Foam hills

[Kerfuffin(925)]

I have a couple large pieces of 2” insulation foam and was looking to cut it into hills. Mostly for alpha strike, so total footprint size isn’t as important as hexes. However in AS a level is 1” so it’s too thick. Does anyone have advice for cutting down foam safely?

[CranstonSnord]

I use a hot wire foam cutter to make terrain, but not usually for cutting down the height. As long as the pieces aren't too big it should work ok, but the cut surface may not be completely level. Make sure to do it outside, molten foam stinks...

[worktroll]

Cut the shapes out first, and then cut down the middle. Should make it handier to work with. Use the outsides as "top".

If the shape is big, then clamp it vertically, and use a handsaw or jigsaw to cut - working vertically should be easier to keep more or less straight.

Theoretically, anyway - I had 1" sheets.

[Cat]

I use a hot wire foam cutter to make terrain, but not usually for cutting down the height. As long as the pieces aren't too big it should work ok, but the cut surface may not be completely level. Make sure to do it outside, molten foam stinks...

Even outside, a mask helps a lot!  The fumes aren't terribly toxic, but you will be much happier with a mask.
 
With a handheld cutter, the blade will bend and break under the stress of cutting lengthwise.  You would need a deep table cutter wire to hot cut it.
 
Easiest path is to get some 1" foam.
 
Else, easiest cutting might doing it cold be with a large kitchen knife.  Like hot cutting, it won't be super level; and it will be a bit pitted  — you can cover the finished hill with PVA and flocking.
 
WIP thread here showing cutting a large contoured hill with a kichen knife:
https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=106615.msg1677390#msg1677390

[R4360]

A hot wire knife would be the best option of you want to slice it in half thicknesses wise. A jig of some kind would be useful to fab up to get the thickness right were you want and keep it consistent.  Use some scrap wood or whatever (so long as the hot wire knife can't cut it) to set your 1" height, and use it as a guide to keep the knife at the right depth as you make the cut.

Personally, I'd set the 2" stuff aside for doing things like cliff faces and get some 1" thick foam for the actual hill parts.