CNC floor templates

I CNC-cut my floor template out of XPS foam. 2-inch thick insulation foam, same stuff you’d use under a concrete slab, $30 for a 4×8 sheet at Home Depot.

The van floor isn’t flat. The wheel wells intrude. The side channels step down. Factory measurements are close but not close enough if you’re cutting plywood that costs $70 a sheet and you only get one try.

The process

Measure the van. Model it in VCarve. Cut the foam on the makerspace CNC. Test-fit the foam in the van. Adjust the model. Cut a second template if the first one’s wrong.

The first one fit.

Why foam

Because foam is cheap, machines fast, and you can trim it with a utility knife if you’re off by a quarter-inch. It’s also light enough to maneuver inside the van by yourself, which matters when the nearest help is 20 minutes away.

Once the foam fits, you trace it onto plywood. Then you cut the plywood with a circular saw and a straightedge because the CNC isn’t big enough for a full sheet and I’m not paying for CNC time when a $30 saw does the job.

What I learned

The CNC is louder than I expected and XPS foam smells like a chemical plant when you cut it fast. Also: the makerspace vacuum system works great and I should have used it from the start instead of filling the shop with foam dust.

Next: meanwhile, the teardrop.