What's Good For Drilling & Cutting Carbon Fiber

[rossm]

As in I have a sheet of the stuff and want to cut & drill it neatly (type of drill bit, blade required that sort of thing)

[thefatman]

Fine tooth hacksaw, then sand down the edge with 240 grit wet+dry afterwards. A thin cut off disc in a air grinder or dremmel will also work.

Normal drill bits work perfectly well, make sure you use a sharp(new) bit and not to much pressure on the drill.

[ricey3]

also put something on the back of it so when you drill through it wont burst through and make a mess.

On all CF and GRP and sheet steel i use drills with a really low web(?) angle, like the drills for drilling out spot welds, means the hole is prefectly round. Allthough this is prob overkill if your backing it with wood when you drill i thought i'd mention it.

[rd84]

Use a Cone or Step Drill - they won't grab at the C/F like a normal drill - just be careful about how many graduations you drill - I use a marker pen on the bit to indicate how far to drill.

A Dremel with a diamond cutting disc works well - Cut near to the line then sand up to the exact line since any cutting done with a disc will be slightly wobbly however careful you are.

I also usually put some tape on the surface that I'm going to cut or drill to reduce the chance of disc or drill slipping.

Be careful to wear overalls, dust mask and eye protection when using this stuff.

Cheers

Paul

[Mark/Foggy]

I'm quite handy with an angle grinder so it tends to be my tool of choice. Thin cutting discs on a taped over surface and a grinder mounted flapper wheel for curves and finishing.

[Cibbersicks]

Another one here for the use of the step drill, great for drilling plastics for crash bungs (*shudder*) and such

Also it's dusty work if you go for the angle grinder/Dremel option so be sure to wear a mask and goggles (Mark/Foggy doesn't need them cos he's a speccy 4 eyes... )

[Evilchicken0]

I used one of those black cutting discs with a dremmel. To drill it I use Brad Point bits for wood, they have shoulders on that cut first then the middle cuts the rest out, drill a small pilot hole first.

PS - wear a mask you don't want to breath that stuff in.

[jollygiant]

How could you be so barbaric and insensitive with my beloved 6th element!

[kanerdog1x1]

i have used a 1mm cutting disc on the grinder before with good effect, hacksaw blades tend to dull very quickly.

also, if you drill backwards, the bit wont grab and tear. this is more useful with fiberglass tho.

[Superdunc]

If it the carbon sheet is thin a pair of good tin snips cut it very neatly.