I was cutting apart a block of foam to use in my saddle, when the table saw shuddered, scaring the crap out of me. When I finished the cut, I saw what had caught. There was a void (a contained hole) inside the block of foam, roughly the size of a chestnut.
Is this normal for a minicell block? I doubt it will harm my saddle, but it is annoying. At least it's on the side being glued.
I just wanted to know if anyone else has seen voids this size in a block of foam, and if anyone thinks it will be a problem. Here's a picture.
Are you sure something wasn't actually IN the hole? Can't picture a saw shuttering from hitting a void. In my limited experience, I've never come across a void like that. Craig, Jeremy or Kaz would have the definitive answer.
The saw blade didn't kick back like it hit something, it just jumped a bit like it bit back into foam after not cutting anything as it passed through the void. I'm 99% sure nothing was in the hole, because I didn't find any remnants. Theoretically, it might have been a bubble formed in the pouring process.
And for what it's worth, the reason I was scared is because the table saw was 30 years old and a little ratttey to begin with, but that's a whole 'nother story.
Voids are "normal" in minicell although not common, usually appear near the outer edges. Often the foam is a little less flexible around the void. Won't affect your saddle, but cutting minicell on a tablesaw isn't ideal as the saw tends to pull the flexible foam into the throat of the saw and bind up. A bandsaw is WAY better for all foam work IMO. And yes I have cut A LOT of foam (all day for days at a time at Savage).
OK, thanks guys. I'm about to glue in the saddle, so hopefully everything will be all good.
tennOC wrote: A bandsaw is WAY better for all foam work IMO.
Totally agree. Only problem was that I decided to take an inch off the height after I had glued the blocks together, and my bandsaw didn't cut eight inches tall. Hence the homicidal table saw.
