Osborne foam hole cutter

C. S. Osborne Foam Hole Cutter for Upholstery Buttoning

The C. S. Osborne Foam Hole Cutter is a professional drill-operated upholstery tool made for cutting clean, consistent holes in foam in preparation for deep buttoning.

Manufactured from a polished steel cylinder with a specially carbonised hardened cutting edge, the cutter is built for professional upholstery workshops, furniture manufacturers, headboard makers and restoration businesses carrying out regular buttoning work.

Available in five sizes from 1/2" to 1 1/8", it can also be used to cut upholstery fabric for covered-button production.

Product Specification

• Brand: C. S. Osborne
• Product type: Foam hole cutter
• Operation: Electric drill
• Material: Polished steel
• Cutting edge: Specially carbonised and hardened
• Available sizes: 1/2", 3/4", 7/8", 1" and 1 1/8"
• Primary application: Cutting holes in foam for upholstery buttoning
• Additional application: Cutting upholstery fabric
• Fabric capacity: Up to 30 layers at a time
• Suitable for: Professional upholstery, furniture manufacture and restoration

What Is an Upholstery Foam Hole Cutter?

An upholstery foam hole cutter removes a controlled circular section of foam at the point where a button will be pulled into the upholstery.

Creating a recess in the foam reduces resistance beneath the button and can help produce a cleaner, deeper and more consistent buttoned finish.

Typical applications include:

• Deep-buttoned headboards
• Sofa backs
• Armchairs
• Footstools
• Ottomans
• Upholstered bed panels
• Decorative wall panels
• Fixed seating
• Furniture restoration
• Bespoke upholstered furniture

Foam Hole Cutter for Deep Buttoning

Deep buttoning requires the finished button to pull below the surrounding upholstery surface.

Where foam sits beneath the fabric, the foam can resist the button and make it more difficult to achieve a defined recess.

A cleanly cut foam opening can help:

• Create a more defined button recess
• Allow deeper button placement
• Reduce unnecessary foam resistance
• Improve consistency between button positions
• Produce cleaner upholstery contours
• Improve the appearance of repeated button patterns

Available Osborne Foam Cutter Sizes

The C. S. Osborne Foam Hole Cutter is available in:

• 1/2"
• 3/4"
• 7/8"
• 1"
• 1 1/8"

The correct size depends on the button diameter, foam depth, foam firmness and required finished appearance.

A smaller cutter removes less foam and retains more support around the button.

A larger cutter creates a broader recess and may be preferable where a more pronounced button depression is required.

C. S. Osborne Foam Cutter for Headboards

Headboard production is one of the most common uses for professional foam hole cutters.

The Osborne cutter is suitable for:

• Diamond-buttoned headboards
• Square button layouts
• Deep-buttoned bedheads
• Upholstered bed panels
• Decorative feature panels
• Bespoke headboard manufacture

Consistent foam recesses can help each button pull to a similar depth across larger button layouts.

Foam Hole Cutter for Sofas & Chairs

The cutter is also suitable for foam preparation on buttoned furniture including:

• Sofa backs
• Chair backs
• Upholstered arms
• Fixed seat backs
• Decorative furniture panels
• Traditional-style upholstery
• Furniture restoration

Always consider the position of internal frames or other structural components before cutting into the foam.

Foam Hole Cutter for Footstools & Ottomans

Deep-buttoned footstools and ottomans often use foam layers and prominent decorative buttons.

Removing a controlled section of foam can help the button sit more deeply within the upholstery and produce a clearer buttoned profile.

Typical applications include:

• Footstools
• Ottomans
• Upholstered benches
• Window seats
• Decorative seat pads
• Bespoke upholstered furniture

Cuts Upholstery Fabric as Well as Foam

The C. S. Osborne cutter is not limited to foam preparation.

It can also be used to cut upholstery fabric in preparation for use with a button covering machine.

specifies that the cutter can cut through up to 30 layers of fabric at a time, making it useful for professional workshops producing repeated batches of covered buttons.

This provides an additional production use beyond foam recess cutting.

Fabric Cutting for Covered Button Production

Where multiple covered buttons are required, consistent fabric preparation helps produce a more uniform finished result.

The Osborne Foam Hole Cutter can be useful for batch cutting suitable fabric before the material is formed around the button shell.

For dedicated button-cover cutting, also see the C. S. Osborne Fabric Cutter.

Use with the C. S. Osborne W1 Button Covering Machine

For professional covered-button manufacture, pair the cutter with the C. S. Osborne W1 Upholstery Button Press.

The W1 is a hand-operated button covering machine made for regular professional production.

It is particularly suitable for:

• Upholstery workshops
• Headboard manufacturers
• Furniture manufacturers
• Restoration businesses
• Contract furniture production
• Bespoke upholstery

Use with Osborne Button Die Sets

The C. S. Osborne 2-Piece Button Die Set & Fabric Cutter provides professional button-forming tooling for the Osborne system.

The current Status Fabrics range includes sizes:

• 24
• 30
• 36

The die set is manufactured from forged steel and is made for the Osborne W1 and W3 button presses.

Use with Aluminium Button Shells

Covered upholstery buttons can be produced using compatible Aluminium Button Shells.

The aluminium shell forms the visible shape beneath the upholstery fabric while the chosen button back provides the fixing method.

Matching the shell, back and button-making tooling helps produce consistent finished buttons.

Foam Hole Cutter for Wire Back Buttons

Button Wire Backs are widely used in traditional deep buttoning.

They provide a loop for upholstery twine so the finished button can be pulled through the foam and secured from the reverse.

A foam recess created with the Osborne cutter can help the finished wire-backed button pull neatly into the upholstery surface.

Foam Hole Cutter for Prong Back Buttons

Button Prong Backs provide a mechanical alternative to wire-backed buttons.

The long prongs pass through suitable upholstery constructions and are retained from the reverse.

Where the design requires a defined button recess, the foam hole cutter can be used to prepare the foam around the intended button position.

Osborne Foam Hole Cutter or Standard Foam Hole Cutter?

also supplies a standard Foam Hole Cutter in 18mm and 22mm sizes.

Choose the C. S. Osborne cutter where:

• A wider range of cutter diameters is required
• Professional C. S. Osborne tooling is preferred
• Hardened steel construction is important
• Fabric-cutting capability is also useful
• Regular workshop use is expected

Choose the standard cutter where:

• 18mm or 22mm suits the application
• A simpler lower-cost solution is required
• The primary requirement is foam recess cutting

Osborne Foam Cutter for Furniture Restoration

The cutter is also useful when rebuilding or reproducing existing buttoned furniture.

Where old foam is being replaced, accurately positioned recesses can help recreate:

• Original button positions
• Existing button depth
• Traditional button layouts
• Decorative upholstery patterns
• Furniture proportions

This is particularly useful when restoring headboards, chairs, sofas and other deep-buttoned furniture.

Professional Foam Hole Cutter for Upholstery Workshops

The C. S. Osborne Foam Hole Cutter is particularly suited to:

• Professional upholsterers
• Headboard manufacturers
• Furniture manufacturers
• Furniture restoration workshops
• Contract furniture businesses
• Bespoke furniture makers
• Upholstered bed manufacturers
• Soft furnishing workshops

For professional button production, pair with the C. S. Osborne W1 Upholstery Button Press and compatible Osborne Button Die & Cutter Sets.

Browse Button Parts for shells, wire backs, prong backs and other covered-button components.

Browse Buttoning Tools for presses, cutters, dies and specialist upholstery buttoning equipment.

For help choosing the correct cutter size or buttoning equipment, contact us.

Professional C. S. Osborne foam hole cutter for cutting clean buttoning recesses in upholstery foam and preparing fabric for covered-button production.

• Genuine C. S. Osborne upholstery cutter
• Available in 1/2", 3/4", 7/8", 1" and 1 1/8" sizes
• made for use with an electric drill
• Polished steel construction
• Specially carbonised hardened cutting edge
• Use it for deep-buttoned headboards, sofas, chairs and upholstered panels
• Can also cut upholstery fabric
• Capable of cutting through up to 30 layers of fabric at a time
• Suitable for professional upholstery and furniture manufacture

For covered-button production, pair with the C. S. Osborne W1 Button Covering Machine and C. S. Osborne 2-Piece Button Die Set & Fabric Cutter.

For a lower-cost 18mm or 22mm alternative, see the Foam Hole Cutter.