Chipboard or Taskboard for your model

The USF XARTS material guide (opens in a new tab) lists Taskboard and says it does what chipboard does, with three advantages: it is easier to cut, it has a more consistent composition (so edges do not need to be hidden with miter joints), and it sands more cleanly.

The same guide says chipboard can be laser cut. Harvard GSD’s fab lab also lists chipboard as approved (opens in a new tab) for its laser.

Here, chipboard is the gray or brown paperboard in every model shop. It is solid and flat, not corrugated, and it is not the particle board used for furniture. Shops sell it by the ply: Yale Architecture’s materials shop lists single-ply and double-ply chipboard (opens in a new tab). The CCI fab lab at the University of the Arts London describes solid cardboard such as grey board (opens in a new tab) apart from corrugated, whose flutes can hold hot gases.

Use a sharp knife, a metal ruler and a self-healing mat. The Academy of Art’s guide suggests an X-Acto #2 knife, a mat and a ruler (opens in a new tab) for board, and Columbia’s supply list asks for #11 blades for straight and small detailed cuts (opens in a new tab) and an Olfa or utility knife for thicker, denser board.

Thickness is the catch. The USF XARTS guide (opens in a new tab) says any board thicker than a single ply makes complex cuts difficult. Taskboard is easier to cut, the same guide says, and the 1/32" sheet cuts with scissors.

White glue is the standard for chipboard: Columbia’s list names Elmer’s and Sobo (opens in a new tab). The ArchStudent model-making guide says to use the least glue that will hold (opens in a new tab). Too much wet glue is where a wide chipboard panel warps, so keep the coat light and let the part dry flat under a weight.

On a laser the edge chars: Syracuse’s fab lab says chipboard and some museum boards char (opens in a new tab). Taskboard’s edge is light brown, not black, and it sands clean. The USF guide says its consistent composition means edges do not need to be hidden with miter joints.

Many labs accept it. Harvard GSD lists chipboard as approved, and its laser procedure asks for a test cut, settings assigned for the material, and no unattended running (opens in a new tab). Paper burns: the University of Pennsylvania’s laser fact sheet stresses approved materials, exhaust and closely monitoring every cut (opens in a new tab). xTool says to peel off masking tape (opens in a new tab) after cutting.

Chipboard wins on price and on how easy it is to find, so it suits study models, bases and anything hidden. Taskboard® is about half as dense, is white, stays flat and sands clean, so it suits parts that will be seen and laser runs with many pieces. More in architecture model materials.