Description
C.S. Osborne Foam Hole Cutter for Upholstery Buttoning
The C.S. Osborne Foam Hole Cutter is a professional drill-operated upholstery tool designed for cutting clean, consistent holes in foam in preparation for deep buttoning.
Manufactured from a polished high-quality 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 ½″ to 1⅛″, 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 high-quality steel
- Cutting edge: Specially carbonised and hardened
- Available sizes: ½″, ¾″, 7/8″, 1″ and 1⅛″
- 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 substantial 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:
- ½″
- ¾″
- 7/8″
- 1″
- 1⅛″
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 substantial 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.
Livedale 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 designed 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 Livedale range includes sizes:
- 24
- 30
- 36
The die set is manufactured from forged steel and is designed 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?
Livedale 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.
Registered trade customers receive preferential pricing. Log in to your account or register for a Livedale trade account.
For help choosing the correct cutter size or buttoning equipment, contact Livedale.
