with a fine-toothed wood saw. The lower the level of the teeth, the better the quality of the output part, however, scuffs and bevels will still be present. The method does not require the application of special products, it is often used for long straight cuts of foam.
5. The most popular way is to cut the foam with a string. The performance of this method is equivalent to industrial equipment, it is enough to build a small structure. The string is used when working with foam plastic of various grain sizes and densities.

Some cases, in the absence of any of the above cutting tools, require the intervention of electrical engineering. The grinder is used with a disc of minimum thickness. The work implies the presence of increased noise, debris from foam particles throughout the territory.

The processes of work on the insulation of one dwelling can be performed with a manual type tool. The wire for influencing the foam is used on a special stand, previously prepared. The design consists of nichrome wire, easily made by hand. The connection diagram consists of two fasteners, a load for tension and power to the network. In cases where production volumes are increased, special foam processing machines are used.

You can buy them in specialized stores, as well as make your own.

Machine classification

The design features of the units do not differ from each other. In each of them, cutting occurs due to a heated wire fixed in a certain position. Some of the modifications have up to six adjustable strings, this allows for more massive work. Machines for cutting foam plastic can be with a turntable, a permanently fixed cutting element.

Devices are divided into several categories:

• software-controlled equipment that allows you to cut figures of increased complexity;
• portable cutting elements;
• transverse or horizontal types of cutting.

The most complex machines in design allow you to work on several planes of the product at once. The performance of foam cutting machines is designed for industrial purposes; in one go, some models can process over 10 meters.

Do-it-yourself foam cutting tools

Home insulation materials are always available for sale. It is best to glue the foam on a flat wall, but if protrusions are found, you will have to adjust the shape of the foam. Styrofoam cutting is carried out both by purchased equipment and by self-made.

To build a structure, it is important to select the parameters and drawings. The type of work also depends on the design and its dimensions. Cutting foam at home is carried out from improvised means, the main thing is to choose the right materials. It is important to comply with safety requirements, when cutting, slippage of the product, damage to the limbs is possible.

In the process of heating the foam, fumes are released, if inhaled, they can damage the mucous system of the worker.

Homemade thermal cutting knife

It is possible to correct the shape of insulation products, cut out small products and blanks with a thermal knife. To cut foam you will need:

• A krone-type battery with an output voltage of 9 volts, or a set of finger products.
• The nichrome fishing line is stretched between the plates, the length is not more than 10 cm.
• Several wires connect the ends of the wires to the battery.

The simplest cutter can be assembled from improvised means, it will help to chamfer corners, perform the necessary fitting of polypropylene parts. It is necessary to install a power button that will activate the device, this is done for convenient, safe operation.

DIY nichrome cutter

Do-it-yourself production implies the presence of certain means. In order to qualitatively assemble a tool for cutting foam, you will need:

• nichrome wire, it can be purchased at radio parts stores of the required size;
• 12 volt step-down transformer, it is a computer power supply or Charger car battery;
• long needle;
• rheostat, which makes it possible to regulate the strength of the current;
• electrical wires suitable for connection are long.

The device can be mobile or fixed on a table. The frame is made of wood, the wire is set to a height of 10-15 cm, on the adjusting screws. The screws that secure the nichrome wire must be of suitable length to adjust the height to required level. A weight is suspended from one side of the screw to tension the wire for direct level cut.

The impact of current leads to splitting of the wire, the foam is easily exposed to temperature effects. The edges are sealed, this prevents the decay of the structure of the material. The cutting of the foam begins after the appearance of a red tint on the wire, it is not necessary to bring the incandescence to a high level, in these cases the width of the cut will be too large.

When performing the procedure, you should use personal protective equipment, a mask, gloves. The melting process releases toxic fumes.

Cutting is done indoors with good ventilation or outdoors.

Design features and principle of operation

The string expands when heated, adds up to 3% in length, cutting with a sagging cutter will not be of high quality, so a special mechanism is added to the design. With actions with a low frequency, it is possible to use a spring, it will gradually stretch the wire to the desired state. Mass use means fast stretching, so it's best to use a suspended weight to one side of the string.

The foam cutter is powered by power sources with an output voltage of 12 to 36 volts. Most good option a laboratory transformer can be distinguished. The device is able to withstand high loads, produce smooth adjustment output voltage.

Specialized machines and their prices

The manufactured machines are delivered for mass production. There are modifications with six cutting elements, which allows you to quickly cut a large amount of foam in one run. Laser machines perform work for architectural purposes, are able to cut various shapes, materials in thickness.

Machines have excellent characteristics, can have the functions of simultaneous processing of many elements, and have high productivity. The price of devices is high, you need to know exactly what the cutter is used for.

Frp 01

A simple design allows you to modify the device for various shapes and sizes of foam blanks. Styrofoam cutting tools various types allow you to take a number of actions. Implemented the ability to trim linear parts, curly elements, insulation boards and signboards.

The cutting is done by the machine by connecting to the CNC. The cutting program is supplied with various settings. The price of such a device starts from 110 thousand rubles, it is important to check the functionality and reliability of the design before buying.

SRP "Kontur"

There are modifications of machines for the production of elements various shapes. The foam polystyrene cutting machine is manually operated, has a simple structure, rich functionality. The power consumption is not high, the components are collapsible, which allows you not to worry about transportation.

The cost of equipment starts from 40 thousand rubles. The main difference between market models and hand-made ones is the tests carried out for the safety and reliability of parts.

Self-made cutting machine

A complete machine can be made at home. For the manufacture of the machine, a tabletop and a frame of the desired width, as well as other details, are selected. A do-it-yourself foam cutting machine is made from improvised means, by analogy with the smallest nichrome modification. There are several modifications and structures of machines, implemented in accordance with the conditions of the parts.

Manual cutting of styrofoam

Of all the above methods, manual cutting of foam is not so expensive, an abundance of methods allows you to influence foam products in accordance with the tasks.

1. The simplest and least expensive way is cutting with large sharpened knives. The tip of the knife is left blunt, oil must be distributed across the width of the knife for lubrication, the speed of this method is not high, cutting of small volumes is used.
2. A hot rune allows you to quickly perform work, but is harmful to health.
3. Cold wire cutting is similar to the action of a saw, it is only necessary to make a productive structure.
4. Cutting with a hacksaw blade.

Professional methods involve the use of a ready-made tool. High-quality and fast cutting is carried out by using suitable devices.

Homemade machine on the table

If there is a large table and workplace, this will save a lot of time and effort, because when applying manual ways material crumbles, deteriorates. A home-made machine and its foam cutting design is performed by using a nichrome string.

A suitable power source is used, which produces from 12 to 36 volts. It is possible to use the voltage of a regular network, but only there is a wire coated with nickel, this method causes an electric shock, which is significantly felt by a person.

The machine for figured cutting of polyfoam

Complex geometric figures can be processed with a special machine. The device allows you to make figured cutting of foam plastic with your own hands. The design is carried out according to the same principles, only the nichrome wire is stretched vertically.

The fastening mechanism fits on one side, which makes it possible to move the product on the tabletop.

Standard construction has long since sunk into oblivion. This is noticeable when visiting low-rise construction zones. Each house is individual, unique. But each household requires insulation, if it was not provided during the construction process. It is unlikely that foam manufacturers will produce boards customized size for small orders. You'll have to cut. But how to cut the foam when installing the thermal insulation of the building with your own hands?

Foamed polystyrene foam is easy to process by cutting. Before cutting foam at home, you need to decide on the required accuracy and cleanliness of the cut. After that, select the necessary device for cutting foam plastic from the following:

• saw (hacksaw);
• string;
• thermal cutter;

There is no single answer to the question: “What is the best way to cut?” until there is no certainty on the volume and linear dimensions processed parts.

Foam plastic milling is not carried out due to the extremely low mechanical stability of the material.

Just cutting

When carrying out work on the insulation of the foundation, underground utilities, ceilings for screed, facade for plaster, special accuracy and evenness of the cut is not much needed. Especially if the building has a simple facade configuration. In this case, you can use hand tool for cutting foam: knife, hacksaw, metal string.

Their use will lead to the loss of granules at the cut boundary and the formation of an uneven edge. The presence of a loose fit of the plates can be leveled by filling the voids with mounting foam.

Rectilinear cutting with a knife with small notches is justified with a material thickness of 50 mm, a hacksaw can cut insulation up to 250 mm thick. You can use a serrated kitchen knife to cut the styrofoam. A hacksaw with a small tooth is purchased at a hardware store.

For the convenience of using a string for cutting foam (you can use old strings, for example, from a guitar with a spiral winding), we install at its ends wooden handles. They cut the insulation with reciprocating movements, as if they were using a two-handed saw. Large slabs can be cut by two people. In this case, the sheet to be cut must be fixed.

Before cutting the foam, the cutting edges must be treated with a liquid lubricant. This will create a certain comfort during work (improve slip, reduce noise).

Figured carving on foam using this tool is extremely difficult.

Using a thermal knife

Do-it-yourself cutting of polystyrene with the use of a thermal knife is justified with a plate thickness of up to 50 mm. To cut off a piece of polystyrene, a hot knife is advanced with average speed, which ensures the quality of the cut without tearing out fragments and melting the edges.

Purchasing a longer blade for this appliance is not entirely beneficial. With manual cutting, it is impossible to cut strictly perpendicular to the surface. The end of the sheet will have a bevel, which is extremely inconvenient during installation. In order to better cut a thick sheet, it is necessary to cut from both sides, deepening the hot knife by half the thickness or a little more.

We manufacture and use a thermal cutter

For cutting polystyrene with your own hands, devices with a thin hot element are most often used. General principle the actions of any thermal cutter for foam plastic are one.

The heated element separates the material with subsequent sealing of the opened volumes. Using thermal cutters for foam plastic, we get a perfectly smooth cut, which is very important for high-quality insulation work.

The purchase of a factory-made foam cutting machine is not economically feasible.

Only if it is not decided to do it professionally and permanently. In most cases, when cutting curly elements is not required, you can use a homemade foam cutter.

Making a foam cutter with your own hands is quite simple and quite inexpensive. After completion of work, it will not lie dead weight, take up space. It can be assembled and disassembled as needed. If not needed, its components can be used for other purposes.

Before you make a foam cutter, you need to prepare everything you need:

• blank for the working surface;
• nichrome wire;
• laboratory adjustable transformer (LATR);

Chrome plated nichrome wire can be used without a step-down transformer, but this increases the risk of electric shock.

• electrical wire, mount for him,
• springs for thread tension;
• adjustment mechanism.

When manufacturing and using the device, follow the rules for the design and operation of electrical installations.

To make equipment for cutting foam, start by marking and trimming the working surface. Determine its geometric dimensions in accordance with the dimensions of the cut plates. It is better if the table surface is larger than the sheet area.

We install racks (supports) with the possibility of adjustment. This may require a small tool in the form of hex bushings with internal thread. They will make it easier to adjust the cutting height. The cutting wire is tensioned with springs. We lay and fix an electric wire on different sides of the thread. We connect the other end of the cable to LATR (if there is no LATR, it can be replaced using an autotransformer to charge the car's batteries). The device is ready to work.

Cutting foam at home must be carried out in compliance with safety measures. During heat treatment, toxic fumes are released. Therefore, we cut out parts from foam either on the street, or use respiratory protection equipment at a workplace equipped with exhaust ventilation.

The use of such a device for cutting foam allows you to speed up the process of preparing insulation fragments as much as possible.

We use automated systems

sophistication architectural design also require insulation. In order to preserve their expressiveness, it becomes necessary to manufacture complex elements. How to cut out such details? More affordable option- processing of a heater by milling. But foam plastic milling is not carried out for the reason that the cutter pulls out large enough pieces of material during its rotation.

Dense polystyrene foam has a higher mechanical strength and is well milled. Anything is made from it: a letter, a number, a graphic element of any complexity. At least a hedgehog. It is recommended to cut penoplex at high angular speeds with an average linear feed. To install the fabricated fragments on the facade, ceresite is used.

Foam laser cutting is the most advanced technology that combines a hot cutting tool and the precision of an automated system. Laser cutting of foam allows you to produce parts of any complexity with the highest precision with a minimum level of waste. Foam laser cutting provides a completely smooth cut surface using a hot beam of directional light moving at high speed. For him, there are no restrictions on the thickness of the material and the complexity of the element.

The choice of cutting equipment used for foam boards and for extruded polystyrene foam should be conscious. Meet the technological requirements for finished products and be economically justified.

Styrofoam is a lightweight, durable, good heat-insulating material that is very easy to work with. But it has one unpleasant feature: it is usually made in the form of slabs large sizes, which in the process of work have to be cut into pieces of smaller sizes. No matter how sharp the knife and saw are sharpened, it will not work to cut the plate neatly, because the structure of the foam is destroyed by mechanical action, which is why it does not cut, but crumbles. Therefore, for cutting, you need to use a special foam cutter.

Styrofoam, like any material, requires cutting, this is why you need a cutter.

The simplest homemade foam cutter

Such a cutter is not difficult to make with your own hands. To do this, just take the thinnest guitar string and 4-5 big batteries for an electric flashlight. Having connected all the batteries in series into a single element, you need to connect and fix the guitar string with electrical tape to its ends, closing the electric arc. Due to the electric current passing through the string, the string will heat up.

Image 1. Diagram of a cutter that allows you to cut flat sheets from a block of foam.

At the point of contact with a string heated to the desired temperature, the foam sheet will instantly melt, dividing into two halves, the cut of which will turn out to be fused and even. But for normal cutting, the string must be heated to a temperature of at least 120-150º. When working, it will not be difficult to determine whether the string has warmed up enough, since when cutting the foam plastic, small sticky pieces will remain on the string. The longer such pieces remain, the lower the temperature of the string. But if they do not remain on the string at all, then this means that this kind of thermal knife is heated more than necessary.

Such a primitive foam cutter is able to easily cut 2-3 large layers of material. But with large volumes of work, the batteries run out quickly, so in such cases, a cutter powered by the mains is used.

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Options for homemade electric foam cutters

Conventionally, such devices can be divided into groups:

• cutter for linear cutting of foam;
• cutter for curly cutting polystyrene;
• cutter with a working metal plate.

But, despite this separation, all cutters have one common detail.

For their manufacture, you can not do without a step-down transformer.

Such a transformer must be designed for a power of at least 100 watts. Its secondary winding must be rated for a voltage of 15 V and have a winding wire section of at least 1.5 mm.

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Styrofoam Linear Cutter

Image 2. Scheme of a vertical cutter: 1 - cutting nichrome wire, 2 - load, 3 - frame, 4 - working surface.

Such devices are mounted from a working surface (you can use the table surface) with two vertical risers fixed on it, attached to the risers by two insulators, connected to two contacts connected to a step-down transformer and a nichrome thread stretched between the insulators, and also passed through one of the risers freely hanging cargo (image 1).

Such a foam cutter works very simply. Passing through a nichrome thread, electricity heats it, and the suspended load keeps the thread taut, preventing it from sagging, because when heated, it stretches quite a lot. Sometimes, instead of a suspended load, a spring attached to one of the risers is used to tension the thread.

The heated thread easily cuts the body of the moving foam, turning it into flat sheets, the thickness of which depends only on the distance from the table surface to the stretched wire. All you have to do is maintain a steady flow of foam across the table surface.

For vertical cutting of seams, a different cutter design is used, in which the cutting wire is stretched vertically (image 2). A frame, preferably welded from metal profile, but it is quite suitable and made of wooden blocks (3).

The frame design provides for the presence of a paw-holder, to which a nichrome wire (1) with a suspended load at the other end (2) is suspended by means of an insulator, passed through a hole drilled in the working surface. Since the nichrome thread will heat up, it is better to make the hole larger and insulate the wooden parts by inserting a metal hollow tube of a hollow diameter into it, through the cavity of which the end of the wire with the load should be brought out.

Such a foam cutter will not only easily cut large pieces of foam into blocks of the desired size, but will also allow you to cut squares, triangles, semicircles and other curly holes in the material if necessary. To do this, it is enough to first draw a cutting line on the surface of the foam with a marker.

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Styrofoam cutter

If you need to cut sheets of large size or thickness, which, due to their size, cannot be placed on the desktop, then in such cases a hand-held electric cutter is used, converted from a hand-held jigsaw or a hacksaw, in which the cutting blade is replaced by nichrome wire.

Image 3. Scheme of a manual thermal cutter: 1 - cutting nichrome wire, 2 - screw with nut and washer, 3 - textolite handle 4-5 mm thick, 4 - electric cord.

Such an electric cutter is not difficult to make with your own hands. At the same time, for the convenience of curly cutting, several working tools can be made. different shapes(image 3). At a jigsaw or a hacksaw, the cutting blade is removed, and an electric wire (4) is connected to the handle (3). Despite the fact that the voltage will not be too high, it is still better to insulate the handle, like other metal elements, at least with ordinary electrical tape. Instead of a cutting blade, a nichrome wire, bent as required (4), is attached to the connected electric cable with screws and nuts with washers.

As an option, you can also use a wood burning device or a pulse soldering iron for the device of such a cutter. Such a cutter will be even more convenient, since the electric wire was originally provided in the design of these devices. To turn these devices into an electric foam cutter, it is enough to replace the heating working tools in them with a piece of thick nichrome wire, giving it the desired shape.

Such manual cutters are convenient because they can be used not only to cut sheets of foam, but also to cut all kinds of recesses, cavities in them, remove chamfers, in a word, not just cut the foam into pieces, but sculpt real works of art from it.

Heat and sound insulating building materials on the market are presented in a wide range, these are foamed polyethylene, mineral and basalt wool and many others. But the most common for insulation and soundproofing is extruded polystyrene foam and polystyrene, due to its high physical and chemical properties, ease of installation, low weight and low cost. Polyfoam has a low coefficient of thermal conductivity, a high coefficient of sound absorption, and is resistant to water, weak acids, and alkalis. The foam is resistant to the effects of ambient temperature, from the lowest possible to 90˚C. Even after decades, the foam does not change its physical and chemical properties. The foam also has sufficient mechanical strength.

Styrofoam also has very important properties, these are fire resistance (when exposed to fire, the foam does not smolder like wood), environmental friendliness (since the foam is made of styrene, even food products). Fungi and foci of bacteria do not appear on the foam. An almost ideal material for insulation and soundproofing in the construction and renovation of houses, apartments, garages, and even packaging for food storage.

In shops building materials Styrofoam is sold in the form of plates of different thicknesses and sizes. When repairing, foam sheets of different thicknesses are often needed. With an electric foam cutter, you can always cut sheets of the desired thickness from a thick plate. The machine also allows shaped foam packaging from household appliances turn into plates, as in the photo above, and successfully cut thick sheets of foam rubber for furniture repair.

How easily foam is cut on a homemade machine, the video clip clearly demonstrates.

If you want to make a cutter for foam plastic and foam rubber, many are stopped by the difficulty of organizing the supply of supply voltage to heat the nichrome string to the desired temperature. This obstacle can be overcome if you understand the physics of the issue.

Machine design

The basis of the device for cutting foam was a sheet of chipboard (chipboard). The size of the plate must be taken based on the width of the foam plates that are planned to be cut. I used a 40x60 cm furniture door. With this size of the base, it will be possible to cut foam plates up to 50 cm wide. The base can be made from a sheet of plywood, a wide board, and the cutting string can be fixed directly on the desktop or workbench.

Stretching a nichrome string between two nails is the limit of laziness home master so i implemented the simplest design, which provides reliable fixation and smooth adjustment of the height of the string during the cutting process above the surface of the machine base.

The ends of the nichrome wire are attached to the springs, dressed on M4 screws. The screws themselves are screwed into metal racks pressed into the base of the machine. With a base thickness of 18 mm, I picked up a metal stand with a length of 28 mm, so that when fully screwed in, the screw does not extend beyond the bottom side of the base, and when the maximum unscrewed state provides a foam cutting thickness of 50 mm. If you need to cut sheets of foam or foam rubber of greater thickness, then it will be enough to replace the screws with longer ones.

To press the rack into the base, first a hole is drilled in it, with a diameter of 0.5 mm less than the outer diameter of the rack. In order for the racks to be easily hammered into the base, the sharp edges from the ends were removed on an emery column.

Before screwing the screw into the rack, a groove was machined at its head so that the nichrome wire could not move arbitrarily during adjustment, but occupied the required position.

To make a groove in a screw, first its thread must be protected from deformation by putting on a plastic tube or wrapping it with thick paper. Then clamp the drill in the chuck, turn on the drill and attach a narrow file. In a minute, the groove will be ready.

To prevent sagging of the nichrome wire due to elongation when heated, it is fixed to the screws through springs.

A suitable spring from a computer monitor, used to tension the ground wires on the kinescope, turned out to be suitable. The spring was longer than required, I had to make two of it, for each side of the wire attachment.

After preparing all the fasteners, you can fix the nichrome wire. Since the current consumed during operation is significant, about 10 A, for reliable contact of the current-carrying wire with nichrome wire, I used the method of fastening by twisting with compression. Thickness copper wire at a current of 10 A, it is necessary to take a cross section of at least 1.45 mm 2. You can select the wire section for connecting nichrome wire from the table. I had a wire with a cross section of about 1 mm 2 at my disposal. Therefore, each of the wires had to be made of two with a cross section of 1 mm 2 connected in parallel.

If the electrical parameters of the nichrome wire are not known, then you must first try to connect a low-power electrical appliance, for example, a 200 W electric light bulb (a current of about 1 A will flow), then a 1 kW (4.5 A) heater, and so increase the power of the connected devices until the nichrome the torch wire does not reach the correct temperature. Electrical appliances can also be connected in parallel.

The disadvantages of the last scheme for connecting a nichrome spiral include the need to determine the phase for proper connection and low efficiency (coefficient of performance), kilowatts of electricity will be wasted.

A foam cutter is a fairly simple tool that works on the principle of burning material. It can be bought at building supply stores. This the best option if there is a lot of work to be done. In the event that the cutter is needed for 1-2 days, it is easier to make it yourself, since the next time this tool may be needed in many years. But you can also use this option: rent a cutter in one of the construction companies, after calling and finding out if they will provide such an opportunity.

How to make a foam cutter with your own hands?

The easiest way is to make a foam cutter based on a wood burning machine. In the work you will need a nichrome wire, which, when heated, will cut the foam. The manufacturing process of the tool is simple: a spring of a suitable diameter is mounted on a standard metal pin for burning. It should tightly fit this part. A straightened nichrome wire is inserted into the spring. It can be found in any hair dryer. They turn on the device for burning out and when the spring heats up, they start working with the foam.

A 60W soldering iron can also be used to cut this material. You need to choose a tool that uses a blade knife instead of the usual sting. After heating, it will easily cut through foam or any thermofusible synthetic material.

To work with sheet foam, you will need a stable base on which the soldering iron is attached. This will ensure the quality of the cut. As a support, you can use heat-resistant plastic, a piece of plywood or a board. At the bottom of the base you need to make low legs. They are essential in this design.

Closer to one of the sides of the support, a vertical rack of a metal tube is attached. It has two brackets into which the soldering iron is inserted. The longer the bracket web, the farther from the vertical stand the soldering iron is located.
A copper plate is inserted into the cut of its lamellar sting. The edge of the knife is sharpened at a slight angle. The degree of heating of the cutting element is determined empirically. Such a cutter is very convenient for working with both sheet material, the one with curly molding. It should be noted that the width of the cut will be at least twice as large as the thickness of the copper plate. This must be taken into account when performing finishing work.