[Ryu James]

hey Alien,
havent been on the forums in ages and just happened to jump on today and saw this thread.

you are pursuing a tough road for sure. i did a lot of work with carbon fiber there for a couple years and it was expensive. actually, first i coudnt find anywhere that would cut it. when i finally did find a place that was willing they didnt really want to but needed the business so they did. the results were not great. i finally took a job at a machine shop just so i could learn how to cut it myself and do it right. let me just say i know why places dont mess with it: you have to run diamond coated carbide bits which run anywhere from $60-$300 per bit and they are only good for 10 to 30 parts (depending on holes, size, etc). secondly, the carbon dust plugs up the filtration systems in CNC machines. i learned this the hard way and flooded the damn shop with coolant. lol. also, many dont like to machine it because the dust can get in the ways on the CNC and slowly work on them like sandpaper and cause friction. anyway, i still love carbon fiber and will still build with it in the future but only for special project. my typical cost, with tooling, for a 1/8 carbon chassis was probably $150. i even tried lazer cutting shops to save money but the lazers frayed the edges because it melted the epoxy around the cut. also tried waterjet but waterjet only works for 2d cutting. most chassis have recessed pockets for bulkheads and such. anyway, i encourage you to do it because it was fun and challenging but be prepared for some trial and error. hit me up if you have any questions. oh, and by the way, the end result was always worth it personally. it was hard to profit on selling my items but without doubt the carbon pieces i made always held up better, looked better, and were of course lighter and tronger.