hotwires and templates

the hotwire
i use a guitar tuning peg for tension
i find 6 amps DC pretty much at least what you need
which is a lab power supply or battery charger
use DC wire it carries more current
i use nichrome wire same piece all year
my wire is about .7mm but i would by thinner if i could
though this wire is strong
nichrome retains its tensile strength at high temperatures

my hotwire guides are made with 3mm mdf
i make them the same way i mnake my outline templates
by printing the proifiles from board cad
i make one and trace the outline on to more for the other
i tack them together and true them up together

templates

i make my templates as a finished template so i can use them for pu boards and visualize the finished board
i have a guage, after i draw the outline on the foam
i mark in 15 mm from the rail every 4 inches or so,with the guage
and use the template to redraw the line
the template needs to be moved to do the nose and tail

i print the outline in A4 sheets and their are orientation lines on the print out
i set the margins to 0 or the mallest margin posssible
i get 3mm mdf from home depot and they cut the sheets for me
i get the 8ft sheet cut into 4 stips
so 4 templates cost me 12$
i use a spray adhesive to glue the templates onto the mdf
and then cut the outline with a japanese saw
the fine kerf japanese pull saw will cut the template perfectly after a few goes
and you dont even need to plane or sand it
it will be good
the pull saw is faster then any other method and the same saw will cut perfect miters on your balsa
and you blank outlines perfectly
it can also be used to remove planks and skins on a finished board as the kerf is only .4 of a mm
and it will do a piercing cut