how do i cut foamboard into an eclipse shape?

[Shane Drew]

Lee, create a shape on my plotter and print it to paper, then spray the substrate with artists spray adhesive, lay the paper plot over the substrate, then jigsaw the shape out.

hope that makes sense, coz it has just confused me 😕

[hullitec]

Or as Shane said, use the plotter but cut some cheap vinyl and stick it on the face before cutting out.

Mike

[Peter Normington]

same way as I would do it ,but if you dont have a polotter wide enough,
Cut the elipse into 4 in the software indside a box , and just use the outside corners, if you see what I mean, saves a lot of material
Peter

[Jill Marie Welsh]

Won’t the vinyl tear off the paper surface of the foamboard?
Maybe yours is different from ours.
I’d do as Shane suggested, and make sure you use
a new snap-off razor knife and snap off a fresh blade frequently.
When I cut that crap, it looks like the dog gnawed it!
Good luck.
Love…..Jill

[Dennis Shepherd]

When I was at school I learned to cut an elipse by placing two nails at the ends of the elipse and tying string between them but slack enough to reach the width across the middle. Place a pencil inside the string and keeping it taught draw from nail to nail, it forms one side of the elipse and then do the bottom half ( if you see what I mean.) Get the length of the string right and you have an elipse – any size!

I assume it still works.

Deeks (Dennis)

[Bill Dewison]

Personally I’d do it the way Peter described, seems easiest and in 651, cheap as chips 😀 (well northern chips anyway 😀 )

Is that how you ment it Peter?

Cheers, Dewi

[Bill Dewison]

Forgot to add 😳 Leave the app tape on when you’ve applied it to the foamboard, and the vinyl shouldn’t lift or tear whilst you’re jigsawing it as long as you stay a couple of mil away from the vinyl.

I make sign blanks this way, but I often leave the vinyl on and use it as a background.

Cheers, Dewi

[Richard Urquhart]

dewi mate your a bit of a pro good diagram thanks mate

[Lee Harris]

Thanks for all of the suggestions, but I’ll be trying Dennis’s way. That’s the way I was taught, when I was at school.

Once again, thanks for your help.
Regards
Lee

[Peter Normington]

spot on dewi.
I didnt realise i was in a file posting forum or would have done the diagram.
Old fashoned way sounds good though, but for such a large oval, a steady hand would be needed.
btw will get round to trying the samples soon.

[Lee Harris]

Hi Dewi

Went with your method in the end. CJ, my daughter just loves the numbers you put on……..’there groovey’…she said.

I’ll tell Dewi what you said……’he’ll think I’m mad’ she said….you can make up your own mind ….she’s coming to SignUK with us.

Thanks for the help

Regards
Lee

[Bill Dewison]

If she is mad, she’ll fit right in! :lol1: This SignUK is going to be quite the gathering of the masses by the sounds of it!

Glad the diagram helped though 😀

Peter, its not a forum you can readily put piccies/attachments into, but if you have some hosting space, you can insert images using BBcode. Its not ideal as many ppl have done this in the past, then lost their hosting space, causing the dreaded red crossed box to appear, but sometimes a picture speaks a thousand words and it has to be done 🙄 I half-inched your idea myself as I’m trying to build a fancy schmancy sign at the moment with a rounded top 😀

Cheers, Dewi

[John Singh]

There you go Lee
Just when your back was against the wall, Dewi had you cornered

Jillbeans: I don’t think foamboard here is the same as the stuff you used by the sound of it. Vinyl is meant to be put on it and it can be removed without harm

John