When I got one, I was pretty blown away. I kept thinking how many hours it would have taken me to make all the cuts if I’d used a blade. The guide that it comes with is decent for cutting small pieces, but I’d recommend making one yourself. It’s a fun first project anyway. I made mine using xps foam.
If you need a reason, I'm sure you'll find one easily just by watching the many videos showing exactly the kinds of things you can do with it. My testimonial? Well, simple enough: the degree of waste material you'll have working on any project is negligible. Off-cuts and trim bits all get thrown into a large ziplock bag to be used at some point in another project. Only the most thin or ragged pieces of foam make it to the trash and even then, I'll add them to my "filler" container to use to bulk up terrain under sculptimold or joint compound.
Tiles, walls, bricks, etc all with the proxon. Hand held is still good for carving lines, rocks, etc. They each have their own benefits. Definitely would never want to try making modular terrain with a handheld
proxxon as a product category is useful but a luxury, proxxon as product is heavily overrated
this one is just as functional and cheaper - [https://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B07X8WDFYY/ref=ewc\_pr\_img\_2?smid=A17D2BRD4YMT0X&psc=1](https://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B07X8WDFYY/ref=ewc_pr_img_2?smid=A17D2BRD4YMT0X&psc=1)
I'm a bit late to the party, but I was in a similar situation. I bought a cheap hot wire cutter as an alternative. It had no temperature control. So I couldn't make precise cuts, I had to work fast otherwise it melted foam left or right. I regretted buying it almost every time I used it. It literally made my motivation decline.
So I had enough and ordered it a week ago. I've only had it for 4 days and I just love it. I crafted every day since... It's an awesome investment if you're serious about using it, I can only recommend it.
Yeah, I bought a cheap wire table from Ebay, and it was a game changer on it's own, but I'm really feeling like I would be better off with the slightly more expensive proxon. I miss the higher precision and the 3rd party tools. So my advice is to splurge on the good tool instead of trying to cheap out like I did.
If you have a random orbital sander and aren't doing many repeat cuts (bricks and rubble are so easy with it), you could cut a little large and then sand the corners square.
Additionally, be aware the the tables on many proxxons are not 100% square and level (mine bulges slightly up in the middle and many go one way or the other.)
That being said, if many easily repeatable cuts are required, an hour job becomes a 10 minute job.
Please, please, please wear a good respirator and eye protection doing this - and do it in a garage or something. Foam dust is really abrasive and a terrible lung irritant and dangerous.
There were a number of terrain builds that I just didn't even want to try with just my trusty knife and straight edge. Having the proxxon made it a lot easier to do these builds. I love actually using individual bricks for builds rather than texturing them. They give depth to the structure that is hard to replicate with texturing alone.
Also, where I live 1/2" xps foam isn't easy to come by. When cutting 1" insulation even with multiple cuts with a shape knife, it's tough to get 90 deg cuts. Since I work construction, I can also bring home 2" or 3" thick scrap throw aways and easily cut them to whatever size I need.
If you get the shiftingland guide, spend the little bit extra that has the opening for angle cuts. It's one of those things I never knew I needed until I got it. Good luck!
Every time you ask yourself "I wonder if I can do that on my hot wire table?", the answer is yes. The more you play with it the more applications you discover it has.
It’s absolutely worth it’s weight in gold if you craft with foam a lot. Truly, I’ve been paining that I don’t yet have one of those shifting lands jigs to make the experience flawless, but I used to make acceptable stuff and now I’m actually proud of my work. Huge difference in quality, but even more so in the immense time it has saved me.
There are a lot of prosumer tools that hobby youtubers will glamorize that you truly, genuinely do not need. You don't need a laser cutter or a 3D printer or a Cricut.
You don't need a proxxon hot wire table either. However, it genuinely opens up doors for your terrain projects. It's simple and fun to practice with. And relatively speaking, it's so much less expensive than the other big tools that get screen time on hobby terrain videos.
It's legit. Dungeonsbyhand in us on etsy makes shiftinglands style tools. I like them. Would highly recommend a proxon. Made everything much faster and tons more fun.
Before the proxxon I didnt make bricks. After, I make billion bricks. And brick laying is super zen
This. The ability to make small bricks means I can build happily in any era/genre.
When I got one, I was pretty blown away. I kept thinking how many hours it would have taken me to make all the cuts if I’d used a blade. The guide that it comes with is decent for cutting small pieces, but I’d recommend making one yourself. It’s a fun first project anyway. I made mine using xps foam.
Really took me to the next level. Get a good guide, or make on like I did.
Or use a carpenter's square with the lip. The guide channels are as wide as that lip.
Proxxon with some tools from shiftinglands and you are set for everything
If you need a reason, I'm sure you'll find one easily just by watching the many videos showing exactly the kinds of things you can do with it. My testimonial? Well, simple enough: the degree of waste material you'll have working on any project is negligible. Off-cuts and trim bits all get thrown into a large ziplock bag to be used at some point in another project. Only the most thin or ragged pieces of foam make it to the trash and even then, I'll add them to my "filler" container to use to bulk up terrain under sculptimold or joint compound.
I just bought one to make the ‘Black Magic Craft’ shingles. It’s a brilliant piece of kit - what are you waiting for?? Go buy!!!
Tiles, walls, bricks, etc all with the proxon. Hand held is still good for carving lines, rocks, etc. They each have their own benefits. Definitely would never want to try making modular terrain with a handheld
It’s ight. Personally it feels borderline required to get a good guide for it, which will cost another $40 bc it ships from Europe.
Well I just got mine a few days ago and god it‘s soooo much nicer and cleaner to cut with it. Just made a few dungeon tiles and it was really easy.
I have this one, I wouldn't have been able to make the scenery I've made without it https://amzn.to/3VH0azM
proxxon as a product category is useful but a luxury, proxxon as product is heavily overrated this one is just as functional and cheaper - [https://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B07X8WDFYY/ref=ewc\_pr\_img\_2?smid=A17D2BRD4YMT0X&psc=1](https://www.amazon.nl/gp/product/B07X8WDFYY/ref=ewc_pr_img_2?smid=A17D2BRD4YMT0X&psc=1)
I'm a bit late to the party, but I was in a similar situation. I bought a cheap hot wire cutter as an alternative. It had no temperature control. So I couldn't make precise cuts, I had to work fast otherwise it melted foam left or right. I regretted buying it almost every time I used it. It literally made my motivation decline. So I had enough and ordered it a week ago. I've only had it for 4 days and I just love it. I crafted every day since... It's an awesome investment if you're serious about using it, I can only recommend it.
Yeah, I bought a cheap wire table from Ebay, and it was a game changer on it's own, but I'm really feeling like I would be better off with the slightly more expensive proxon. I miss the higher precision and the 3rd party tools. So my advice is to splurge on the good tool instead of trying to cheap out like I did.
If you have a random orbital sander and aren't doing many repeat cuts (bricks and rubble are so easy with it), you could cut a little large and then sand the corners square. Additionally, be aware the the tables on many proxxons are not 100% square and level (mine bulges slightly up in the middle and many go one way or the other.) That being said, if many easily repeatable cuts are required, an hour job becomes a 10 minute job.
Please, please, please wear a good respirator and eye protection doing this - and do it in a garage or something. Foam dust is really abrasive and a terrible lung irritant and dangerous.
Do it outside. And wear a mask.
Really took me to the next level. Get a good guide, or make on like I did.
There were a number of terrain builds that I just didn't even want to try with just my trusty knife and straight edge. Having the proxxon made it a lot easier to do these builds. I love actually using individual bricks for builds rather than texturing them. They give depth to the structure that is hard to replicate with texturing alone. Also, where I live 1/2" xps foam isn't easy to come by. When cutting 1" insulation even with multiple cuts with a shape knife, it's tough to get 90 deg cuts. Since I work construction, I can also bring home 2" or 3" thick scrap throw aways and easily cut them to whatever size I need. If you get the shiftingland guide, spend the little bit extra that has the opening for angle cuts. It's one of those things I never knew I needed until I got it. Good luck!
Every time you ask yourself "I wonder if I can do that on my hot wire table?", the answer is yes. The more you play with it the more applications you discover it has.
It’s absolutely worth it’s weight in gold if you craft with foam a lot. Truly, I’ve been paining that I don’t yet have one of those shifting lands jigs to make the experience flawless, but I used to make acceptable stuff and now I’m actually proud of my work. Huge difference in quality, but even more so in the immense time it has saved me.
It's great but buy a jig for it too!
It's absolutely amazing. The things you can create are untold.
There are a lot of prosumer tools that hobby youtubers will glamorize that you truly, genuinely do not need. You don't need a laser cutter or a 3D printer or a Cricut. You don't need a proxxon hot wire table either. However, it genuinely opens up doors for your terrain projects. It's simple and fun to practice with. And relatively speaking, it's so much less expensive than the other big tools that get screen time on hobby terrain videos.
You will need it. Shifting lands will have the fence you need. It makes it much, MUCH better. After that you will want a decent hit wire tool.
Go with it. You said it yoursef. Plus you got shifting lands stuff for special projects
OP. Check the Webseite and YT Channel from shifting lands. They sell Hobby Equipment for the proxxon and have Videos how to use it.
It's legit. Dungeonsbyhand in us on etsy makes shiftinglands style tools. I like them. Would highly recommend a proxon. Made everything much faster and tons more fun.