Cutting CF Truss Rod

[Kim Strode]

I've seen posts indicating you shouldn't use saws to cut Carbon Fibre Truss Ross as it will damage blades, so how is it cut?

[colburge]

It is very easy to cut, sand or file. I just use a hack saw and clean it up with a file.

Col

[kiwigeo]

+1 for the hacksaw. I take care to keep the dust under control.....I park my dust extractor hose next to the vise while cutting.

[simso]

Yep, I use a hacksaw

[demonx]

Cuts very easy with a hacksaw. I just throw it in the vice and cut.

[aljosha]

doesn't it eat through blades?
I use a metalbladed handsaw, and the blade doesnt last too long, whereas cutting stainless steel seemingly doesnt bother the blade at all...
I use very high density rods from a cf product supplier and not any of the luthier supply stuff though, if that matters...
might have way more cf than in those, though that should not matter too much, I'd guess...

what type of blade do you use in the hacksaw?
I'd go with a metal blade, but therein might lie the problem...

best
j

[demonx]

I've made at a guess forty or more carbon fibre cuts with the same blade and there's no issue with going blunt. That'd be two cuts per guitar (two rods) and twenty or so guitars since I started using CF rods.

It's just a blue hacksaw blade for metal. It also gets used for other odd jobs, usually cutting metal. So I really don't know how you can be killing a blade just cutting a piece of CF.

I can't even tell you if it's a high or low quality blade as i found it in the roof channel of a panelvan I bought years ago! There were heaps of brand new blades in there and they've kept me going over the years!

As for the carbon fibre, I also do not but it from a luthier supplies, I buy lengths of the stuff from a carbon fibre specialist and then I cut to my desired lengths.

[Kim Strode]

Thank you for your feedback, will use a hacksaw blade.

[demonx]

What you may have been confused about is not using "power" saws, like bandsaws etc, more for safety reasons as I think I have heard of someone cutting CF on a bandsaw and it shattered, so that may be what you were thinking of.

[kiwigeo]

I can't even tell you if it's a high or low quality blade as i found it in the roof channel of a panelvan I bought years ago! There were heaps of brand new blades in there and they've kept me going over the years!

Previous owner of the panel van obviously a safe breaker??

[demonx]

Previous owner of the panel van obviously a safe breaker??

Always thinking the worst of people!

I'd say it was an ex tradies van. I bought it from a wreckers and got it on the road for moving band gear "back in the day".

[Trevor Gore]

Like the others, I just use a standard hacksaw (Bahco/Sandvik blade). I keep old, fine-toothed blades for the bandsaw and reserve them for sawing wood/CF laminates (e.g. bridge blanks). Wood/CF laminate will dull a blade instantly (and emit sparks), so making it pretty useless for anything else other than wrestling your way around small pieces. You're unlikely to break a blade unless you try really hard.

[Tom West]

I use a hacksaw, but it's harder on the blade then cutting metal. Quite noticeable dulling of the blade.
Tom

[Kim Strode]

I successfully cut the CF Rod with a hacksaw today...much easier than I envisaged. Can I use arildite to glue the truss rod into the neck blank?

[kiwigeo]

I successfully cut the CF Rod with a hacksaw today...much easier than I envisaged. Can I use arildite to glue the truss rod into the neck blank?

Araldite will do the job. Ive had issues with freshness of the stuff from my local hardware so I generally use Techniglue Epoxy these days.

[demonx]

I successfully cut tnhe CF Rod with a hacksaw today...much easier than I envisaged. Can I use arildite to glue the truss rod into the neck blank?

I usually have to tap the CF bar into place with a hammer and then when I glue the board down I simply run the glue over the whole surface as if the carbon fibre is just part of the timber. I don't bother to glue inside the channel, however if you did have a bit of slack then a few drops won't go astray. Usually epoxy is the glue of choice for CF so arildite will do fine.