I’m ready to install the Homastote on my new around the room [shelf] layout, I need tips on cutting the stuff. I need to cut several 4X8 sheets into 2X8 pieces. My local lumber yard said they do not cut Homastote. Looks like its going to be a real hassle. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
There will be a lot of dust. Wear some type of breathing protection. You will dull the cutting tool of your choice. Be prepared to cut real slow as Homasote is mostly paper and glue. Be sure to have all 8 feet supported so it doen’t snap off before you are finished. Good luck and be sure to have a Wet/Dry Vac handy. You will not believe all the dust.
I use to cut Homasote w/a sharp utility knife before I got my bandsaw. Have you ever cut sheetrock or ceiling tiles? Homasote cuts the same way. You can also use a Sabre saw if you like nice even cuts. Wear a good dust mask & safety glasses W/good ventalation. If you use a sabre saw, use a fine tooth blade. I don’t recommend a skil saw.[^]
A smooth knife-edged blade in an electric jigsaw can be used for a dustless cutting of homasote, but it is a slow process. If you pu***he saw too hard, the knife begins to burn its way through, so you have to go slow. Using a regular saw blade will also work, but raises a lot of dust.
As much as I curse at the stuff, I’ve used it exclusively on my basement sized railroad, and it has worked well over the last 17 years. If I had to do it over again, I’d use Vinylbed.
But, if you are definitely going down this path, what worked best for me was to cut it with a utility knife. Pick up one of the large packs of the Stanley blades though, as you will go through them like crazy. I’d say three cuts along the length of a 8 foot sheet, and it’s time to change the blade.
I only use the sheets across the whole section of plywood in yard areas, everywhere else I go with I believe 1.5" wide strips (I’d have to go downstairs and measure it). For curves, I was laying out the radius I required, and cutting with the utility knife, but another way that I also used that worked well was to cut slots in the strips along the length, and bend it to suit. When I cut these, I did it with a sabre saw with a medium blade, outside. It makes one hellofa mess.
regards,
Jerry
Be sure to use a very fine blade and respiratory protection. It is useful stuff, but can be very unhealthy.
I also use a knife blade in a sabre saw to cut homasote and it is virtually dustless. When the blade gets dulls it will start to burn the homasote. As with cutting any material, just let the saw do the work. My LHS stocks the blades so I haven’t looked in hardware stores or the box stores for them, but I believe that they will fit most sabre saws/jig saws. I won’t cut homasote any other way.
Jeff
I also used homosote and I cut mine with a radial saw. The others are right. You will not believe the dust or residual fiber! It gets all over everything. It also generates static electricity when you vacuum it up so be prepared and wear masks with filters or some kind of breathing apparatus.
I always try to do my homasote surgery OUTDOORS - weather permitting of course!
What you want to do is reaL EASY. First mark the cut with a pencil. Then use a Utility knife. Try to make the first cut nice and smooth using a metal straight edge. Metal yardstick is ideal, if you can find one. Don’t try to cut too deep. Then, put something under one side of the cut so it wants to bend a little and opens the cut. Don’t need the straightedge anymore, because the blade will follow the previous cut line. A new blade will cut thru after about 3 or 4 passes. Easy as pie, no mess, no fuss, no dust. After you do a few straights, you can tackle curves, but the first cut is the hardest freehanding it. I cut mine in the living room and didn’t even disrupt TV viewing. The few crumbs were picked up with the vacuum in one swipe.
Some people make way too big a project out of this, and I think that’s why a lot of people don’t like Homasote.
Nice procedure Virginian. This is one reply for the print key.
Cutting 8’ sections with a utility knife will take forever. I have cut this stuff with a sabre saw and it does make a mess. I have used California Roadbed ‘HomaBed’ - very nice stuff; split down the middle and beveled just like cord. I lay this stuff over 1/2" plywood sub-roadbed.
Jim Bernier
Cutting roadbed out of 8’ sheets may be tedius, I admit. Making one 8’ long straight cut ought to take about 2 minutes. If you can buy the thinner stuff used for roadbed (I don’t know, I use cork for that), I would think it would be pretty easy.
I think willist is planning to use Homasote on top of plywood as the table top, with roadbed, etc. on top of that. It does need plywood under it, or it will sag. But, when you get cork over Homasote it sure is nice and quiet.
Ken Larsen’s post about cutting Homosote outside is excellent advice.
I cut some in my basement once and had dust throughout the house. And that was after using a towel to close off the crack at the bottom of the basement door and making sure the furnace blower did not start until after I had (supposedly) cleaned up.
Cutting a 4x8 sheet weighing approximately 20 lbs into 2x8 pieces will generate approximatly 40 lbs of sawdust – unless you use a knife or similar toothless blade. Then it won’t generate the sawdust but it will take you a week!
I just picked one up and tried it tonight. It works well, is fast, and pretty much dust free.
Best bet is to cut it “outside” and let Mother Nature take care of the dust, your wife will appreciate you for it as well. That stuff gets into everything otherwise, cracks, crevices, furnace ducts, you name it including your lungs and nose.
I made the mistake “one time” of cutting it in the garage, I’ll never make that mistake again. Somehow it even got in the house, attached garage, and the wife was not happy with e for quite some time. And the garage was a mess.
That was in my younger days when I would get in a hurry like I had a deadline to meet, it was cold outaside like it is now and I figured “how much dust could cutting 2 sheets into strips really make”.
Age doesn’t particularly make a person smarter, but it does generally make one a bit more patient.
Mark
Hello… if you’re primarily going to use this for roadbed, you may want to switch to just a plywood base and use Homabed.
Its a great product already pre-cut and has beveled edges for ballast - you can get it in straight or curving sections too.
Once you glue it in place, I recommend treating it with Thompson’s Water Seal, which will keep it flexible with temprature changes and it takes spikes well.
Check this website out - I use this exclusivley and it really cuts down on the time and work, not to mention the mess.
Here is a link to California Roadbed:
Just an idea that may help you save a lot of $$$ and time.
Thanks,
HF1
Here is a thought[:-^][:-^] Mark all your curves and straights take out side and cut thats what I do and just a little reminder[I][I] My first house had aspestose shingles and homesote for insulation and I tore out all the walls and found that carpenter ants loved the homesote.Had tunnels and nest all inside the walls
I have used Homabed for my layout - It is more expensive, but it sure beats the ‘mess’ when a previous layout had sheets of it that had to be cut! The ‘curvable’ strips work out fine, and if I ever build a new layout, Homabed over 1/2" plywood will be used again. My Homabed is glued to the plywood and I used large M-E track spikes to hold the track in place. They held pretty good, as it was al least 12 years before I ballasted the track and removed them!
If you are into ‘hand-laid’ track - Homabed is the perfect roadbed material to use.
Jim
I have cut all my Homasote with a sharp uility knife. With my current layout I probably have cut more than 20 sheets.
I usually cut all of my Homasote in 2", 4", 6" & 8" widthes and usually 8 feet long.
I just mark the sheet cut line with a pencil and then begin cutting the homasote. I just make one long cut following the pencil mark and then begin the next cut.
The knife follows the first cut pretty easy - if you have a slow steady hand!
Once I have made the second cut the knife will follow the cut without trying to jump out. Maybe 5 cuts and the piece will fall off.
What i like about doing the cutting this way - is I can do it right next to the layout and not make a mess.
I have kidded the guys at the club and a few visitors to my home layout about how quick I can cut off a piece of Homasote.
When they say they can cut Homasote faster with a table saw or power hand saw - I just say that they have to do it right next to the layout and that usually shuts them down!
While the saber saw knife will do the cutting - I still probably cut the homasote faster with a plain utility knife.
Just something one has to learn!
BOB H - Calrion, PA