It is OK to try this at home. I never had, but now I know better.

If you make furniture, at some point you are likely to use high-quality, low-compression foam for cushions. Until yesterday I had always struggled cutting foam pads to proper size prior to applying the cover. I have tried scissors, serrated knives, you name it. On the spur of the moment yesterday I decided to try the band saw – and it worked! If you have done this before, you must be chuckling by now. But now I am the one chuckling, for the results speak for themselves — nice, smooth edges all around on the foam pad:

I first tried cutting a thin sliver from the end of the original, oversize foam chunk. A word of warning: A too-thin sliver is likely to be pulled into the blade insert on the band saw table; the solution is to hold on to the sliver, and pull it away from the blade as you finish the cut.

Note: In case you are wondering, the white oak piece directly under the pad will be the base for the removable foam cushion. The cushion cover will be wrapped by my client around the foam and the white oak base. The removable pad is a feature of the prayer kneelers I build; this makes it simple for the owner to replace the cushion cover in the future.

— Al Navas