Hey guys building your own blanks, whats the best way to rip the length of the blank to insert a stringer? Aldo for doing woodstringers, whats the best adhesive
Greg and Ken have a 12’ hotwire that cuts the blank from bottom to the deck splitting the bank with a perfectly straight line.
you know? Its funny when the answer is right in front of you and its so easy that you miss it, I have been looking around allday for a 12 inch table saw.
A way aroundthat, that someone else on another thread used and I am going to use; is to get your foam blocks 12" thick.
The block I’m getting is 12" x 48" x 96". That way you hotwire your rocker out, twice, and then you have 2 halves of a blank(12" wide) ready to glue together. And the edges are already nice, straight and clean.
Peace
I am cutting my blanks out the same way. a lot easier to cut through 12" than 24". the factory cuts on the blocks are clean and strait. My blocks are 12"x24"x16’ . I hadn’t seen where anyone else was cutting in that direction. great that you mentioned it.
I know that Benny used to use his band saw, but recently he’s just getting them delivered that way.
what are you using for adhering the foam to wood stringers?
Yep - now I buy them 3 or 4" x 12" x 8 or 10’. Its the same price, cut or uncut, for 2# - sold by the cubic foot.
Gorilla glue.
Benny1, (a little off topic but related to discussion) what do you use to glue up your blanks to convert your 8’ block into a 10’ block? I need to do the same. and you have no trouble with your hotwire going through the glue?
thanks
Gorilla glue. The wire slows down a bit, but goes right through. If I normally but about a foot every 15 seconds, maybe the foot with the glue line in it takes 16 or 17…
(Don’t take those as actual times or anything - just an example of how easy the GG is to cut.)
The planer doesn’t notice it, either.
do you do any prep of the surfaces? fill the voids?
No - the glue expands & foams. It fills the voids better than anything. Don’t use too much.
use a squegee to apply the glue thinly then you can spray a fine mist of water on the other side .
Benny,
have you tried any other glues? I like the fact that you can just cut straight through GG.
Anyone else experimented with other glues? Theory tells us most glues that can form a mechanical bond with the foam (without dissolving it) are going to be structurally sound - because they are stronger than the foam. But I find myself wondering about the weakest glue anyone has used successfully… And, more importantly, about the failures.
Anyone care to share their experiences?
-doug
Silly - exactly.
Doug, I’ve used white aliphatic glue, epoxy resin, and expanding polyurethane glue (like GG). I’ve tested a couple of the spray-can glues, but the propellants or solvents seemed to eat the EPS a little. I’ve tested yellow wood glue with poor results (but I have a gallon, so I had to try 
). I’ve not tried things like solvent-free contact cement, because the GG works well enough that I don’t need to look further.
Where are you all purchasing your eps foam 2#? Are there any websites out there selling this foam? I have contacted several local insulating companies and they do not have 2# eps. Thanks.
do a search. It has been posted…or google it. thanks!
Benny,
Thanks for sharing that - the aliphatic is a white wood-working glue, yes? How did it go? It’s one of the most common handymans’ glues in Oz. I figured the spray glues would be a problem - unless you specifically bought a solvent-free one. A mate I went to primary school with manages the paint/glue section at our Bunnings mega store and he suggests the stuff used by photographers.
A cyanoacrylate might be interesting, tho we’d have to be careful about solvent thinners used. Wonder if pure CA would eat away at the foam. Wonder if anyone has tried rubber cement, assuming no solvents it might be fairly good.
RISurfer,
The “EPS Block Prices” thread might vield better results than this thread. Same goes for the archives.
Moderators,
Do we need maybe another forum for “EPS Quickstart, supplies and equipment”? Or a sticky at the top of “General” about it that contains links to posts dealing with these bits and peices? Just hoping we can thin some of the noise in here.
-doug
Hi Johan1,
I’m from Montreal as well and was wondering where you got your EPS block. Did you get it through retail?
You can PM me, I don’t want to steal this thread.
Thanks
benny your like me
try anything
ive tried
GG
5min epoxy
pva (white glue )
aliphatic elmers(its yellow and is crstalline so it can be sanded)
titebond (great wood working glue but takes a while to set)
superglue
construction adhesive (liquid nails)
SMP marine type sealant(or sikaflex)
and a spray contact adhesive
favs are GG ,5mon epoxy, and solvent free spray contact (made by ADOS)
the conact adhesive is really strong,( but in not sure its permanent
5min epoxy is hell stong ,but it exotherms
GG is really good glue ,but dont get it on your hands