>>64139924
> easy to make
I'd say so. I managed to get it to work. I followed a youtube how-to. You can find them sold retail in hobby stores, but they're tiny.
I made mine using a 120V 12ga wire and plug, a dimmer switch, a 12V (doorbell) transformer, some more 12ga wire, wire clamps, nuts, bolts, an aluminum rod bent and notched, some 2x2 wood posts to form the base, and a 2'x4' sheet of MDF as a work surface. All this stuff I got from Home Depot for less than $100 back over 10 years ago. (ymmv) The hardest part to get was the nicrhome wire. I had to ebay that. I also had to choose a good dimmer switch, I went with a Leviton knob type. I think it's a pot-type dimmer.
I am able turn it on with the dimmer turned all the way down, then slowly turn the dimmer up until the wire starts to cut foam. It will be hot, but not so hot that it burns my skin if I touch it. It will be hot enough to sting so I avoid that. Too hot, and the nichrome wire will glow and then break. If I get it just right, it will cut the foam, but not smoke very much or get covered in charred foam. I cut very slowly and the wire barely pushes through the foam. I don't get perfect laser straight cuts, but with a plumbed wire the edges will be clean, and nicer than the turkey carver method. I also usually follow a poster board stencil I have made and pinned to the foam to keep from screwing up too badly. The stencil is usually cut 1/4" or so smaller in all directions so everything fits snug.
I also have to bear in mind I am working with exposed electrified wire, but it's all 12V AC. I could also swap out some parts to make It DC, but I wanted keep it cheap for how often I use it.
