how thick of a wing can i get ...

[Mighty Mik]

From 1 inch thick blue foam? I'm trying to determine what airfoils i can use without making a big mess. I know the top and bottom will have thin sections, but what can i get away with without having 5 pieces?

[davidfee]

Depending on your wire and your temperature, you should probably count on around .030" - .050" kerf for each cut (guestimate). You also need to consider your bow's height requirements above the table. You may need to raise the foam up to make room. You definitely don't want to cut through the surface... makes a big mess.

-David

[Mighty Mik]

Ok...2 x .050 kerf leaves .9 inches to work with. a .75 inch thick wing would leave .15 / 2 or .075 on each bed half. That's just over 1/16 inch...enough?

[Aio_1]

I've cut very close to the surface with maybe 1.5mm (0.06") from the edge of the template to the edge of the foam. This works okay if you're careful. You'll have to be careful witht the wire temperature and keep it quite cool.
The main problem is that if you get too close to the surface the melted foam collapses back onto the foam because there is no upper surface for it to adhere to. This wouldn't be a problem if it was consistent but it accumulates into globules on the wire and then sticks to the cut foam.