Rudder Styrofoam

One inch wide strips of Dow Styrofoam are required for the rudder. There are many ways to cut it (e.g., hot wire, various saws and knives), but I chose the easiest considering what I had on hand: a thin, break-away blade cutter. This method produced no mess and avoided a potential ventilation issue, too.

I found the best method was to be patient and start with the blade extended out only about 1/2", taking three or four increasingly deep cuts till I reached the underlying cardboard protecting my work surface. The final cuts required the extended blade to be less supported by its handle, so slowing down prevented chip-outs and errant cuts.

1" Thick Foam, Drywall Square and Cutter.

Foam Strips Ready for Final Sizing

With some small foam scraps, I experimented with filing and sanding to get the contour for the 1" Rudder Tube. After some trial and error, the best approach was to cut a small 'V' on the end of the foam then use some 80-100 grit garnet paper wrapper around a piece of scrap 1" tubing to get to the desired final shape.

Note: the two 24" x 48" tables above had to be leveled to fit together for a suitably long work surface. My basement and garage floors are very uneven. I found a YouTube video that had a variation on what I ended up doing. I used an old (as in early 1990's-old) 2" x 10" waterbed frame board to cut out 7" diameter circles. Next I attached them to the table legs with 3/8" x 3" long hex head bolts and tee nuts. I offset the hole in the 'wheel,' about 2" off the outer circumference,  to provide an eccentric movement, giving me lots of room to play with for leveling: