FWIW, I have watched the shop next door cut stuff for me, and they use a
1/8 " dia., 1" long carbide flush trim bit in a router. A high speed
router. Seems the best way. They use a template or guide.

I have used jigsaws ( a pain) , Bandsaws ( also a pain and dangerous),  a
dremel tool with saw blade ( slow, messy and not very accurate) and a small
dremel router( worked great, but slow).

Good luck, and as noted before, be careful, wear safety gear, and use lots
of ventilation. I also recommend cutting jigs, and gloves, because the
stuff can bind and whack your fingertips. Not that I have ever been that
clumsy. Er, at least not more than a few times.

M.


At 09:40 AM 5/16/02 +1200, you wrote:
> > Lots of options here, so I need to start experimenting.
> > The curves will be fine, and I intend to make a jig.
> >
> > The options I have are now many:
> > - Heated wire -- need to locate proper wire.  Power
> >         supply etc is easy to get, but will need to
> >         experiment with settings.
>
>Don't bother - hot wire doesn't remove waste and you'd
>need the wire insanely hot to make any progress, with
>the added side-effect of monomer fumes. I tried it once
>and what a messy job it did. The cut will seal behind the
>wire even worse than a bad blade and the molten plastic
>makes a ridge. Hot wire is only suitable for a limited
>range of materials, like polystyrene foam
>
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